Andy C

Sheffield BID organise the Fringe outdoor stages on Devonshire Green and the Peace Gardens, this is their website https://www.sheffieldbid.com/coming-soon/fringe-at-tramlines-2022#:~:text=While the main Tramlines music,host The Fringe at Tramlines. Various pubs, clubs and bars but events on too. Ones to look out for include Washington https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=tramlines 2022 - the washington Maida Vale https://www.facebook.com/maidavalesheff Bloo88 https://www.facebook.com/events/700094104659833?active_tab=about Green Room https://www.facebook.com/GreenRoomSheff/ Shakespeares https://www.facebook.com/ShakespearesShf Church House https://www.facebook.com/TheChurchHouseSheffield Crystal https://www.facebook.com/crystalbarsheff Frog & Parrot https://www.facebook.com/frogandparrot Dorothy Pax https://www.facebook.com/thedorothypax (feel free to add to the list!) Oh and if you'd prefer to literally get the tram in the opposite direction to Tramlines to see a gig Chantry Brewery in Parkgate has a band on the Friday night! https://www.facebook.com/ChantryBreweryRotherham (they have just opened an on site bar!)

just to be pedantic.... it isn't SYPTE anymore, it is SYMCA (South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority). The organisation led by the mayor elect, Oliver Coppard, which is responsible for a number of things in the region including transport. But yes, they've funded the Zoom Beyond pass giving young adults cheap travel and they are funding a pointless City Centre shuttle bus (including rebuilding a road junction so it can physically run!) at the same time as having to axe important community bus services they can no longer afford to fund! The list of service changes from 25 July is here https://travelsouthyorkshire.com/en-gb/newsupdates/service-changes#sheffield, In Sheffield there is one route (32/32a) withdrawn whilst four routes (73, 135, 208 and X74) have cuts. In addition there is the M17 not listed that has already had cuts and no longer runs on Saturdays or mid afternoon. There are also two routes where the operator is changing (44 and 76a). Not a huge list to be fair and they are clearly making a political song and dance about it to try and get some more money out of the government after they declined to fund South Yorkshires Bus Service Improvement Plan after the budget for the government's "Bus Back Better" scheme was slashed. However potentially there will be huge cuts to services previously operated commercially come October when the Covid money runs out unless passenger numbers recover or new funding is found.

You are right in that the cost of providing the service is shooting through the roof, as is the cost of motoring (and life in general!) I think the important question right now ahead of the Covid money running out in October is why are people using public transport less? Of course it doesn't help that the authorities have been telling people not to use public transport as they will catch covid and die if they do, it also doesn't help that our politicians are regularly shouting about how bad public transport is, again putting people off using it! However more seriously, what needs to change for more people to use public transport? Are people simply not leaving their house as much? Are people now using other modes of transport instead? Is where people want to travel to different to before and not as well catered for by public transport? Or do people simply need reminding what services exist and what reasons they may find for travel?

An issue on a lot of the tendered network as you imply is that the majority of passengers don't actually pay a fare at all, and the reimbursement rates for carrying senior and disabled pass holders is insultingly low. Those rates are set by the government. You are right in that a good chunk of bus patronage is 18-21 year olds, they've gone from buying weekly/monthly commuter passes to paying 80p a ride subsidised by the mayor, it may have generated some extra trips, I'm not sure. The student £1 fare is a promotional deal offered by the bus companies, it started as a way of Stagecoach luring students off First buses back in the days of competition on the University routes and the fare seems to have stuck, I guess these days it is buses competing with Uber for the student traffic. There was an article in the Star recently about the M17 bus (Dore-Jordanthorpe) which is currently running a reduced timetable. The contract to operate this held by Hulleys was due to expire in July/August but they have agreed to keep operating it until October under the current terms but have made clear they have no intention of bidding for the next contract. Operating costs have shot through the roof (cost of diesel, wages and everything else), the bus takes very few fares and the reimbursement rate for concessionary travel isn't enough. At the funding levels the SYMCA is willing to pay it simply isn't viable to operate. Yes, indeed, that has been the system since deregulation - core network run commercially at no cost to the public purse with local authorities funding tendered services to supplement it. I do think it is important to point out that the changes in July are entirely tendered services specified and funded by the mayor though, they are not the commercial services which have Covid funding to support them until October when the issue of patronage being well down compared with pre-covid becomes a problem. that is a very useful website, I use it a lot! https://bustimes.org/districts/263

Actually all the ones changing in July are tendered services not commercial ones but you are correct in that it isn't the council - it is the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. The issue with commercial services doesn't hit until October when the Covid support money runs out.

