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.
17. 120 - Halfway to Fulwood
There were 117 cases opened for the number 120 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 35 complaints about the service not running and 12 about a bus failing to stop. | Google Photo: Google
18. 218 - Sheffield to Bakewell
There were 122 cases opened for the number 218 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the third highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 70 complaints about the service not running and 11 about a bus failing to stop. | National World Photo: Jason Chadwick
19. 86 - Chapeltown to Lowedges
There were 142 cases opened for the number 86 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the second highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 99 complaints about the service not running, eight about a bus running late and six about a bus failing to stop. | Google Photo: Google
20. 51 - Lodge Moor to Charnock via Sheffield city centre
There were 236 cases opened for the number 51 bus route between January 1, 2023 and October 4, 2024, not including staff praise. That was the highest number of cases during that period. Those cases included 114 complaints about the service not running, 42 about a bus running late and 16 about a bus failing to stop. | Google Photo: Google