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LIVE BUS TRACKING

 

Hulleys of Baslow have now joined Stagecoach, First and TM Travel in showing their buses tracking real time on the map at bustimes.org. 

 

Here is a link to the map set on Sheffield https://bustimes.org/map#13/53.381/-1.47

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9 hours ago, Andy C said:

This is is the normal January fares increase, last years prices have been frozen until June.

 

At this point it is only the Travelmaster tickets that are valid on all operators going up, individual operators ticket prices will remain frozen a little longer.

 

Prices have to go up to cover increased costs of providing the service with inflation etc, unless Dan Jarvis is going to find some public funding to subsidise the fares. which are among the cheapest in Britain?

 

The new prices are here: https://www.sytravelmaster.com/post/price-changes-from-7-june-2021

Well, 5% is way above our inflation rate; way above the pay increases that your average bus user will be getting last year & this & way above any pay increases that the transport operators will have paid their staff last year or possibly this year as well.  Additionally, crude oil prices have been at the levels not seen since the early 2000's & as we know, transport operators buy their fuel well in advance, so they have been purchasing, for years, at low fuel prices, so they can't use fuel costs as an excuse for price increases. 

 

No doubt they'll come back with the usual excuse of investing in new buses, etc?   I'll leave more regular bus users to give their opinions  on that one, as to whether that's a valid reason or not? 

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6 hours ago, Baron99 said:

Well, 5% is way above our inflation rate; way above the pay increases that your average bus user will be getting last year & this & way above any pay increases that the transport operators will have paid their staff last year or possibly this year as well.  Additionally, crude oil prices have been at the levels not seen since the early 2000's & as we know, transport operators buy their fuel well in advance, so they have been purchasing, for years, at low fuel prices, so they can't use fuel costs as an excuse for price increases. 

 

No doubt they'll come back with the usual excuse of investing in new buses, etc?   I'll leave more regular bus users to give their opinions  on that one, as to whether that's a valid reason or not? 

Quote

On the 7th June 2021 the prices of TravelMaster products will be changing.

 
TravelMaster is proud to offer some of the UK's lowest priced travel tickets but we need to strike a balance between that and ensuring those prices are sustainable and that is why we have made the difficult decision to increase the prices of our products.
 

Matt Smallwood, Managing Director of TravelMaster, which sets multi-operator ticket prices for South Yorkshire’s public transport services, said:

 

“Our region continues to have some of the lowest priced integrated transport tickets in the country, and in a number of cases these remain less than the cost in 2012. Unlimited weekly travel on buses in Sheffield, for example, is nearly £5 less than in London where prices are heavily subsidised and were raised again in March this year.

 

“We have worked hard over the past decade to keep prices low, and even lower for young people. However, costs have continued to increase as a result of insufficient investment in bus priority measures and a lack of action on road congestion, which is growing again as the region emerges from lockdown. This has made services slower and less sustainable at current prices. These fare increases that were due to be implemented earlier, pay for operating costs of services that have continued to increase during the pandemic.

 
“Last year, we made cheaper prices available to more young people by widening dedicated discounts to over 18s up to the age of 22. Our GetAbout ticket for 18s and under also provides some of the lowest priced travel in the country.”
 
Our previous prices were so low that, even with these changes, TravelMaster tickets will still be amongst some of the UK's lowest priced multi-operator tickets and if passengers make the swap from buying on-board to buying through sytravelmaster.com, or from a Payzone shop, they might even pay less!

According to the announcement three key points

  • worsening traffic congestion that the council isn't addressing with adequate bus priority measures has significantly increased costs - more vehicles, fuel and drivers are required to provide the same level of service
  • prices were unsustainably cheap
  •  weekly and 28 day tickets bought in advance have been subject to smaller increases than those bought on board

 

Not to mention the impact of Covid and resulting lack of income of course..

 

NEW PRICES:

 

CityBus - any bus in Sheffield

1 day £4.90

7 day £17.10 advance / £18.40 on board

28 day £64.10

 

CityWide - any bus or tram in Sheffield

1 day £5.40

7 day £18.40 advance / £19.40 on board

28 day £69.00

 

SY Connect - any bus or tram (including TramTrain) in South Yorkshire

1 day £7.40

7 day £24.70 advance / £27.30 on board

28 day £92.60

 

SY Connect+ - any bus, train or tram in South Yorkshire

1 day £9.20

7 day £32.10

28 day £120.40

 

Coming soon - Flexi5

buy 5 day tickets for the price of 4 to be used in a 28 day period - perfect money saver for part time commuters.

will be available on CityBus, CityWide and SY Connect.

 

Individual operator tickets

these all remain frozen at 2020 prices until government emergency covid support funding ends.

Edited by Andy C

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13 hours ago, julado said:

I live on the Winn Estate (somebody has to). We have the STL bus and the tram. There's no direct regular bus into Hillsborough and town (there's a community one that goes a few times a day to Hillsborough if it's still running but it's not a direct route). The STL go to and from Middlewood Terminus to Stocksbridge and back.

