A LANDMARK move which will bring buses back under public control to address years of route cuts and unreliable services has finally been agreed.
South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, took the ‘once-in-a-generation’ decision following a meeting on Tuesday.
Described as the biggest shake-up of the local bus network since the 1980s, Mr Coppard was told almost 8,000 passengers had their say in a 12-week public consultation about the plan, with 87 per cent in support.
It paves the way for the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to take control of the bus network including depots, bus fleets, routes, timetables, service standards, tickets and fare-setting.
Currently, operators have jurisdiction over routes, fares and standards but re-regulation will reverse that.
Publicly-controlled buses will start to roll out in South Yorkshire from September 2027, it was confirmed to the Chronicle.
Mr Coppard said: “We’ve made history, turning back the tide on the failed experiment of the privatisation of our bus network that was started in the 1980s.
“When I was elected in 2022, I promised to take back control of our buses and ’m proud to say that is a promise being kept.
“Starting in 2027, we will begin to take back control of routes, fares and timetables across South Yorkshire, so we decide where buses run, when and where.
“Buses are essential for our communities - they connect people to services, to jobs, training and opportunity and to friends and family.
“But over the last 40 years we’ve seen public transport taken apart as fares go up, routes and passenger numbers go down, and our centres, our high streets and our economy flatline.
“The destination is a fully integrated transport system across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, one that works in the interests of our communities and our economy, putting people back in control of essential services.”
Following the decision, SYMCA will be talking to communities about their buses, what they would like to see as part of the future network and on the design and features of the buses.
Campaigner Matthew Topham, from the We Own It group, added: “We’ve been robbed of world-leading services by privatisation but bus franchising is a fundamental gear-change in local service quality.
“It’s a testament to the people of South Yorkshire that Mr Coppard is now delivering a reform that could over time boost reliability, integrate tickets and routes, and halt or reverse cuts.
“But it isn’t the end of the failed privatised model - in London, they’re taking steps to run the franchised network through a local publicly-owned operator.
“We will soon get the powers to do the same here.
“We once led the world for bus services - we can and must again.”
Another campaigner, Jump-based Fran Postlethwaite, said: “Almost 8,000 people responded, higher per head of population than similar consultations in Manchester, Liverpool and West Yorkshire.
“A massive 86 per cent voted in favour of franchising - a massive thanks to all who spoke out in favour.
“It is clear such support was influential in the decision taken.
“This is only the start, however - there will be an awful lot of work to prepare for SYMCA to develop the expertise needed to organise and co-ordinate bus services, infrastructure and maintenance.
“Sadly, we won’t see any significant changes until 2027 although, clearly, all parties now know that public control of buses is inevitable and they will have to behave accordingly.
“It is vital that SYMCA create effective ways of consulting with those involved in the bus service: genuine consultation which takes account of the day-to-day, on-the-ground expertise of users and workforce.
“Mayor Coppard does not have to wait until 2027 to set up a consultation process.
“Franchising is a vital first step but as Nottingham, Reading, Edinburgh and many European cities show, public ownership and subsidy are the only reliable way to create a public transport system fit for the 21st century.”
