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 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 m...
Categories: Transport
Published by Georgina Cocker on 12/03/2026
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.