Member Article

Stagecoach Launches Express Sunderland To Newcastle Bus Service

Bus passengers and commuters will soon be able to travel between Sunderland and Newcastle with the introduction of a new express bus service by Stagecoach North East.

The local bus operator is launching its brand new X24 inter-urban express route from 30 January 2017, which will operate every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday from Fawcett Street in Sunderland City Centre to Pilgrim Street in Newcastle.

The new express service, which also runs evening services at 7.24pm in Sunderland and 8.10pm in Newcastle respectively, has been introduced following a high level of customer demand and offers a speedy service for commuters and for shopping and leisure visits to both cities.

Travelling via Chester Road in Sunderland and Gateshead High Street, the newly liveried buses with the striking X24 blue design will present an alternative method of travel to the Metro.

Steve Walker, Managing Director, Stagecoach North East, said: “After listening to our customers, we are delighted to launch this new service to benefit passengers travelling between Sunderland and Newcastle. The new X24 service represents a further investment from Stagecoach North East and demonstrates our commitment to delivering more choice, more value for money and more opportunities to travel whether business or pleasure.”

For onward journeys, X24 passengers in Newcastle can connect to the Metrocentre, Quorum Business Park, Colbalt Business Park and more.

Further demonstrating its response to customer demand, earlier this month Stagecoach North East brought on board return fares for residents in the south of Sunderland, bringing cheaper journeys for passengers travelling within the city, on routes 12 and 13.

The X24 launch follows the recent introduction contactless payment and m-ticketing technology, making bus travel a more attractive and stress-free option than commuting by car.

Within the past year Stagecoach North East has also implemented integrated smart ticketing across the region as well as a brand new website and smartphone app which allow customers to receive real-time journey information.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kathryn Clapham .