Tees Valley reviews reimbursement

Local authorities in the Tees Valley are reviewing concessionary fare reimbursement to bus operators, amid concern they are paying too much. The five councils paid operators about £18m in 2017/18. “There are concerns that although the number of concessionary passengers is in decline, payments to operators have continued to rise,” Mark Wilson, the Tees Valley Combined Authority’s head of transport told the CA’s transport committee. He said the CA and Stockton Borough Council, which negotiates reimbursement with operators, were reviewing the scheme with the help of a consultant “to ensure the Tees Valley is getting a fair deal”. “The review will also look at the distribution of payments to ensure that the burden of costs are fairly distributed amongst the Tees Valley authorities,” said Wilson.