Tees Valley Mayor seals deal on four significant £45m public travel schemes

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and the Combined Authority have signed off advanced £45m funding for four major transport schemes.

The cash will allow work to begin on many projects covering public transport, sustainable travel and green vehicles.

Funding has been made available for a study to pinpoint ideal locations to roll-out more electric vehicle charging points across Tees Valley and to promote the uptake of electric vehicles across the region.

Work will also be carried out to improve bus, cycling and walking routes across the region. This aims to increase bus service efficiency, while also encouraging people to take up healthier ways to travel by delivering a ‘safer’ cycling and walking infrastructure.

Mayor Houchen said: “Improving local transport across the Tees Valley and making sure local people can quickly, easily and cheaply get around our region is essential.

“People need to be able to get to hospital appointments, college, work and the high street and that’s why I’m making sure these projects are kick-started with the funding they need.

“For too long, local people have had to endure poor bus services. I am not going to sit by and do nothing as residents outside of urban areas are forced to go without the transport they have a right to expect.

“The old way of doing things has failed, so I have decided to step in and try something new. The pilot for our ‘Uber-style’ on-demand bus service will make sure local people in rural areas of the Tees Valley get the bus connection they rightly demand.”

The new service will allow passengers to book a journey in advance on either a smartphone app, via a website or over the telephone.

The service will use small minibuses and there are no fixed routes. Instead, journeys are determined by where passengers want to go within a predefined geographical service area.

The technology also aims to provide more public transport options for passengers going to and from Teesside International Airport.

In January 2019, the Mayor and Combined Authority Cabinet agreed a £588.2m 10-year Investment Plan, which committed £256.7m to transforming transport across Tees Valley.

Later this month, a Strategic Transport Plan which outlines the future of travel across the region will be going out for public consultation. The 12-week consultation will be available online and also involve six events across the five Tees Valley boroughs.