Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive

The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive (TWPTE) using the brandname of Nexus, is the Passenger Transport Executive for the Tyne and Wear region of North East England.

Nexus is the operations arm of the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority (TWITA). The ITA is made up of sixteen councillors from the county: four from each of Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland, three from both Gateshead and North Tyneside, and two from South Tyneside.

The Nexus Business Intelligence Annual Report 2008/09 provides analysis of public transport statistics and sets this in context with wider socio-economic factors and is freely available at nexus.org.uk.

Operations
Tyne and Wear PTE is responsible for the following aspects of the Tyne and Wear transport system:


 * operating, maintaining and modernising the Tyne and Wear Metro;
 * owning, maintaining and operating the Shields Ferry;
 * coordinating local bus services;
 * subsidising socially necessary, but unprofitable, bus services, including school buses;
 * subsidising local rail services between Newcastle and Sunderland;
 * running the concessionary travel scheme for people aged 60 and over and eligible disabled
 * subsidising public transport for children aged under 16 and further education students
 * providing public transport information;
 * maintaining bus stops and most bus stations.
 * running Taxicard, a subsidised taxi service for disabled people

Tyne and Wear ITA is responsible for the following aspects of the Tyne and Wear transport system:


 * administering the concessionary travel scheme;
 * setting fares on secured bus services, local rail, metro and ferry services;
 * owning the Tyne Tunnel river crossings, which are being expanded by a concessionaire.

Policies and programmes
Nexus is pursuing a number of major programmes aimed at improving public transport in Tyne and Wear. These include the £385 million 'Metro: All Change' programme to modernise the Tyne and Wear Metro over eleven years. Funding has been secured from government. Nexus will continue to own all infrastructure, set fares and service frequencies through the ITA, while the operation of trains and stations is carried out on its behalf by a concessionaire, it being a condition of Government funding that this area be market-tested. The 'revenue risk' from passenger numbers changing will remain with Nexus, unlike in UK rail franchises. Most of the capital money will be invested in renewal and upgrade of infrastructure, with modernisation of stations and trains also included. Trains will not be replaced within this programme, but are expected to be replaced in around 2023.

In April 2009 Nexus launched a Bus Strategy aimed at improving the bus network in Tyne and Wear, which accounts for around 77% of all public transport journeys in the area. Nexus said it wished to work in partnership with commercial bus companies which operate 90% of services in Tyne and Wear without regulation, using partnership opportunities created in the 2008 Local Transport Act, as well as with local authorities which control highways. Priorities include increasing the punctuality and reliability of bus services, improving information and ensuring the network offers a high level of access to local shops, services and workplaces.

Nexus is a leading partner in NESTI - the North East Smart Ticketing Initiative. This is a joint programme with local councils and commercial transport operators to introduce a smart card payment system for North East England, including Northumberland, Durham and the Tees Valley. The core of the system would be public transport use but it could be extended to other public and commercial services. Nexus intends to introduce smart ticket machines and readers on Metro in 2011, inter-operable with technology also being rolled-out by bus companies. Full implementation is expected to take until 2013.

Nexus seeks to reduce social exclusion, particularly for disabled people, through a number of overlapping schemes. These include subsidised taxis, weekly community bus services between sheltered accommodation and supermarkets, a 'companion card' allowing free use of public transport by caretakers, and specialist training and mentoring for people with learning difficulties. This programme has won several national awards.

Tyne and Wear Zoning System
Nexus and bus companies in Tyne and Wear in 2010 simplified the previously-complex zone structure on which ticket prices are based. There are now five travel zones for 'network' season tickets and 'Tranfare' day tickets valid across operators on both bus and Metro. Metro uses three of these zones. Each bus company may have its own zone structure for its own services.

Travelshops
Nexus runs ten travelshops selling season tickets, providing information, etc. These are located at:
 * Four Lane Ends Metro station
 * Gateshead Interchange
 * Gateshead MetroCentre Bus Station
 * Heworth station
 * Newcastle (Haymarket Metro station)
 * Newcastle (Monument Metro station)
 * North Shields Metro Station
 * South Shields 34-36 Fowler Street
 * Sunderland Park Lane Interchange
 * Newcastle Central Station