South Yorkshire leaders give green light to assess bus franchising model that gives greater public control

The decision, which was made after a special meeting on Friday (March 4), sets the wheels in motion the legally-required work to see whether a franchising model, which would bring regulation of routes, frequencies, fares, and tickets under local control, could help efforts to transform the region’s transport.

Describing it as ‘a big day for our region’, the South Yorkshire mayor said: "The shortcomings of the current free-for-all bus system have become painfully clear to everyone in South Yorkshire, and we need to establish whether greater public control would deliver the transformation we are working to achieve.

"This assessment will let us test that case and create the foundation to move to franchising if it is confirmed.”

Campaigners have called for buses across South Yorkshire to be franchised, so decisions about routes, timetables, and prices are ‘made in the interests of the public, not shareholders’.

He added: “There are no silver bullets – most of all, there will still be an urgent need for more investment whatever we do. But I promised to make strengthening our buses a top priority – and by putting all the options on the table, that is exactly what we are doing.

“In the short term, we face serious and urgent challenges, with Covid adding to already-significant pressures on our buses.

"But while we’ve fought to protect our services, we’ve not lost sight of wider ambitions for them – we’ve put in millions to improve services, create fare concessions, and give buses greater priority on our roads.”

He said now the Government needs to ‘fulfill their own promise’ of transformative investment to build a bus network and bring passengers back.

‘Nowhere in the country outside London operates franchising model’

Under a franchising scheme, accountability for bus services would transfer from private operators to South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA). Putting franchising in place would take a number of years.

Co-chair of the MCA’s Transport and Environment Board, and the Leader of Rotherham Council, Coun Chris Read said: “For too long when people have complained about bus services, there has been almost nothing councils could do. That must change.

"We’re determined to do all that we can to improve our bus services and I’m glad that we’ve now got to a position where we can formally begin the legal exploration of franchising, and taking on some of the new legal powers of regulation.

“This is only the beginning of the process and nowhere in the country outside London yet operates a franchising model. We’ve got to work our way through all the options, scope and cost over the next few years."

The assessment of bus franchising follows plans to develop an Enhanced Partnership in response to the government’s National Bus Strategy (Bus Back Better).

The legally binding agreement between SYMCA and local bus operators includes proposals for free travel for under 18s and capped fares for all passengers, bus priority measures to make journeys quicker, better journey planning information, ‘turn up and go’ bus options, and zero emission buses to make travel cleaner and greener towards a net-zero future.

First and Stagecoach have previously backed the region’s bus service improvement plan.

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