Bridget Phillipson, Member of Parliament for Houghton and Sunderland South, has taken part in Catch the Bus Week 2015 to raise awareness about the importance of improving bus services in the north east and to call on local people to support the initiative.

Catch the Bus Week, which ran from 29 June to 5 July, is a national celebration of bus travel aimed at encouraging more people to take the bus and highlighting the social benefits of bus services. Over 160 local councils, bus companies and passenger transport executives took part in the campaign.

Since 2010, Bridget Phillipson MP has been campaigning for a more affordable, transparent and accountable transport network for the whole of Tyne and Wear.

As a result of her five-year Big Bus Campaign the North East Combined Authority (NECA) last year resolved to re-regulate the industry through the proposed introduction of a London-style Quality Contract Scheme (QCS). This move marked the beginning of a process that will significantly improve the provision of bus services in the north east.

Bridget also put pressure on the government by submitting a series of written parliamentary questions to the Secretary of State for Transport.

Image credit: Greener Journeys