We need buses to be proud of

I HAVE been following both your articles about using the bus and the letters responding to them. I want to tell your readers about a lovely experience we had on a visit to Hebburn in Tyne and Wear.

We went to stay with friends for several days, to be told on arrival to park the car because we would not need it there. This we found to be true, as all the bus companies worked together with interchange allowed on tickets. These also entitled use of the Metro and ferry services. Tickets could be purchased daily, weekly, monthly or a combination.

The buses were frequent, clean, on time, the cost was very reasonable and, yes, the buses were full and being used. There were double-deckers at peak times and single-deckers throughout the rest of the day, with the last bus from Newcastle or Sunderland to Hebburn at 12.30am, allowing the youngsters to go to the city for evening entertainment and come home again without risk of drink-driving.

We were informed that it had been possible to drop the cost of using these services because so many people used the buses, making it economic.

All those over the age of 60 travel free, and students get cheaper tickets as well. A great service all round.

What I want to know is, if it can work well in the north-east of the country, why can it not work as well here? It just needs our bus companies to work together more closely, with exchange of tickets allowed and to be more reliable, so that the public can have confidence that they can use these services to get to work, and appointments.

Once this confidence has been received from the public, I am sure we will see full buses for all services.

Come on, Cambridgeshire. Take up the challenge and let us have a public service network to be proud of.

Mrs CHRISTINE HARTER, Capulet Court, Hartford