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.
13. 73 - Rotherham to Sheffield
There were 100 cases opened for the number 73 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the eighth highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 33 complaints about the service not running and 17 complaints about a bus failing to stop. | Google
14. X1 - Sheffield to Maltby
There were 102 cases opened for the number X1 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the seventh highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 28 complaints about the service not running and 18 complaints about a bus failing to stop. | National World Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe
15. X78 - Sheffield to Doncaster via Meadowhall and Rotherham
There were 103 cases opened for the number X78 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the sixth highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 22 complaints about the service not running and 20 complaints about a bus failing to stop. | National World Photo: National World
16. 20 - Ecclesfield to Hemsworth via Sheffield city centre
There were 117 cases opened for the number 20 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the joint fourth highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 40 complaints about the service not running, 16 about it running late and 14 about a bus failing to stop. | Google Photo: Google