1 July 2005

Changes to the way all bus services in South Yorkshire are operated could be on the cards, if politicians approve a range of options being put forward by the Transport Executive next week.

The Transport Executive's new Bus Strategy will be considered by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority at its meeting on 7 July, and if approved could see a reverse in the fortunes of bus travel which have suffered a steady decline in passengers since deregulation of services in 1986.

Taking control of the way bus services are run, through special Government-endorsed powers, is just one of three options being looked at by transport bosses next week, as they discuss the future of bus travel in South Yorkshire.

The Bus Strategy covers the period 2006-2011 and as David Brown, Passenger Services Director at the Transport Executive says, "It is quite simply, about making the bus a better choice".

The Bus Strategy has been developed after extensive consultation with the travelling public and specialists within the bus industry, including all the county's bus operators.

Mr Brown added, "We've come up with these proposals in response to what passengers are telling us. Punctuality and reliability hasn't improved across the network as much as we would have liked. The current model hasn't delivered the level of improvements that passengers expect, and this document sets out a range of ways we can turn things around, and where necessary take more control over levels of service quality, fares and timetables.

"If South Yorkshire is to maintain its pace of economic growth, a good public transport system is essential to not only keep us moving, but link people with the places they want to get to."

He added, "While the bus is still, by far, the most commonly used mode of public transport in the county, it is a fact that fewer people are using the bus and there are numerous reasons for this. Car ownership has increased and the cost of motoring has remained fairly constant while for many the whole experience of using buses has put people off."

The Bus Strategy highlights trends in patronage, but also looks at what passengers actually want from a bus service, and how it can be achieved. The Bus Strategy contains a number of options available to encourage growth in bus usage, Mr Brown added.

"We've tried the voluntary approach and this has been successful in some areas, but if we are to make fundamental changes to the quality of bus services there are some difficult decisions to be taken in taking forward the delivery of this Strategy.

"We have carried out extensive consultation with our partners to help shape this strategy, and the response has been generally supportive. We look forward to discussing the issues further at the PTA meeting next week."

is this definate golden1 or is it just another threat.

about time if they do because the bus companies are taking us for a ride allways increasing bus fares and changing services.

new transport site just found about all public transport in south yorkshire the web adress is.

http://s2.phpbbforfree.com/forums/southyorkshiret.html

i think you have to register but it is free and you don't even have to activate it in your e-mail it's streight forward to sign up so why not have a look it is actually quite good i rank it 8 out of 10 so why not have a look and see what you think it is quite useful for anything to do with transport in south yorkshire.

what does everyone else think of this new transport link for south yorkshire?

you can even post things on the forum and you don't have to register but only in the guest part of the south yorkshire transport forum please click on the link below to be transfered to the new forum.


http://s2.phpbbforfree.com/forums/southyorkshiret.html

I received a letter from First this week (highly patronising in tone) in response to a complaint I put in last week regarding the recent increases in fares and cuts in services. In it they stated:

"We do not operate buses under franchise, we operate buses on a commercial basis in a market that is open to competition, by any operator who chooses to operate in the area."

Does anyone know exactly how this works? Do bus companies have to tender for a contract for a certain area? Or does a company simply come into the area as First are telling me?

I also pointed out that there were exploiting the poorest in society by constantly increasing their fares. In response:

"Please be advised that the vast majority of bus services are operated purely on a commercial basis, by a PLC, with a legal responsibility to its shareholders not to operate buses without profit."

In other words, sod the passengers! Aren't bus companies heavily subsidised in order to provide services to the public that would otherwise not be profitable? Are First allowed to just continue cutting services and increasing fares unchecked, as they seem to be suggesting to me in this letter? What is the situation at the moment, rather than the proposed changes?

No, any bus operator can come along and set up a bus route on a commercial basis, as long as they give notice to the traffic commissioner and have an arrangement with SYPTE to accept concessionary passes.

The only bus routes that are tendered or subsidises are those which are not commercially viable but the SYPTE have decided should be subsidised to operate on the basis of being socially neccesary.

It will be interesting to see what result the meeting decide. I go for the London model myself as in our case the PTE would decide the routes/level of service/ maybe some control on fares and do some long term planning by awarding each route tender to the best value bus operator for say a 5 to 7 year period with a clause for heavy fines for poor delivery on a yearly basis.

About time, Sheffield bus fares are extortionate.

The Moor to Hunters Bar, one way - £1.30

Flat fare, anywhere in London - £1.20

Originally posted by kiss100
about time if they do because the bus companies are taking us for a ride allways increasing bus fares .


i no that the fare have gone up quite alot but as you remember first drivers were on stike over wages alot of people agree first drivers were very poorly paid .first has done somthing about that and wages have gone up (not alot i must add) some one has to pay for that!!!
I no people may say what about the millions prof ..it is a private company with share holders like any other company that runs = no profit= no share holders
=no buses
i dont work for first before you ask i work for one of the other companys

Originally posted by antics
About time, Sheffield bus fares are extortionate.

The Moor to Hunters Bar, one way - £1.30

Flat fare, anywhere in London - £1.20

This is what I've been saying. If they introduce a flat rate for all journeys, there would be no confusion, no hassle with the bus drivers, no arguments or discrimination... You just get on, pay the flat rate and get off in 2 stops or 10 stops. Simple!

Its a cheek having these expensive buses forced on us. Yeah, if it was just 50p or even £1 flat rate, I would leave my car at home instead of driving the 1 mile to work, then paying £2.50 to park... But only if the bus were to turn up and I wasn't going to be robbed blind just to get home, when it probably only costs me pennies in the car.

Originally posted by shefflad
i no that the fare have gone up quite alot but as you remember first drivers were on stike over wages alot of people agree first drivers were very poorly paid .first has done somthing about that and wages have gone up (not alot i must add) some one has to pay for that!!!
I no people may say what about the millions prof ..it is a private company with share holders like any other company that runs = no profit= no share holders
=no buses
i dont work for first before you ask i work for one of the other companys

I think we do all agree that the drivers are paid very badly, but I also think that First are taking advantage of the wage increases and rises in oil prices to increase their fares by more than is really necessary. Any agreement they reached on pay was surely made towards the end of the strike action last year, and therefore they would have been able to plan where the money was coming from. Fare rises every couple of months, interspaced with service cuts, are just not acceptable. It will certainly be interesting to see what the company's profits are this year compared to last.

Originally posted by caprice
You just get on, pay the flat rate and get off in 2 stops or 10 stops. Simple!
In Hong Kong they go one step further. When you get on you either show your pre-pay pass (like our PTE Travelmaster) or drop a fixed fare (no change) into a sealed box. The driver never has to handle money, and nobody can rob him 'cos the money is inside a 1/4 steel box welded under the floor.

Originally posted by jgharston
In Hong Kong they go one step further. When you get on you either show your pre-pay pass (like our PTE Travelmaster) or drop a fixed fare (no change) into a sealed box. The driver never has to handle money, and nobody can rob him 'cos the money is inside a 1/4 steel box welded under the floor.

I seem to remember from a visit to Birmingham that they do it like this as well - you must have the exact change to drop into a box.

The sheffield public transport system is a load of extremely expensive rubbish. ANyone who spends any time in and around London will know that they have a far better and more cost-effective system in place. Travel costs are pegged and do not increase every 2-3 months as they do in Sheffield and travel arrangements are far more generous. I am surprised that anyone can afford these costs which are at best excessive.

I just hope this is not the first step towards a First monopoly of buses in Sheffield. There are few enough competative routes as it is.