MPs say emergency funding for Sheffield's Supertram and buses must continue

Supertram services in Sheffield and Rotherham could be mothballed if the Government fails to step in with further resources, Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis has warned.

Sheffield City Region bosses were given £1.3 million in May to support the Supertram network following a massive reduction in passenger numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Government intervention is set to end today, Monday, August 3, and Mayor Jarvis has described shutting down the service as a ‘terrible situation’ but it would come as a ‘last resort’.

MPs Clive Betts, Olivia Blake, Paul Blomfield, Gill Furniss and Louise Haigh have now intervened and written to Transport Minister Grant Shapps.

Mr Betts, who recently led a review of buses, said: “Keeping buses and trams running is absolutely essential to allow key workers to get to work.

“Having bus operators go out of business or the tram stopping running will cause short term chaos in essential services and in the longer term add to the problems of congestion, pollution and climate change.

"The Government’s financial help so far has been welcome and essential but it must continue.”

In the letter to Mr Shapps, the MPs say: "We will not get to the point when we can start looking at an improved public transport in the future unless we maintain the services in the very difficult situation of the next few months.

"While the message has been to try and avoid public transport in the last few weeks, the likelihood is that more people will return to using buses as a matter of choice. There are many who will simply need to use their buses to carry out essential jobs.

"On top of the challenges of returning to work there are schools opening more fully from September. That is something that we will need to ensure will happen but it can only happen completely if bus services are available to transport children either on specially procured routes or on the mainstream service."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to The Star website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Thank you

Nancy Fielder, editor