Praise for Bus Team

Transport bosses who pulled out all the stops to keep a bus service running when an operator went bust have earned an MP’s praise.

Hexham MP Peter Atkinson has written to Northumberland County Council praising the work done by its passenger transport team, who worked over Easter to save a rural bus service. They had to move fast to save services and minimise disruption for passengers when the news came through that Prudhoe company Kimberley Coaches had called in the receiver the day before Good Friday.

As well as keeping public bus services going, the team also had to find operators willing to replace school bus routes for 179 pupils in time for the new term after the Easter break.

Staff worked with operators at Tyne Valley, Arriva, Classic and Snaiths to get drivers in place for services. They had to find replacements when many of the operators were on holiday.

Mr Atkinson told the company: “The fact that you were able to find alternative services for everyone has been widely appreciated.”

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