Delays, cancellations and too few buses running where they are needed are among the bugbears of passengers across the city.
In October, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) launched a three-month public consultation about the proposal to franchise bus services, bringing them under greater public control.
The move would see the authority take ownership of the bus fleet and depots, and determine the routes, timetables and fares, which South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard says would improve services.
The Star asked the SYMCA for details about the bus routes serving Sheffield with the most complaints.
It was unable to provide a figure for the number of complaints specifically but did list the 20 routes with the most number of ‘cases’ opened by the authority between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024.
It also provided a breakdown of the reasons for those ‘cases’, many of which are specifically related to complaints while others - such as staff feedback - are more ambiguous.
The Star has compiled a list of the bus services with the most complaints, based on the number of ‘cases’, excluding those for ‘staff praise’ but including those for general staff feedback, which is a separate category.
The most common complaints were about services failing to run, followed by buses running late or failing to stop.
Other complaints included missing bus stops, ‘dangerous’ driving, buses running early, poor cleanliness and anti-social behaviour on board.
There were also numerous ‘cases’ opened about people requesting changes to a bus route.
Below are the 20 worst Sheffield bus services for complaints, in reverse order, based on the number of ‘cases’ opened between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024.
9. 82 - Stannington to Dore, via Sheffield city centre
There were 78 cases opened for the number 82 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the joint 11th highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 43 requests for changes to the route, six complaints about a bus running early and four of 'missing bus stop'. | Google Photo: Google
10. X5 - Sheffield to Thurcroft via Dinnington
There were 78 cases opened for the number X5 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the joint 11th highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 35 complaints about the service not running and eight complaints about a bus failing to stop. | Google Photo: Google
11. 18 - Sheffield city centre to Hillsborough
There were 84 cases opened for the number 18 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the 10th highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 27 complaints about the service not running and 13 complaints about a bus failing to stop. | Google Photo: Google
12. 81 - Stannington to Dore, via Sheffield city centre
There were 90 cases opened for the number 81 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the ninth highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 57 complaints about the service not running and 25 complaints about a bus failing to stop. | Google Photo: Google