Campaigners welcome South Yorkshire mayor’s commitment to bus reform

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) board will next week (March 12) discuss – and most likely approve – the franchising assessment report which would pave the way for a radical transformation of bus services as quickly and legally as possible.

The next step would be to obtain a report from an independent auditor in order to proceed with the scheme. Then a 12-week public consultation must be run to ensure that local passengers, businesses and transport providers will have their say before any decision is made.

SYMCA said: “Through a franchising scheme, the MCA would have strategic control of the bus network in South Yorkshire, and the flexibility to make changes within a more sustainable investment model and reinvesting revenue into growing the bus network.”

This comes after data revealed bus mileage declined by 42 per cent in the last decade with 13 per cent of the bus network mileage was supported by public funding in 2012/13, compared with 20 per cent in 2022/23.

According to SYMCA, the proportion of publicly supported buses in this financial year will increase to 24 per cent.

Also, data shows that bus services have become less frequent, less reliable and operated by an ageing fleet of buses. South Yorkshire’s buses on average are 11.5 years old (the national average is eight years) against a life expectancy of 15 years.

Oliver Coppard, the South Yorkshire mayor, said: “At next week’s MCA Board meeting, we will be taking a big decision about the future of our buses; the next big step towards radically transforming how buses work in South Yorkshire.

“Because right now our bus services are in a spiral of decline. That’s not just a disaster for our economy, or our environment, it’s denying opportunity to people right across our communities.

“That’s why I have always been committed to radically improving our public transport network; because ultimately if we want people to stay near and go far in South Yorkshire, we need a better public transport system. We are already getting the tram back under public control, and now this is another huge step towards us getting better buses and getting back the world-class bus system we once had.

“Having seen the full franchising assessment, I believe the assessment shows that bus franchising – taking buses back into public control, so we make all the major decisions not private bus companies – is the best way to do just that; to radically transform how our buses work, and to deliver the services we deserve.

“Next week’s meeting will allow us to take the next big step towards bus reform and if the MCA Board agree, we will then move to an independent audit; the next stage in the process.

“I want us to have nothing less than a world-class, fully integrated public transport system connecting up our buses, trams, trains and active travel routes, so we can give everybody choice and freedom about how to travel and move across South Yorkshire.”

Following the announcement on Monday (March 4), Matthew Topham from Better Buses for South Yorkshire told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the campaign group welcomed the news.

He said: “We’re delighted that the formal business case backs up what the people of South Yorkshire have known all along: our buses should work for people and the planet, not just profit.

“We need to keep our foot on the pedal to get through the next stages, an audit of the work to date and a public consultation. Spiralling costs, unstable routes, and missed buses mean we can’t afford delays.

“These plans would transform the network, opening new doors to integrated tickets, a stable and growing network, and better tools to get your bus to turn up in time.”

Last week, the group pressed Mr Coppard to speed up the process and not allow any delay anymore.

They handed in 1,065 signatures on their open letter at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority headquarters to deliver the final stage of the pre-franchising in May.

From the group, Fran Postlethwaite told the LDRS that the open letter was supporting what Oliver Coppard was doing but it was also showing the level of public concern “that we don’t get any more slippage”.

She said people were desperate to see a change as soon as possible.