Jesmond’s bus services face uncertainty after the government raised the price cap on single journeys this month (January 2025) from £2 to £3. 

While the move forms part of a £1 billion national investment in public transport, some residents in Jesmond fear it could mark the beginning of the end for the area’s already underutilised routes.

The cap will remain in place until the end of this year and the Department for Transport says that even at the new rate, the £3 cap will save passengers in rural communities, for example, up to 80% on the cost of some bus routes. And in our region, the North East Combined Authority has stepped in with additional funding to reduce the cap here to £2.50.  However, even this measure has not eased concerns about the reliability and viability of local services. The government has not yet said what will happen at the end of this year, with some speculation that the cap could be removed completely or granted only to younger passengers or those in rural areas.

Bus stops on Osborne Road, once a key bus corridor in Jesmond, are rarely busy with many residents preferring the Metro’s faster and more dependable services. In a written statement to parliament in 2022, Transport North East (TNE) noted that bus passenger numbers across the region had not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, and were 28% lower than 2019 levels.

Passenger campaign groups have argued that some bus routes should be free. Chair of the North East Public Transport Users Group Vicki Gilbert told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that “50 cities in Europe have free buses and many of those include trains too, let alone a £2 fare. The reason that it’s important is that it gets more people onto buses.”

The Jesmond Residents Association (JRA) has expressed unease about what the fare increase could mean for bus services like the Q3 and 35, which run through Jesmond. “In principle, it’s good to have a bus service on Osborne Road, but there is of course strong competition from the Metro, which is generally quicker,” said a spokesperson, who added that this competition “tends to limit the number of users” and expressed fears for the future of the services, noting that “there is concern that they will be reduced.”

Last year, those fears almost materialised when Nexus – the public body which owns the Metro, but also co-ordinates local bus services – announced plans to cut the Q3’s diversion through Jesmond to prioritise instead a direct route to Great Park.

Although the Q3 was spared at the time, this near miss left residents questioning how long their services would remain intact. If passenger numbers continue to decline, many worry the £3 fare could be the final straw.

David Laird, head of commercial at bus operator Go North East which runs the QuayCity Q3 route, told JesmondLocal that the £2.50 fare still “represents good value”. He added that there are no plans to change the Q3 service in Jesmond.

Callum Wass, a local student and Jesmond resident, said he had stopped relying on buses due to their unpredictability. “I used to use the bus but I ended up being late because the bus literally does the opposite of the timetable.” Wass described the bus system in Jesmond as “the worst” and that he has stopped using buses altogether. “Walking takes no longer than the bus because it’s so unreliable.”

For other residents, the choice is more complicated. Jesmond resident Isaac Stamper said he finds the bus system “deeply frustrating”, but living further away from Metro stations, he often has no choice but to rely on buses. “I would choose the Metro over the bus system, 100%, every day of the week,” he said. 

The £2.50 per journey bus fare contrasts with the Metro’s £3.20 day saver, which provides unlimited travel within the zone for the whole day.