There are two parts to this story. July service changes https://travelsouthyorkshire.com/en-gb/newsupdates/service-changes July is when most of the contracts end for buses on the tendered network - these buses are specified and funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to supplement the commercial network. They are services that aren't financially viable commercially but considered socially or economically important to the communities they serve. Of course since the last contracts were let the cost of providing bus services has rocketed - cost of fuel, drivers wages, parts and everything else. The bus operators are also still struggling with driver availability coming out of Covid, however it appears on the face of it the mayor simply doesn't have the funds available to pay for these bus services to continue. He has however found money to pay for under 21s to travel incredibly cheaply and also for the new City Centre shoppers shuttle bus. I can't help wonder if the mayor has chosen to pay for those things instead of the axed bus services. Potential October service cuts The commercial bus network is currently operating with government Covid recovery support funding which ends in October. Public transport usage is still well down compared with pre-covid (passenger numbers currently down by about a third) which means many bus services that used to be financially viable aren't any longer and come October when the government support is withdrawn could face the axe. There are two answers to this - people need to buy tickets and use the services or the mayor needs to find funding to add them to the tendered network.

Current Sheffield depots are: First - Olive Grove Stagecoach - Holbrook and Ecclesfield TM Travel - Halfway Sheffield Community Transport - Montgomery Terrace Also operating in our area are: Hulleys of Baslow - depot in Baslow Powells - depot in Hellaby, Rotherham Stagecoach buses from Stonegravels depot in Chesterfield and Stagecoach buses from Mansfield depot First buses from Doncaster depot.

One Valley Festival is back post Covid this weekend! There are actually two events running side by side - One Valley (in the town centre and suburbs) and One Valley Extra (at further out venues). List of venues below. Check their Facebook pages for more information. Note this isn't related to the old 3 Valleys festival that ran until 2018, however it is many of the same venues, each are organising their own things independently. One Valley Cross Daggers (bus 44) 2Underdog (bus 44) Dancing Anchor Spirits (bus 44) Beer Stop at Dronfield (bus 44) 3White Swan (bus 44) 4Dronfield Arms (bus 44) Fox in the Box (bus 44) 5Coach & Horses (bus 43) 6Jolly Farmer (bus 43) 7Hill Top Club 8Victoria (bus 43) 9Blue Stoops (bus 15 or 16) Manor House Hotel (bus 15 or 16) 11Green Dragon One Valley Extra In addition to the normal local bus services shown, a minibus will be shuttling between these venues and Dronfield railway station charging affordable fares. Drone Valley Brewery (bus 43 or 44) 13Pioneer Club (bus 15 or 44) 14Miners Arms (bus 15)

--------------------------------------------------------- Miners Arms Hundall Lane, Hundall, S18 4BS TM Travel bus 15 stops right outside Minibus will also shuttle from the railway station and the other "One Valley Extra" venues https://www.facebook.com/minershundall 2 days of Live Music. Kicking off on Friday with the Genie Lamps at 3pm. Saturday starts with a warm up spot from Milly Ballington followed by Georgie Mills with Ribeye closing the day in style.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jolly Farmer Pentland Road, Dronfield Woodhouse, S18 8ZQ Stagecoach bus 43 https://www.facebook.com/jollyfarmerdronfield we open from 9am to set you up for the day with a farmers breakfast Full indoor bar service is also available from 9am Outside bar will open from 1pm and will be set up with Stancill Brewery ales and Birra Moretti UK Lager with also a selection of traditional ciders We will fire up the BBQ from 1pm too so grab yourself a tasty treat from the food we have on offer while the drinks are flowing. Our entertainment this year will be a DJ entertaining you all afternoon on the beer garden with a mix of old classics right up to current music. There will be something for everyone’s taste. Inside we will be featuring a selection of brewers with a number of different real ales and also a nice selection of fruity and traditional ciders. -------------------------------------------------------------- Green Dragon Church Street, Dronfield, S18 1QB Walkable from Dronfield railway station and bus routes 16/44 or from bus 43 at Dronfield Sainsburys https://www.facebook.com/GreenDragonDronfield Opening at 12pm-DJ Clarkey playing all day Two outside bars only - pub shut inside Lockdown Gin & Vodka bar /Prosecco/Peroni Other bar for spirits , wine ; lager & cask ales Accepting card & cash We have a Pizza Van in the car park We hope to see you enjoying the day & our beer

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blue Stoops Dronfield High Street Nearest buses: TM Travel 15/16 to the Civic Centre or Stagecoach bus 43 to Dronfield Sainsburys https://www.facebook.com/thebluestoopsdronfield --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dronfield Arms 91 Chesterfield Road, Dronfield Bottom, S18 2XE https://www.facebook.com/dronfieldarms Stagecoach Bus 44 stops close by or it is a short walk from the railway station

