What are your options?
Walking - Cycling - Trains & Buses - Car Sharing - Taxi - Motorcycle & Scooter - Driving - Travel Plans
Trains & Buses
Buses
Why not get on a bus? It's so easy, cheap reliable and secure. Buses are much safer and secure than people think. They now have CCTV cameras to give passengers that extra peace of mind. Bus shelters provide excellent protection from the elements and are well lit when the dark nights are upon us. You can get anywhere in the Tees Valley on a bus, so why not give it a try? Sit back, relax and enjoy the journey!
Between them, Arriva North East Limited and Stagecoach on Teesside provide the majority of scheduled bus services within the Tees Valley area. The remaining services are provided by number of smaller operators including Compass Royston Travel Ltd, Jayline Travel, Leven Valley Coaches and Scarlet Band.
Express Coach
National Express operates regular coach services to a large number of other destinations across the country.
Go North East operates the X10 service, which runs hourly between Middlesbrough, Stockton, Norton and Newcastle upon Tyne.
Megabus runs coach services between Newcastle and Sheffield via Scotch Corner.
Traveline North East provides comprehensive timetable information for local bus and rail services, together with connections further afield.
For information about rail travel, including live departure information, click on National Rail Enquiries.
For a wealth of information covering all modes of transport, including a comprehensive journey planner and live travel news, click on Transport Direct in 'Driving'. Please note that this site is still under development.
Trains
Train travel is relaxing, fast and much cheaper than using a car. There are no worries about where to park and you can sit back and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed and energetic. On a train, you can also read a newspaper or listen to music while watching the scenery fly by, instead of swearing at all the crazy drivers in the rush hour.
The Tees Valley has extensive bus and rail networks, both served by a number of different commercial operators.
Northern Rail provides local rail services, and connects the Tees Valley Area with Sunderland, Newcastle and Carlisle amongst other destinations. The Northern Rail website also contains detailed information about local rail stations.
TransPennine Express operates regional services between Manchester Airport, Manchester, Leeds, York, Northallerton, Yarm, Thornaby and Middlesbrough, amongst other destinations.
GNER operates high-speed train services between London, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Edinburgh, amongst other destinations.
The GNER website includes live departure and arrival information.
Virgin CrossCountry operates long-distance services between Penzance, Plymouth, Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh, amongst other destinations. The Virgin Trains website includes live departure infomation.
Case study
Craig from Hemlington
"I used to drive to work, as I love my car, until a colleague told me how much easier it was to get the bus like him. I decided to give it a try. I now get the number 12 bus from Cass House Road into town. I leave home at 7:50am, walk round the corner to get on the 7:55am bus. I buy a weekly mega rider ticket for £8.50, which entitles me to as many journeys as I like in the space of a week and I also don't need to worry about carrying cash everyday for the bus.
I get on, sit down, put on my mp3 player and relax. The bus is always clean and tidy, and has CCTV cameras which are reassuring. I often sit and look at the traffic tailed back from certain roads and think 'I don't miss any of that anymore'. I also don't need to carry change everyday for a parking space, and if the car park is full, waste time looking for somewhere else to park whilst not getting a ticket. I get off the bus outside the town hall and walk round the corner to the office. I'm in my seat with a cup of tea and ready for work at 8:30am.
I still drive my car at weekends, but don't miss it during the week. My insurance is also cheaper because I'm not doing as many miles. If I win the £1000, then that would pay for 2 years bus travel, as opposed to 8 months in the car! Nice one!
Links
Arriva Bus
Stagecoach Bus
National Express
Megabus
Go Northeast
Trave Line North East
Trainline
National Rail
Northern Rail
First Group
GNER
Virgin Trains