'We need to provide an affordable, integrated transport network that works for local people'

MORE REGULAR BUSES COULD PUT AN EXTRA 171,000 PEOPLE WITHIN REACH OF CITY CENTRE

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

MORE regular and better integrated North East buses could put an extra 171,000 people within 30 minutes of Newcastle city centre.

New research from Centre for Cities has found that promised upgrades to the region's public transport network could result in a 40% uplift in the number of people able to get to jobs, education, and leisure in the heart of Newcastle within half an hour - and deliver a £1.8bn boost to the North East economy every year.

The think tank estimates that bringing six English cities with metro mayors closer to the standards of London and European counterparts - with faster and more frequent buses, ticketing integrated with Metro or tram systems, and better aligned timetables would boost national economic output by an estimated £17.4bn per year.

North East mayor Kim McGuinness has pledged to create a fully integrated public transport system stretching across Tyne and Wear, County Durham, and Northumberland.