Member Article

Better fares and revitalised buses launched across the City of Sunderland to aid the region’s recovery

Go North East has launched a new blanket fare offer with a headline maximum single fare of just £1.70 for any journey, and other offers across the region, as part of its summer saving fares campaign.

The offers cover the whole City of Sunderland area, and the bus company hopes to extend them longer term if the take up is good and more people get on board the region’s buses.

The region’s largest bus company is also in the process of launching new and revitalised colour coded brands across the city to make it easier for its customers to identify their bus and help attract more people back on board with a clean and well-presented product.

These colourful route branded buses have already started to hit the streets and will do so into the autumn.

City of Sunderland summer saving fares

The new City of Sunderland zone covers places such as Concord, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton-le-Spring, Murton, Ryhope, Seaham, Silksworth, Sunderland city centre and Washington.

• £1.70 maximum single fare – you’ll never pay more than £1.70 for a single journey when travelling within the new City of Sunderland zone, and shorter journeys start from just £1.50.
• £3.10 maximum return fare – you’ll never pay more than £3.10 for a return journey when travelling within the new City of Sunderland zone, and shorter return journeys start from just £2.90.
• £4 day ticket – make unlimited journeys in the new City of Sunderland zone for just £4 a day. Available to buy on the bus or on the Go North East app.
• £15 weekly ticket – make unlimited journeys across the week within the new City of Sunderland zone for just £15 a week. Available to buy on the bus or in advance on the Go North East app.
• £1 evening fare – if you are travelling after 7pm, you can also travel for just £1 per journey with Go North East’s great value evening fare.

Buses in Sunderland were once blue and ran by the ‘Sunderland and District Omnibus Company’ – which became part of today’s Go North East – so the company has brought back the classic name, but with a modern twist, simply calling its buses ‘Sunderland District’.

Nowadays there is more of an affinity towards the colour red in Sunderland, so Go North East has moved away from the classic blue colour in favour of most of its buses in Sunderland having a red back.

Each different coloured route has a name to describe the colour of the bus:

• 2 | 2A – pink coloured buses branded as Sunderland District Berries
• 33 – silver coloured buses branded as Sunderland District Silver
• 38 – sand coloured buses branded as Sunderland District Blonde
• 39 – grey coloured buses branded as Sunderland District Graphite
• 35 – maroon coloured buses branded as Sunderland District Cherry
• 55 – purple coloured buses branded as Sunderland District Violet
• 61 – blue coloured buses branded as Sunderland District Blue

Stephen King, commercial director at Go North East, said: “We’re delighted to be offering these promotional fares across the City of Sunderland and revitalising our services in the area.

“We hope that there’s enough uptake to keep the offer longer-term, and combined with the rollout of new branding, it makes it easier than ever before for existing and new customers to travel with us.”

Cllr Rowntree, deputy leader of Sunderland City Council, added: “Sunderland is committed to playing its part in tackling the global climate change emergency and along with partners across the city have signed up to a Sunderland Low Carbon Framework that will help drive down emissions and seek to make the city carbon neutral by 2040.

“Tackling climate change is too great a task for any one body or organisation. Our citywide approach – involving partners, including Go North East, businesses, residents, and visitors will be really important.

“Public transport is of huge importance in helping to achieve these ambitions. It’s great to see Go North East introduce some temporary offers in an effort to aid passenger growth and help get Sunderland and the wider region back on its feet as we recover from the pandemic.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Go North East .