The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has purchased of a set of five depots from private bus operators, bringing every major depot within the region into public ownership ahead of the first franchised vehicles beginning service in September 2027.
Under the purchase agreement, the depots will be leased back to First Bus and Stagecoach by SYMCA, enabling the formation of a wider bus franchise valued at 350 million GBP that will include depot acquisition, electrification, upgrades and the purchase of new fleet.
Situated at Olive Grove, Ecclesfield and Holbrook in Sheffield, Rawmarsh in Rotherham, Wakefield Road in Barnsley, and Leger Way in Doncaster, the depots will form the backbone of South Yorkshire’s bus network.
All depots will receive new, upgraded power infrastructure and dynamic charging equipment in order to support zero emission vehicles, whilst staff welfare areas will be refurbished, new office buildings will be built at Ecclesfield and Rawmarsh, and Olive Grove depot will undergo essential roof repairs.
SYMCA is now finalising fleet plans for each depot, with early projections including more than 220 new buses for Olive Grove and around 110 for Leger Way, with future depot allocations to be confirmed. From September 2027, a minimum of 70% of new buses entering operation across Doncaster and Sheffield will be zero emission, with the Authority stating desires to go further.
All buses stationed at Olive Grove during the first phase of the rollout will be zero emissions, building on a recently announced 33.4 million GBP injection of government funding, which will support the introduction of over 180 zero emission buses across Sheffield.
The new franchised system will see the SYMCA set routes, timetables, fares and service standards, with all revenue set to be reinvested directly back into the improvement of bus services once the transition begins in 2027.
Doncaster and the majority of Sheffield will act as the first areas to undergo the transformation, followed by Barnsley and Rotherham in 2028, with the remaining areas of Sheffield completing the move to public control in 2029. Services will be delivered by operators appointed through a competitive procurement process beginning later this spring.
