£1.8m pledged to improve hundreds of County Durham bus stops

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has pledged to revamp shelters and signage as part of a £1.8 million package of transport improvements throughout County Durham. 

Work has begun on 168 new bus shelters, while 444 new bus stop flags and signs will be erected to improve visibility and guidance. 

Up to 50 raised kerbs will also be created to make boarding and alighting buses easier for passengers with mobility needs. Meanwhile, street furniture will be relocated in 11 locations to enhance accessibility and reduce obstructions for passengers.

Mayor McGuinness said: “We’re making real changes to the places where people wait for their buses. Bus stops and shelters might not always be the first thing people think about when improving transport, but I know that they make a huge difference to passengers.

“This investment is all about making bus stops safer, more accessible, and more welcoming. We’re installing new shelters, better signage, and raised kerbs to make boarding easier - simple improvements that will help people feel more confident using buses."

Last year, County Durham transport bosses were warned “public confidence in bus services is at an all-time low”. The impact of timetable changes and cost-cutting measures by operators in the region continues to affect services and public trust. 

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Yet, passenger satisfaction in County Durham increased to 82 per cent in 2024, up from 76 per cent the previous year. The total number of bus users also increased over the year after driver strikes sidelined services in late 2023. 

Ms McGuinness has pledged to bring the North East’s bus network back under public control for the first time since the 1980s. Her franchising plans would mean that the North East Combined Authority would be able to set fare prices, routes, and timetables. 

However, there have been warnings that the move to a franchise system in which the North East Combined Authority contracts private companies to run bus services could take several years to complete.