Sheffield buses: This is how hard it is to make an official complaint

That's the message I listened to for six minutes yesterday before I got through to Traveline, where bus passengers in Sheffield can complain about their services.

It’s difficult to (officially) complain about the city’s bus network. Firstly, you have to find out how and where to do it and either fill in an online form, write a letter or call and wait for someone to answer.

The likelihood is that most people, already late for work after the bus didn’t turn up, simply won’t bother because they don’t have time. You have to be really hacked off – perhaps you’ve missed a hospital appointment or waited for hours– to follow through.

So it is quite astonishing that, as our special report shows today, more than 11,000 people across South Yorkshire have made the effort to file a complaint in the last three years. And in two of those years, hardly anyone was using buses, thanks to the pandemic.

In comparison, only 200 people complained about tram services. But, despite this, and the benefits more tram lines would have in fighting congestion as well as encouraging people onto public transport, there are no signs of the network being extended elsewhere any time soon.

This week, it was also confirmed that the price of South Yorkshire’s Travelmaster bus passes are set to rise by five per cent.

And Mayor Dan Jarvis and South Yorkshire’s four council leaders have penned a joint letter warning the Government’s ‘failure’ to extend financial support for public transport will lead to ‘devastating’ consequences for the bus system.

It looks like bus passengers will have to strap themselves in, as this journey could be getting even worse before it gets better.