 

So, this bank holiday weekend.....Supertram works......no trams coming up past Shalesmoor.  There will be no replacement buses for the 4 days of the work!!!  Even more annoying ,for those who come from further up Middlewood Road towards Oughtibridge and for folks like me who have limited mobility, the STL will not be running into Hillsborough.

This means unless you can walk to/from Leppings Lane there is nothing in the way of public transport on the Middlewood Road corridor going towards Hillsborough.  Fourth biggest city in England running a beyond dire rural service. It stinks.

 

I fail to understand how leaving an entire area of Sheffield without public transport for a few days is allowed.  If Stagecoach can't make provision then why are they even allowed to operate???

It is I am afraid just another example of the total contempt Stagecoach supertram and the PTE have for the public which they continually demonstrate. One wonders just how much the extra cost really would be of running the tramlink bus on to Hillsborough (cue claims that they will save no money with no trams past Shalesmore , how difficult it will be to find buses and the like) . Lets not forget that ridership (and therefore revenue) will be down on tramlink buses as passengers will avoid if they don't want to be dumped in the middle of nowhere apart from those who only found out after they had started their journey. I have continually highlighted this contempt by Stagecoach Supertram but unfortunately their behavior is supported by the PTE and the Mayor.

 

I don't know if you got the Look Local but they simply printed Stagecoach PR and made no reference to the fact that the Tramlink buses would leave people with no onward transport when you would have thought that they would be campaigning for their readers

 

Our local councilors will be doing nothing (apart from a bit of hot air perhaps)

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2 hours ago, Bigal1 said:

It is I am afraid just another example of the total contempt Stagecoach supertram and the PTE have for the public which they continually demonstrate. One wonders just how much the extra cost really would be of running the tramlink bus on to Hillsborough (cue claims that they will save no money with no trams past Shalesmore , how difficult it will be to find buses and the like) . Lets not forget that ridership (and therefore revenue) will be down on tramlink buses as passengers will avoid if they don't want to be dumped in the middle of nowhere apart from those who only found out after they had started their journey. I have continually highlighted this contempt by Stagecoach Supertram but unfortunately their behavior is supported by the PTE and the Mayor.

 

I don't know if you got the Look Local but they simply printed Stagecoach PR and made no reference to the fact that the Tramlink buses would leave people with no onward transport when you would have thought that they would be campaigning for their readers

 

Our local councilors will be doing nothing (apart from a bit of hot air perhaps)

There is no such thing as Tramlink and Stagecoach Supertram do not run buses, they are a light rail operator. Bus service SL1 and SL1a is operated by Stagecoach Yorkshire as part of the Sheffield Bus Partnership. 

 

During the engineering work, ticket holders travelling to Hillsborough, Shalesmoor and Sheffield City Centre can connect with the 57 or 58 at Oughtibridge instead of the tram at Middlewood. This bus is operated by a mixture of Stagecoach Yorkshire and First, also as part of the Sheffield Bus Partnership.

 

In normal times, buses 57, SL1 and SL1a are operated commercially Mon-Sat daytime and under contract to SYPTE evenings and Sundays. Currently Covid restrictions are still in place, many people are still working from home and it is not financially viable to provide public transport services, therefore all buses, trams and trains are being funded by the government to keep some sort of service in existence and to prevent the operators going bankrupt. There simply isn't the budget to pay for more buses than already exist.

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6 hours ago, Baron99 said:

Well, 5% is way above our inflation rate; way above the pay increases that your average bus user will be getting last year & this & way above any pay increases that the transport operators will have paid their staff last year or possibly this year as well.  Additionally, crude oil prices have been at the levels not seen since the early 2000's & as we know, transport operators buy their fuel well in advance, so they have been purchasing, for years, at low fuel prices, so they can't use fuel costs as an excuse for price increases. 

 

No doubt they'll come back with the usual excuse of investing in new buses, etc?   I'll leave more regular bus users to give their opinions  on that one, as to whether that's a valid reason or not? 

Can it be pointed out that these tickets (the ones listed in post #423 are all multi-operator tickets therefore the price is determined by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and not the operators.

Even if it was the operators, the majority of single fares in Sheffield are £2.00. So a 5% rise equates to 10p. 

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54 minutes ago, Resident said:

Can it be pointed out that these tickets (the ones listed in post #423 are all multi-operator tickets therefore the price is determined by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and not the operators.

Even if it was the operators, the majority of single fares in Sheffield are £2.00. So a 5% rise equates to 10p. 

