Bus safety and accessibility
Accessibility
Many bus services in Tyne and Wear are operated with low floor buses. These have powered or manual ramps to make it easier for disabled people to board and have dedicated wheelchair spaces. Bus operators can give details of which services are operated with low floor vehicles:
Assistance
There are Government regulations about the assistance bus drivers are required to give disabled passengers. Download more information about regulations around bus drivers.
Autism friendly
Nexus has received the Autism Friendly Award from the National Autistic Society for their work in supporting people with autism when they travel. Download the autism friendly guide to travelling by bus here.
Safety and security
People should feel safe when they are travelling, including walking to and waiting at the bus stop.
Safety initiatives for bus customers include:
- CCTV and Wi-Fi units in bus shelters across Tyne and Wear
- CCTV in major interchanges including new systems in at Heworth, Jarrow, Concord, South Shields and Park Lane
- Dedicated security teams working at major interchanges until late at night to ensure passengers feel safe
- An exclusion order policy in place and take steps to ban individuals who are abusive to staff or other passengers
- Close collaboration with police and community safety officers to target areas where there are problems
Walk Aware: staying safe at bus stations
Bus stations are very busy places – please stay safe and help our drivers stay on time!
- Do not walk on the road way
- Keep to the proper crossings and walkways
- Don’t take shortcuts
- Look where you’re going
Winter Travel Advice
Nexus, bus companies and local councils work together to give you the best possible bus service every winter.
We share information, co-ordinate gritting, and plan ahead to keep buses on the road. Weather conditions in our region can vary within a few miles, making it important to provide fast and accurate updates.
If severe weather does hit the region bus, Metro and rail are the safest ways to travel – but some delay and disruption is possible when road conditions are at their worst.
Latest Information
The latest updates on bus services, from 6am until 10pm during severe weather, with information co-ordinated from all operators is here.
Nexus also emails information directly to big employers, retailers and public service providers around Tyne and Wear so they can advise staff if there are problems with local services.
Advice for passengers in severe weather
- Leave extra time for travel and do not expect buses to run to timetable in the worst weather – but they will get through whenever they can.
- Buses can often serve main roads even when estates are impassable. Be ready to walk to a main road should this be the case, and local roads are untreated.
- Dress for the weather, including sturdy shoes, warm clothing and headwear.
- Take extra care at bus stations and stops where floors and pavements may be slippery – DO NOT wear ‘snow grips’ over shoes inside bus and Metro stations as these can ‘skate’ on tiled floors, causing accidents and falls.
In the very worst weather it can take time at the start of each morning to check a whole bus route is passable, particularly in hilly areas. This means we and bus companies may not have information right at the start of the day – but please use our website for the latest updates.
