PROPOSED bus fares in Northumberland could see those aged under 22 pay just £1 for single tickets.

The changes would be part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan for the county after the Government awarded the North East with £163.5m to enhance bus travel across the region.

Northumberland’s share of the money will be used to procure new and improved services, connect communities with new routes and improve the frequency and operating hours for existing services.

Under the new plans, single tickets for under-22s would be priced at £1, while a regionwide day ticket would be just £3 for the same age bracket. An adult day ticket for Northumberland meanwhile would be £5.

Northumberland is expected to be allocated a total of £7.8m for service improvements, although this is yet to be confirmed. Cllr John Riddle, Conservative portfolio holder for local services, welcomed the news.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting of Northumberland County Council’s Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Cllr Riddle said: “This is a very very good news story.

“We bid to the Department for Transport for this money through the LA7, and it was the biggest award in the country. It’s a gamechanger for our rural bus services.”

Neil Easton, the council’s public transport manager, added: “It’s amazing news, fantastic. It will be really transformational for the region.”

Mr Easton added that bus travel was vital in the North East, where just 68 per cent of households own a car; compared to the national average of 74 per cent. However, he also pointed out that bus travel was down compared to pre-Covid levels, and had only reached around 84 per cent of the levels seen prior to the pandemic.

But Liberal Democrat leader Jeff Reid was unconvinced.

He said: “If we’re going to have a viable, sustainable bus network in Northumberland we’re going to need more money. If you compare the amount of money spent per head here to London, it is a disgrace.”