Over the Queen's Jubilee holiday weekend many pubs, clubs and even a brewery are putting on events under the collective banner of "One Valley" and "One Valley Extra". Expect beer festivals, live music, street food stalls, DJs and family entertainment. Check out publicity from individual venues for more details but here is a summary of venues I'm aware of: One Valley - Dronfield town and suburbs, many are within walking distance of Dronfield railway station and most are served by Stagecoach bus 43 or 44 from Sheffield. Cross Daggers (bus 44) 2Underdog (bus 44) 3White Swan (bus 44) 4Dronfield Arms (bus 44) Fox in the Box (bus 44) 5Coach & Horses (bus 43) 6Jolly Farmer (bus 43) 7Hill Top Club 8Victoria (bus 43) 9Blue Stoops (bus 15 or 16) 10Manor House Hotel (bus 15 or 16) 11Green Dragon One Valley Extra - real ale orientated venues out of town. A minibus will shuttle between these venues and Dronfield station charging affordable fares to supplement the normal local bus service. 12Drone Valley Brewery (bus 43 or 44) 13Pioneer Club (bus 15 or 44) 14Miners Arms (bus 15) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hill Top Sports and Social Club https://www.facebook.com/HillTopSSC Longacre Road S18 1UQ Nearest bus route is the Stagecoach 43 on Hollins Spring Avenue.

A free guided walk of the bounds of Bradway on Sunday 29 May, 10:30am to 1pm. This is an annual event , originally led by local resident and historian Tony Smith, this has become an annual tradition in Bradway and is now led by Chris Morgan, the Chairman of the Bradway Community Action Group (BAG). Walkers will learn about the history of this small suburb of Sheffield, which used to be part of Derbyshire. You may find corners you hadn't realised were there! You'll hear explanations of things you may have passed many times. Note part of the walk may be on muddy paths. Suitable for families with enquiring minds! Meet at the top of Twentywell Lane outside the Age UK charity shop from 10am (postcode S17 4QH). The event is part of Sheffield Environment Weeks which is lottery funded and supported by Sheffield City Council.

Is that towards Woodhouse - the 52/52a doesn't use West Street in that direction on Saturday nights due to the council often closing Carver Street and Division Street at night https://www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-19/08/2021-12:07:07:261 This website is always useful to have bookmarked - choose the area then click on map to see buses tracking live https://bustimes.org/districts/263

As far as I am aware the diversions have been in place since last August - that is when Stagecoach announced the service update https://www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-19/08/2021-12:07:07:261 It is council policy for safety reasons to close Carver Street on busy Friday and Saturday nights - there are a lot of lively bars/clubs on there and it is quite chaotic with a mix of revellers and taxis in the street. To be honest this is quite sensible policy and Carver Street / Division Street frankly isn't suitable as a bus route - however that was the alternative the council implemented when they closed Leopold Street and Pinstone Street to buses. When this route is closed on a weekend the buses now basically miss a great chunk of the City Centre out and use the ring road and go non-stop University to Moorfoot. Unfortunately at the council and SYMCA the left hand doesn't seem to talk to the right hand. The council do have development work going on in the area and once that is complete the bus route will be Rockingham Street all the way from West Street to Moorhead with a new mini-interchange constructed to replace the stops on Leopold Street. However 2 years after they closed Leopold Street this still hasn't materialised.

before Brexit such shipping would take a day or two and by the time the contractors were appointed the parts would have been received. Now following Brexit it takes weeks to ship them. So yes, if you voted Brexit I guess you do have yourself to blame! (although to be fair Boris never put increased red tape for import/export on the side of a bus....)

Yes, the mayor is in charge of South Yorkshire however this is the Sheffield Forum... A lot of people travel between South Yorkshire and Derbyshire (to places like Dronfield and Chesterfield for example), especially those that live in South Sheffield by the border and they aren't catered for by South Yorkshire ticketing schemes so there have to be other tickets to cater for them. Traffic gets bad during the afternoon school run across much of the city around 2.30 to 3.30pm. My own experience is of buses taking 20 minutes longer than scheduled around this time and just have to sit in the traffic jams as the bus lanes don't come into operation until 4pm. By the time the bus lanes become active the buses are already late which impacts the evening peak commute. To use bus route 25 towards Bradway as an example there are secondary schools on the route coming out of Woodhouse, coming out the City Centre (Granville Road/Queens Road) and at Meadowhead.

If you want someone to blame for it taking so long, blame those that voted for Brexit or the politicians that lied and misled the electorate.

There are two issues Covid related driver shortages, planned cancellations are published on the day at https://www.firstbus.co.uk/sheffield/plan-journey/timetables/journey-cancellations Sheffield's worsening traffic congestion. I've noticed buses suffer most during the afternoon school run (around 3pm) as bus lanes etc don't start operating until 4pm. I'd recommend bookmarking the bustimes.org website on your phone, the map that tracks buses live is very useful! The following link takes you to the list of areas of Sheffield https://bustimes.org/districts/263. Click on the area then you can either click on map to show you everything in the area, alternatively click on a bus stop to show scheduled times then you can click on a particular departure to show you where that bus currently is along with all the other buses on the same route.

