Member Article

Go North East to host open day event at Gateshead Riverside depot on 15 May

On Sunday 15 May, the region’s largest bus operator, Go North East, will be throwing open the doors at its Gateshead Riverside bus depot for a jubilee-themed community open day.

Open between 10am and 4pm, Go North East will be showing you behind the scenes of the depot, with the North East Bus Preservation Trust’s Bus Rally also taking place just up the road at Metrocentre Coach Park at the same time, with a display of vintage and modern buses and a free shuttle bus running between the two.

On the day, there will be all sorts to see and do, including the company’s special jubilee celebratory bus, vintage and open top bus rides, bus displays, and the chance to view the engineering workshop area.

There will be lots of fun things for the kids too – the North East Soft Play Bus will be on site, fully kitted out with upper and lower soft play frames and a slide from top to bottom, as well as an ice cream van, a tombola, bake sale and, best of all, Go North East will be running their extremely popular tours through the bus wash.

Kids (and adults) will have the opportunity to have their photo taken behind the wheel of a bus and will be able to top off the experience by having their name up in lights at the front of the bus.

Entry to the site will be free, but donations will be welcomed and there will be small charges for some activities as the company raises funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Go North East’s recruitment team will also be on hand during the day to talk about the company’s vacancies. There are driving and engineering opportunities available at sites across the region, including in Sunderland, North Tyneside, County Durham, and at company’s Riverside depot that will play host to the community open day.

No parking is available at the Gateshead Riverside depot, but the Metrocentre is serviced by frequent buses from across the region, including the frequent X66 bus from Gateshead Interchange, buses every few minutes from Newcastle city centre (6, 10, 10a, 10b, X45, X46 and 47).

There will also be a frequent free shuttle bus operating between the Metrocentre Coach Rally site and the bus depot.

Commenting on the event, Martijn Gilbert, managing director at Go North East, said: “We’re delighted to be throwing open the doors at our Gateshead Riverside depot to show off the hard work of our team, including those behind the scenes, that goes into delivering bus services across the region.

“As well as celebrating the Queen’s jubilee, there’ll be something for everyone, so it’s a great opportunity to come along and see behind the scenes whilst also having some family fun.”

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