A NORTH-EAST bus service has released its timetable for Christmas.

Go North East, which serves County Durham and Tyne and Wear, has released a guide to getting the bus over the festive period, starting on December 22 with normal timetables. 

Those not sure which service to catch when visiting family or heading to the shops can use the bus company's journey planner, which also tells you how much CO2 your journey on public transport saves. 

With Covid restrictions, buses are operating with a reduced capacity and the days around Christmas may be busier.

If you are worried about getting a seat on the bus, Go North East has also launched its When2Travel service that lets you check the best times. It uses forecasting so you can check up to two weeks in advance. 

On the day you are travelling, you can also check live data while at you're at the bus stop - or hiding from the cold and waiting to set off from home - to see how many seats are left on your bus.

When2Travel also tells you if the bus is a single or double-decker, what colour it is and what features it has, such as free Wi-Fi and USB charging.

Here’s the full guide to service levels for Christmas and New Year:

  • Tuesday 22 December – buses will run to normal timetables.
  • Wednesday 23 December – buses will run to normal timetables.
  • Christmas Eve – buses will run to Saturday timetables, with the majority of last departures between 6pm and 7pm – you can view our Christmas Eve timetables by heading to our timetables and maps section, selecting your service and changing the date to 24 December.
  • Christmas Day – no buses will run on Christmas Day.
  • Boxing Day – some services will be running to special timetables, including services 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 10A, 10B, 16A, 20, 21, 26, 27, 35A, 45, 49, 49A, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60, 61, 97, 311, M6, Q1, Q2, Q3, X1, X5, X21, X30 and X66 – view timetables by selecting your service and changing the date to 26 December.
  • Sunday 27 December – buses will run to normal Sunday timetables.
  • Monday 28 December – buses will run to Sunday timetables.
  • Tuesday 29 December – buses will run to Saturday timetables with minor exceptions.
  • Late journeys on service 74 will not run
  • Wednesday 30 December – buses will run to Saturday timetables with minor exceptions.
  • Late journeys on service 74 will not run
  • New Year’s Eve – buses will run to Saturday timetables, with the majority of last departures between 6pm and 7pm – you can view our New Year’s timetables by heading to our timetables and maps section, selecting your service and changing the date to 31 December.
  • New Year’s Day – no buses will run on New Year’s Day.
  • Saturday 2 January onwards – buses will return to normal timetables.