Sheffield bus shelter removed - leaving bus passengers to wait for 'unreliable' service in the rain

The city’s services have come in for much criticism for being late, missing and too expensive as people are encouraged to use public transport to help fight climate change – and one operator, Stagecoach, is also currently reducing some services due to staff strikes this week.

Now passengers on one city route are having to wait in the rain for their local service after a bus shelter was taken away without any explanation to customers.

The stop at the top of Cemetery Road, Sharrow, remains but its shelter and seating have been stripped out, leaving just a pole and a sign.

Passenger Dr Mark Doel, who lives nearby, said: “There are so many things to complain about with the buses but I never thought I’d be writing about a bus shelter disappearing.

“The shelter was at the top of Cemetery Road near Frog Walk and it used to give cover from the Sheffield weather when waiting for the 218 service – and somewhere to sit as you ponder whether it will turn up.

“If we are truly serious about getting people out of their cars and onto buses, the least we can do is give them somewhere to sit and, just as importantly, shelter from the weather.

“Surely we should be erecting more shelters, not removing the few we already have?

"I feel for people who use that stop and need somewhere to sit down. It is going to discourage people from using buses, even if that service was reliable it would be bad enough, but often you are waiting around and wondering if it is going to come at all.”

The Telegraph contacted South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive to find out why the shelter had been removed. The executive said the shelter was ‘on a list’ to be replaced and had been removed as it was damaged.

A spokesman added: “The shelter on Sheffield’s Cemetery Road was damaged beyond repair in a road traffic accident last November and was removed as it posed a danger to passers-by.

“The bus shelter is on a list to be replaced and we regret any inconvenience caused to our customers.

"As part of our Bus Service Improvement Plan and our commitment to improve public transport across the region, we will be looking at bus shelters across the network, aiming to improve facilities where we can.”