BUS company Go North East has spent £1.8 million on 11 state-of-the-art, low-emission buses.

The new Green Arrow buses, built at the Scarborough factory of Alexander Dennis, will be rolled out over the next fortnight onto the company’s 97 route which serves Newcastle, Gateshead, Bensham, Lobley Hill, Whickham, Swalwell and intu Metrocentre.

Managing director Martijn Gilbert said: “These buses represent the next round of major investments here at Go North East and we are delighted to be bringing these state of the art, environmentally friendly buses into service for the people of Newcastle and Gateshead. They will replace some of the oldest buses in our fleet to allow for cleaner, greener travel, offering the best possible service to customers.”