Marie Tidball MP, the Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, recently held a ‘Better Buses’ constituency meeting with South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard to hear from residents across her constituency about the changes that they would like to see to the bus network in their communities.
The meeting, which took place in Cawthorne, gave constituents the opportunity to voice their experiences and suggestions for improvements to the bus network to Marie and Oliver. The meeting started with a talk from Marie about the work she has already done to raise local buses in Parliament, such as calling for the restoration of the SL1 Supertram Link bus.
Attendees then heard about the process of bus franchising from Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor. Earlier this March, Oliver announced that buses across South Yorkshire will return to public control under a new system of bus franchising, which will give the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority (SYMCA) the power to set routes, fares and services. The newly franchised buses are set to be rolled out across most of Sheffield in 2027, and across Barnsley in 2028.
Attendees spent most of the meeting working in discussion groups to provide feedback on a range of topics relating to the bus network. Themes discussed during the meeting included: reliability, timetables and bus routes; fares, ticketing, bus stations and stops; customers’ experience of safety and accessibility on board buses; and how constituents would like to further engage with SYMCA throughout the process of bus franchising. During the meeting, both Marie and Oliver listened to residents’ suggestions for what improvements they would like to see and to answer their questions about the bus franchising process.
To close the meeting, Marie reflected on some of the key points that constituents has raised with her throughout the discussions. Some of the route-specific points raised by constituents covered extending the 20/21, as well as improving the regularity of the 94a and 29. Adjusting the timetables of bus routes like the 26 - that connect our young people to their schools - and ideas for an extended and improved SL1 Supertram Link bus emerged.
Constituents who were not able to attend the meeting can still share their views with Marie using the following link: www.marietidball.com/campaigns/better-buses.
Marie Tidball MP said:
“Thank you to all the constituents who attended the meeting and shared their experiences and ideas improvements to our bus network and ways to better connect our communities.Our Labour Government knows that local people have the potential to be the beating heart of British growth and that good, well-connected, public transport unleashes that potential. Most recently, the Bus Services Bill has empowered mayors like South Yorkshire’s Oliver Coppard to bring buses back into public control, giving people a proper say on the essential services that they rely on.I’ll be using all the feedback I’ve collected, from the meeting, along with correspondence and conversations with constituents, to keep fighting for the improvements to our local transport network that you want to see.”
Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, said:
“When I was a kid, we had a world-class bus network in South Yorkshire, 2p fares, reliable services and routes that ran right across the region. But after changes were made to how bus networks were managed in the 1980s, we’ve seen our buses go into a spiral of decline.In March, together with the leaders of South Yorkshire’s councils, including Steve Houghton and Tom Hunt, we agreed to move towards the next phase of the franchising process. That means that over the next few years, we have the chance to get back to reliable, frequent and more comprehensive services, through public control of routes, fares, and timetables.To get that right we need to hear from local people, including those who use the bus and those who don't. That's why it was important to hear from residents in Cawthorne about what they want South Yorkshire's bus network to look like. Marie is holding public meetings all across Penistone and Stocksbridge, so if you've not had your say yet, get along and let her know what needs to change. Together, we will build a transport network that works for everyone here in South Yorkshire."
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