Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, has announced the decision to bring all buses throughout South Yorkshire back under public control.
The decision, which was made following a franchising consultation in which over 7,800 people contributed their own opinions, will see publicly controlled buses roll out into South Yorkshire from September 2027.
During the consultation, a survey found that 87% of those questioned either strongly supported or supported the introduction of bus franchising within the ceremonial county.
Convening at a recent South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) Board meeting, Mayor Coppard, alongside a number of local leaders, discussed the results of the 12-week consultation before finalising the decision.
The move will see the SYMCA take control of the local network including its depots, bus fleets, routing, timetables, service standards, tickets and fares.
Speaking on Tuesday, 18 March, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said:Today, we’ve made history; turning back the tide on the failed experiment of the privatisation of our bus network that was started in the 1980s, putting the public back into public transport. When I was elected as South Yorkshire’s Mayor in 2022, I promised to take back control of our buses. Today I’m proud to say that is a promise being kept.
Starting in 2027, we will begin to take back control of routes, fares and timetables across South Yorkshire, so we decide where buses run, when, and where. Buses are essential for our communities. They connect people to services, to jobs, training and opportunity, and to friends and family. But over the last forty years we’ve seen public transport taken apart; fares go up, routes and passenger numbers go down, and our city centres, our high streets and our economy flatline.
I want us to build a bigger and better economy in South Yorkshire and we need a public transport system that allows people to get to where they want to go, when they want to go there. After nearly thirty years we took the tram back into public control last year. Today is another huge step on that journey. The destination is a fully integrated transport system across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, one that works in the interests of our communities and our economy, putting people back in control of essential services.
In order to gauge public needs, Mayor Coppard has stated the SYMCA will begin conversations with local communities to assess how best to implement future network changes and bus features.
Alongside the return to public bus control, new integrated public transport branding is set to be announced by the SYMCA in the coming months.
Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood, said:I am absolutely delighted that local leaders across South Yorkshire have voted with both hands today to take back control of their buses and give local people the services they deserve, meaning that residents from Bawtry to Barnsley will be able to visit their friends and family, reach exciting job opportunities and access the public services they need.
Through our incoming Bus Services Bill, we are determined to unlock this opportunity for communities up and down the country that have been cut off from reliable local transport for far too long, and drive up living standards, as outlined in our Plan for Change. Alongside the Bill, we’re investing over £1 billion to make services more reliable, frequent and affordable – including over £17 million right here in South Yorkshire that could be used to boost infrastructure, enhance service frequency or improve reliability.
