Sheffield buses: Transport Secretary 'well aware' of 'unreliable' local route and says it will get better

The Secretary of State’s comments come after Penistone and Stocksbridge MP Dr Marie Tidball raised local concerns about the number 57 service connecting Stocksbridge with central Sheffield.

Dr Tidball said: “I am delighted to hear the Transport Secretary has confirmed £17 million of new bus funding across South Yorkshire.

“Constituents regularly tell me the Number 57 bus in Stocksbridge often delayed and doesn’t always stop even when a bus stop is busy. This means constituents and their children are often late to school, work, and hospital appointments, are often forced to resort to their cars because the services are so unreliable.”

She added her constituents are “tired of unreliable, infrequent bus services holding them back from opportunities” and raised local concerns with the Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh MP, in Parliament.

In response, Ms Haigh - who is the MP for Sheffield Heeley - said she was “well aware of that bus route” and added the recently announced £17m for South Yorkshire buses will deliver better bus services that are “more reliable and more frequent for the good people of Sheffield”.

She added in a statement: “Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken. Too often, passengers are left waiting hours for buses that don’t turn up – and some have been cut off altogether.

“That’s why we’re reforming funding to deliver better buses across the country and end the postcode lottery of bus services.

“This is part of our wider plan to put passengers first and give every community the power to take back control of their bus services through franchising or public ownership.

“By delivering better buses, we’ll ensure people have proper access to jobs and opportunities – powering economic growth in every corner of the country.”

Dr Tidball’s office reported that since 2010, when the Conservatives took power, bus services in Penistone and Stocksbridge declined 53 per cent.

The Transport Secretary has long stated her desire to improve bus services across the country, expressing a desire expand powers to bring local services back into public control, even whilst in opposition.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and his office are currently in the midst of a 12-week consultation on bus franchising.

If the Mayor presses ahead with franchising after the consultation, it will give the authority numerous new powers to dictate the routes buses take, when they run and what the fares will cost.