'Our buses are being run for profit and you can tell'

BUSES across the North East would be cheaper and "significantly" better used if brought under public control, a review has found.

- By DANIEL HOLLAND Local democracy reporter [e-mail]

North East mayor Kim McGuinness

North East mayor Kim McGuinness' promise to take power over bus routes, fares, and timetables away from private companies has been deemed "affordable, feasible and deliverable", according to an assessment.

Council leaders will now be asked to sign off on the next steps towards making the mayor's vision of an 'Angel Network' of publicly-run buses a reality. A bus system where services "go where we need them, not just where is profitable" was one of the mayor's key manifesto promises and she kickstarted the lengthy process of reforming the network on her first day in office.