North East Mayor announces latest wave of electric buses to arrive in North East England

Passengers in Cramlington, Morpeth, Stannington and Dinnington will soon be stepping onto smoother, cleaner and more comfortable Arriva buses as the latest major wave of 28 zero-emission electric buses arrive in the region.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness today announced electric buses will arrive on Arriva's popular 43, 44 and 45 bus routes operating from April in Blyth, as part of her plans to make every bus in the region zero emission within 10 years.

And Mayor Kim has today also secured £3.6m from Government to deliver a further 18 new zero‑emission buses, which will serve passengers in Wallsend, North Shields and Whitley Bay.

Mayor Kim said: “Local people will be stepping on to safer, cleaner and all new electric buses in Morpeth and Cramlington in just a few weeks' time as part of our plans to make every bus in the region zero emission within a decade.

“We've already brought almost 100 new zero emission buses to the North East, and today we've secured £3.6m more from Government to bring another 18 buses to the busiest routes between Whitley Bay, Blyth, North Shields, Wallsend and Newcastle. In 2025 alone, nearly 2 million passenger journeys took place on these services.

"Local people in the North East deserve nothing less than world-class public transport and today is another step in delivering that."

A total of 14 brand‑new electric buses on Arriva services 43, 44 and 45 will be entering service in the coming weeks, with passengers in Northumberland soon to benefit from the state of the art vehicles. Another 14 will follow in County Durham, serving the 48, 64, X46 routes.

This follows Go North East's recent launch of 29 new electric buses which are already serving route 21 between Chester le Street, Gateshead and Newcastle and route 58 in Gateshead. The new electric buses will soon be operating on the X66 connecting Gateshead and the Metrocentre.

Richard Hoare, managing director for Arriva North, said:  “We're really proud to be introducing a total of 28 new zero-emission buses in the North East. There'll be 14 of those buses on services X46, 48 and 64 in Durham and 14 buses on services 43, 44 and 45 in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. This means our customers will benefit from cleaner, quieter and more comfortable journeys on those modern double-deckers.

 “This investment is an important step in our pledge to run a more sustainable fleet and it supports the North East's plans to reduce emissions and improve local air quality.

 “We're always keen to be working in partnership with the North East Combined Authority to help deliver the region's ambitions for a fully decarbonised bus network, while improving the experience for our customers and supporting better air quality for local communities.”

Ben Gilligan, Managing Director of Go North East said:

“Earlier this year, we introduced 29 new electric buses to our fleet, delivering smoother and more accessible journeys to our passengers in Newcastle, Gateshead and County Durham.

Nearly two million journeys are made each year on our 307 and 309 services, electrifying these routes with 18 new electric vehicles will bring quieter streets, cleaner air and better journeys for communities we serve in Newcastle, North Tyneside and South Northumberland.”

This latest investment will bring the current fleet of zero-emission buses in the region up to 131, accelerating the Mayor's long‑term mission to make every bus in the North East fully electric within the next decade.

The North East Mayor is committed not just to transforming public transport but also to supporting the region's position as a leader in clean, green innovation. The continued expansion of electric buses marks a major milestone in delivering a more sustainable, integrated transport system for local people.

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Notes to editor:

• Go North East
• • The £3.6 million of grant funding will replace 18 diesel buses with electric vehicles and support the first electrification of the Percy Main depot, as well as the installation of 9 dual chargers
  • The 18 new zero emission buses (ZEB) will run the Cobalt & Coast 307 - Newcastle to North Shields (307) and Blyth (309) | Go North East route
  • • This route operates along the Coast Road corridor between Newcastle City Centre and the North Tyneside coastline, an essential part of the Key Route Network within the region, connecting people to work, school, and leisure activities
    • These are the first ZEBs to run in North Tyneside
• Arriva
• • Arriva services 43/44/45 will be electrified through the Levelling Up Fund and vehicles are expected to enter service in April 2026. There will be 14 buses based out of Blyth, covering these services.
  • Arriva services 48, 64, X46 will be electrified through the ZEBRA 2 fund and are planned to enter service in June 2026. There will be 14 buses based out of Durham Belmont.
• EV Buses in the North East
• • Existing Levelling Up Funding and ZEBRA 2 money is funding 95 electric buses, on top of the first 18 electric buses introduced to the region through Ultra-Low Emission Bus fund.
  • • With the new £3.6 million, this will take the total to 131