Sheffield's bus network has been hit by cuts and issues with punctuality and reliability, with South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard admitting it's 'not good enough'.
But which are the worst routes in Sheffield when it comes to reliability?
We asked the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) which bus services in Sheffield it had received most complaints about between the beginning of 2022 and the end of August 2023.
Responding to The Star's Freedom of Information request, it said each contact from members of the public about buses to the SYMCA and before that the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) was recorded as a new 'case'. This included positive feedback about staff, not just complaints, and it was not possible to give a figure for complaints alone.
It provided a list of the 15 bus services within Sheffield about which the most 'cases' had been opened during the 20 month period, with this information broken down by the nature of the case.
We have used these figures to calculate the bus services on that list with the highest combined number of complaints about services not running or buses failing to stop.
We have not included complaints about other issues like buses running early or late, overcrowding or cleanliness. It's also important to note that some of the services run much more frequently than others so are likely to generate more complaints.
Below is the list in full, from the lowest number of complaints about services not running or buses failing to stop to the highest.
13. 81 - 3rd worst
The number 81 bus, operated by First, runs between Dore and Stannington, pictured, via Sheffield city centre. Between the beginning of 2022 and August 31, 2023, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority said there had been 44 complaints about the service not running and 11 about the bus failing to stop. That combined total of 55 was the 3rd highest. | Google
14. X78 - 2nd worst
The number X78 bus, operated by First, runs between Sheffield and Doncaster, pictured, via Meadowhall and Rotherham. Between the beginning of 2022 and August 31, 2023, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority said there had been 38 complaints about the service not running and 31 about the bus failing to stop. That combined total of 69 was the 2nd highest. | Google
15. 86 - worst
The number 86 bus, operated by Stagecoach, runs between Chapeltown and Lowedges, pictured, via Sheffield city centre. Between the beginning of 2022 and August 31, 2023, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority said there had been 86 complaints about the service not running and 2 about the bus failing to stop. That combined total of 88th was the highest in Sheffield. | Google