New figures reveal four in five buses in Northumberland on time

Statistics from the Department for Transport show 79% of non-frequent local buses in Northumberland were on time.

Further figures also show there were 7.8 million bus journeys taken in the year to March in Northumberland.

This was slightly more than a year earlier, when there were around 7.6 million, but less than the 9.7 million a decade ago.

Across England, 80% of services ran on time, defined as arriving between one minute early and five minutes 59 seconds late.

Nationally, there were 3.7 billion journeys over the last year, a 1% annual increase.

Ben Plowden, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: "It's good to see the number of bus passengers and bus miles remaining stable. Buses are still the most-used form of public transport and an essential public service.

"They offer a great return on investment, benefiting the economy, society, our health and our environment.

"But there is potential for buses to play a much bigger role. We have an ageing population, a fall in the number of young people learning to drive, and many households without access to a car."

Additionally, 31% of journeys in Northumberland were concessionary trips, for young, elderly or disabled people. It was 41% in 2015.

A DfT spokesperson said: "Better buses are on their way which is why we’re investing over £1 billion to make real improvements to services.

“Our Bus Services Act will revolutionise bus travel, handing back control of services to local authorities so they can design a network that works for passengers rather than profit.”