One of the reasons, which they stated on Twitter, is waiting for the specialist parts to be shipped into the UK. Another Brexit bonus. Service is running again now anyway.

I think there is a general aspiration to introduce smart ticketing with daily/weekly capping (ie you tap your contactless bank card or smart card each time you travel and it charges you the single fare but stops charging when you hit the price of an all day pass or weekly pass, making sure you always get the best deal) and the practicalities on a system where you don't tap off as well as tap on require it to be a flat fare, so these schemes help things down that road. However the biggest thing for South Yorkshire, which is something our new Mayor has said so clearly understands, is making the ticketing system much simpler and easy to understand. We have the Travelmaster range that works on all buses, trams and trains in the county which is nice, simple and good value, however operator specific tickets also exist alongside them - and are necessary to cover cross boundary journeys such as into Derbyshire. Yes, ticketing needs much better promotion, communication and making simpler. However actually the prices in Sheffield are quite reasonable and I don't believe that should be the top priority for improving public transport in the city - punctuality and reliability need to be the biggest thing and this will require improvements to the bus priority measures (just for example a lot of buses are delayed in traffic during the afternoon school run around 3pm and the bus lanes don't come into use until 4pm) then the next biggest thing, which will require an increased public funding, is to improve the tendered part of the network to improve rural/community service frequencies and hours of operation and to fix some missing links. We need to make sure that the buses are there to use in the first place and are running reliably before we start worrying about tinkering with ticketing.

Assuming there won't be any stops on Trippet Lane, the only bit of route not served by existing buses or trams is Surrey Street and Leopold Street! Buses such as 56 and 95/95a provide regular services down Brown Street/Paternoster Row past the station. In my opinion it would have been more sensible to better promote existing services and invest in improving the bus stop environments.

From what I've seen posted elsewhere the new City Centre shuttle bus is expected to launch on 13th June on a circular route: Sheffield Interchange > Flat Street > Arundel Gate > Theatres / Town Hall Square > Leopold Street > Trippet Lane > West Street > Carver Street > Rockingham Street ("Heart of the City") > Moorfoot > Moorhead > Rail Station (Howard pub) > Sheffield Interchange. Normal fares/passes to apply. Initially to operate using Euro6 diesel buses until the electric buses and charging infrastructure is in place. Currently out to tender for potential operators and hours of operation etc will depend on what the costs of subsidy look like. --------------------- Meanwhile the buses that used to serve the stops on Leopold Street and Pinstone Street are still suffering from using temporary stops in unattractive locations. There are plans for their replacement which are a long time coming: Rockingham Street (for buses that arrive in town via West Street such as the 52 and 120) - a new mini bus interchange is to be built as part of the new Pound's Park on the site of the old demolished fire station (more recently a temporary P&D car park). You can read more at https://heartofsheffield.co.uk/news/pounds-park-consultation-summary Arundel Gate (for buses that arrive via Fitzalan Square and are heading towards Abbeydale Road / Ecclesall Road such as the 75/76, 81/82/83/88 and 97/98: There are proposed changes to the roads in the area to better accommodate buses https://connectingsheffield.commonplace.is/proposals/city-centre-proposals

Buses are having to divert to Bowshaw and back to avoid the failed traffic lights. Extra journey time which means extra fuel cost and late running. All because the council haven't bothered to do their job and clearly aren't interested in buses. It's been two weeks now! We're told by some the public sector should be in charge of running the buses. They aren't even capable of managing the bits of the bus system they are already responsible for such as traffic lights and bus stops! The replacement bus stops in town for the ones the council closed on Leopold Street and Pinstone Street still haven't been built, that's been nearly 2 years now.

Before it was the free parking and pay tram fare arrangement at Meadowhall, IKEA and Centertainment whilst it was a dedicated park and ride ticket that operated car park barriers at Halfway, Nunnery and Middlewood - therefore the changes mean the same arrangement across all car parks. No, you buy whatever the best value tram ticket is for your needs, a whole range of daily, weekly and monthly unlimited travel passes are available as well as single journey fares. You can buy a tram DayRider pass from the conductor for £4.60 or on the Stagecoach app for £4.50. Either way no more using the self service car park machines, just park up and jump on the tram. The journey planner on the Supertram website will tell you the single/return ticket prices for the journey you make are and what daily/weekly/monthly passes are available . Officially it is temporary as the ticket machines and barriers are out of action, however the word on the street is it is likely to become permanent following a review.