South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and Transport Secretary Louise Haigh (pictured) met at Doncaster Frenchgate Interchange on 22 November to discuss the future of bus services in the region following recent funding announcements.
The ÂŁ17.6m allocated to South Yorkshire earlier this week, part of a broader ÂŁ1 billion nationwide funding boost, was a key topic during their meeting.
The funding comes as South Yorkshire grapples with a 42% reduction in bus network mileage over the past decade, leaving local authorities like the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority financially supporting nearly a quarter of the region’s services.
Ms Haigh highlights the urgency of reforming the system as part of the discussions. “Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken,” she says. “Too often, passengers are left waiting hours for buses that don’t turn up – and some have been cut off altogether.
“That’s why we’re reforming funding to deliver better buses across the country and end the postcode lottery of bus services – including here in South Yorkshire. And it’s why we’re providing over ÂŁ17m of funding in South Yorkshire to keep fares down, protect local routes and deliver more reliable services. This is part of our wider plan to put passengers first and give every community the power to take back control of their bus services through franchising or public ownership. By delivering better buses, we’ll ensure people have proper access to jobs and opportunities – powering economic growth in every corner of the country.”
South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, adds: “I was really pleased to join the Transport Secretary in Doncaster in the week her department announced crucial funding for our buses.
“The £17.6m announced by the Transport Secretary is vital catch-up funding after years of bad deals from the last government. It’s great to see Louise and the new government listen to Mayors and the communities we serve; we all know how important it is to invest in our public transport system, and we now have a government who want to help us turn round the decline we’ve seen in bus services here and across the country.
“No single funding round was ever going to fix all our problems, but this money is vitally important and going forward we are determined to work with the government on a long-term plan to give our communities the world class public transport system they deserve. That’s why we’re moving at pace through the bus franchising assessment process and why we’re currently running a public consultation on those plans.  We want everyone to tell us what they think about our proposals to take back control of our buses.”
