Arriva Darlington and Teesside services 'saved' after deal, claims mayor

Several bus services at risk of being scrapped due to funding cuts have been saved after a "last minute agreement", the Tees Valley mayor has said.

Arriva North East had planned to make cuts and changes to services across Darlington and Teesside from 9 July.

But Tory mayor Ben Houchen said he, and five local authorities, "stepped in" to retain a number of key services.

Arriva said it "must stress" it cannot yet confirm the routes will run "until contractual terms are agreed".

It had proposed changes to services including the number 17, which links Yarm, Eaglescliffe, Ingleby Barwick and Stockton.

The bus firm blamed the reduction in services on a 28% cut in funding for the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, which reimburses travel operators in return for accepting the use of "free bus passes".

But Mr Houchen said the Tees Valley Combined Authority, along with councils in Redcar, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Darlington and Hartlepool, had agreed a "compromise".

Services 12, 4, 17/17A, X17 and D3/3A are among those expected to continue running. Talks are continuing over the 29 service in Middlesbrough, and services 28 and 28A, which would retain bus coverage to Nunthorpe village.

Mr Houchen said the "incredibly disappointing" decision to axe services had been "commercial" and was "entirely out of our hands".

"But we've listened to local people's concerns and know how important these vital services are, so have worked extremely hard behind the scenes to find a way forward."

The mayor previously accused the bus operator of holding councils to "ransom", despite being offered "many millions of pounds" through subsidies.

He said additional funding of £425,000 had been made available, but said the taxpayer had ended up "footing the bill".

Last week Stockton South's Conservative MP Matt Vickers said he would bring the cuts to the attention of Transport Secretary Mark Harper. He also created a petition.

Mr Vickers said it had been an "enormous win" for local people, who had "stood up against an operator prioritising their profits".

He said: "This service is a lifeline for connecting our community. I've heard so many stories from people, young and old, who rely on it to access education, work and healthcare."

Arriva North East said its passengers were "at the heart of everything", and it worked "hard to ensure our services can run" - but said those services had to be "financially viable".

"In this case, we have had to deal with a significant reduction in reimbursement, which meant a number of services were no longer viable without crucial financial support," a spokesperson said.

It said it was "really pleased" to be working with the Tees Valley Combined Authority to "use the additional government funding given to them to protect some services".

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