Sheffield MP and mayor call meeting to discuss action on bus cuts

Recent changes have seen South Yorkshire’s private bus companies threaten to withdraw a third of routes across the region. Sheffield Hallam, the most rural constituency in Sheffield, has seen many of its services reduced or cut entirely.

The MP has written to both First and Stagecoach about a number of routes in the Sheffield Hallam area, criticising the companies’ failure to consult on changes to services and calling on them to reverse their decisions.

She said: “Buses are a vital lifeline in communities like ours. The unwillingness we’ve seen from both bus companies and from the government to come to the table and discuss how they are going to ensure my constituents can travel, really speaks volumes.

“Particularly in a time of climate and ecological emergency, it’s deeply irresponsible for the Government to preside over this managed decline of our bus network.

“We’ve organised this public meeting for anyone in Sheffield Hallam who’s been impacted by the bus cuts so that we can come together and discuss the action we need to see to save our services.”

The meeting will take place tomorrow, Friday (October 28) at 5.30pm in the Midfield Room of Crookes Social Club and is open to anyone living in the Sheffield Hallam constituency.

‘Broken bus system’

It is being held in partnership with South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard, who has recently brought together a task force of community, campaign and business representatives to hold bus companies and government to account.

He said: “When I took office as South Yorkshire’s Mayor I made fixing our buses a priority, not just for me but the thousands of people let down every day by our broken bus system. For far too long our buses have been unaffordable, unreliable, and now – in the face of sweeping service cuts – inaccessible for far too many across our region.

“I am doing everything I can with the limited powers and money that I have available to protect our services, on behalf of our communities – but it is not enough and I find that hugely frustrating. It is clear we need a fundamental change to how the whole system works because our buses are no longer working for South Yorkshire.

“I’m under no illusion, fixing our bus system will not be easy. It will take time, and we’ll need the Government to deliver on their promise for significant funding to make it happen. But together we can take action to rebuild a service from the bottom up and campaign for London-style public transport network, one that truly meets our regions’ needs, that is fit for purpose and delivers faster, smarter, greener bus journeys that South Yorkshire can be proud of.”

Find out more about the event and sign up at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/public-meeting-on-buses-in-sheffield-hallam-tickets-449083439657

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