Sheffield MP has welcomed findings in a review of buses across South Yorkshire
A Sheffield MP has welcomed findings in a review of buses across South Yorkshire and said whoever runs the service ‘must be accountable to their communities and responsive to their needs’.
Miriam Cates, Conservative MP for Penistone & Stocksbridge, backed plans for South Yorkshire Passenger Transport to be scrapped and merged within the Sheffield City Region following criticism in a review published this week.
Ms Cates referenced the scrapped SL1 service which connected Stocksbridge to Sheffield. The MP said the route was axed with no consultation last month.
The panel said, in a 100-plus-page report, there was a ‘lack of leadership’ from the bus operators, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, councils and from the Sheffield City Region.
Clive Betts, Sheffield South East MP, who chaired the panel, concluded there are ‘too many layers of leadership’ without the ‘leverage and power’ to bring about real change.
SYPTE was found to have not been allowing councils to make decisions about bus services, but in turn local authority leaders have ‘shied away from responsibility’.
Ms Cates said: “This report highlights a number of issues that we have all experienced with buses across South Yorkshire, and my thanks go to the mayor Dan Jarvis and Mr Betts for their work in compiling it.
“In my own constituency of Penistone and Stocksbridge, we have seen first hand the problems of the current system, with routes such as the SL1 being withdrawn with no notice, leaving people stranded and unable to get to work or access vital services.
“I am pleased SYPTE will be properly integrated into the Sheffield City Region combined authority.
“Our devolution agenda sees transport as an important part of levelling up our region, and having elected authority over buses is crucial to this. But regardless of who runs or oversees the services, buses must be accountable to their communities and responsive to their needs.
“As a local MP, I look forward to being more involved in the process going forward and improving public transport across the Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency.”