Bus shelters set for fresh investment across Tyne and Wear

The money will be used by Nexus to improve 325 bus stops across Sunderland, Gateshead, South Tyneside and North Tyneside.

The investment will make new and existing shelters safer and more accessible with improved lighting at more than 170 sites, new seating and timetable information. Measures are also being taken to widen pavements and raise kerbs to make catching the bus easier for everyone.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “I promised in my manifesto we would put in new bus shelters in streets and neighbourhoods right across the region, and now we’re going to do that in places like Winlaton and Birtley, Dudley, Doxford and Hebburn.

“The local bus stop is where we all start our bus journey and this £7m investment will mean safer, brighter and more accessible places to wait for the tens of thousands of people who use the bus.

“We have already started to deliver with hundreds of new shelters in villages and towns across County Durham and now we will start doing the same across Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside and North Tyneside as part of my plans to give local people the world class public transport they deserve.”

Funding for the project, which will see improvements to about 149 shelters in Gateshead, about 71 in South Tyneside, about 58 in Sunderland and about 47 in North Tyneside has been made possible thanks to funding secured from Government in the deal which created a North East Mayor and North East Combined Authority.

Survey work is already underway by Nexus, with the Grant Funding Application due to be confirmed by April 2026. It is expected that the new shelters will be installed between May 2026 and March 2027. Unpopular brick, stone and metal shelters, dating back to the 1970s, will be removed with hundreds of new shelters installed. New shelters will include glazed panels with recycled frames.

More than 170 shelters will get new lighting to make travel safer, particularly for women and girls.

All new shelters are made from 100% recycled, highly durable steel and aluminium. These metals are resistant to corrosion and can be continuously recycled without losing structural integrity.

Paul Welford, Major Projects Director at Nexus said: “This welcome investment allows us to make a real and visible difference to the everyday journeys of people across the region. By carrying out much needed improvements to bus stops, we can deliver improved customer experience for the growing number of people travelling by bus.

“We will be replacing outdated infrastructure, improving footways, installing better lighting and seating, and ensuring people have clearer, more reliable travel information at the stop. These upgrades will help thousands of passengers who rely on bus travel every day, and we’re pleased to be delivering a programme that supports the Mayor’s ambition for a safer, more welcoming and more accessible public transport network.”