To apply a little pedantry the multi-operator tickets are provided and priced by a private company (Sheffield City Region Ticketing Company trading as Travelmaster) rather than SYPTE but indeed, as mentioned the operator specific tickets will remain frozen at 2020 prices a little longer:

 

FIRST BUS  UNLIMITED TRAVEL TICKETS

https://www.firstbus.co.uk/sheffield

1 day: Sheffield £4.20, South Yorkshire & Derbyshire £5

7 day: Sheffield £14.50, South Yorkshire & Derbyshire £20

28 day: Sheffield £54, South Yorkshire & Derbyshire £76

For full ticket range and online discounts visit website

 

STAGECOACH (YORKSHIRE, EAST MIDLANDS & SUPERTRAM) UNLIMITED TRAVEL TICKETS

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/

www.supertram.com

Tram Only: 1 day £4.40 / 7 day £14.50 / 28 day £52

Silver (all Stagecoach bus & tram in South Yorkshire & Chesterfield): 1 day £4.90 / 7 day £17 / 28 day £62

Gold (all Stagecoach bus & tram in West & South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Gainsborough: 1 day £7.20 / 7 day £24 / 28 day £88

For full ticket range including evening/group offers and online discounts visit the website

 

POWELLS BUS https://www.powellsbus.com/

TM TRAVEL http://www.tmtravel.co.uk/

HULLEYS OF BASLOW http://www.hulleys-of-baslow.co.uk/

also have their own ticket ranges, visit their websites for details.

Edited by Andy C

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21 minutes ago, Andy C said:

To apply a little pedantry the multi-operator tickets are provided and priced by a private company (Sheffield City Region Ticketing Company trading as Travelmaster) rather than SYPTE but indeed, as mentioned the operator specific tickets will remain frozen at 2020 prices a little longer:

 

FIRST BUS  UNLIMITED TRAVEL TICKETS

https://www.firstbus.co.uk/sheffield

1 day: Sheffield £4.20, South Yorkshire & Derbyshire £5

7 day: Sheffield £14.50, South Yorkshire & Derbyshire £20

28 day: Sheffield £54, South Yorkshire & Derbyshire £76

For full ticket range and online discounts visit website

 

STAGECOACH (YORKSHIRE, EAST MIDLANDS & SUPERTRAM) UNLIMITED TRAVEL TICKETS

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/

www.supertram.com

Tram Only: 1 day £4.40 / 7 day £14.50 / 28 day £52

Silver (all Stagecoach bus & tram in South Yorkshire & Chesterfield): 1 day £4.90 / 7 day £17 / 28 day £62

Gold (all Stagecoach bus & tram in West & South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Gainsborough: 1 day £7.20 / 7 day £24 / 28 day £88

For full ticket range including evening/group offers and online discounts visit the website

 

POWELLS BUS https://www.powellsbus.com/

TM TRAVEL http://www.tmtravel.co.uk/

HULLEYS OF BASLOW http://www.hulleys-of-baslow.co.uk/

also have their own ticket ranges, visit their websites for details.

TBH I thought Travelmaster was just marketing name for the tickets as a whole rather than an entity. You live and learn. 

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A report has been compiled & SCC are due to discuss the pros & cons of closing off Pinstone St & possibly opening it back up to traffic.  This would of course possibly lead to the reinstatement of buses along Leopold St & Pinstone St? 

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics/the-pinstone-street-problem-will-sheffield-city-centres-major-road-reopen-to-traffic-3378700

 

The report acknowledges that removing & rerouting buses has meant that certain groups in society are now at a disadvantage due to how far they have to walk. 

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16 minutes ago, Baron99 said:

A report has been compiled & SCC are due to discuss the pros & cons of closing off Pinstone St & possibly opening it back up to traffic.  This would of course possibly lead to the reinstatement of buses along Leopold St & Pinstone St? 

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics/the-pinstone-street-problem-will-sheffield-city-centres-major-road-reopen-to-traffic-3378700

 

The report acknowledges that removing & rerouting buses has meant that certain groups in society are now at a disadvantage due to how far they have to walk. 

Hmmm... :huh:


And no-one realised this before the report had been compiled?

 

Unbelievable? Sadly not... :roll:

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On 10/09/2021 at 19:36, Mr Bloke said:

Hmmm... :huh:


And no-one realised this before the report had been compiled?

 

Unbelievable? Sadly not... :roll:

I wonder just how much money will have been wasted because they don't understand the needs of the public

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1 hour ago, BigAl1 said:

I wonder just how much money will have been wasted because they don't understand the needs of the public

I get very frustrated how the council, councillors, many MPs and journalists locally simply don't get it.

 

Clive Betts report into buses illustrated the problem with the council taking no interest in public transport and batting any responsibility onto SYPTE. I would hope the Pinstone Street report may make some similar observations.

 

The big issue for me is the council simply aren't taking a bigger picture approach with their plans for the City Centre and aren't incorporating the needs to facilitate and encourage the use of public transport as part of the same initiatives and projects.

 

A very recent example is the closure of the main bus stops for Hillsborough bound services on Angel Street with no warning to bus operators or passengers to allow for work on the Grey to Green Project.

 

The council have now started closing Carver Street on Friday and Saturday nights so buses that are diverted that way due to the Leopold Street/Pinstone Street closure cannot go that way either and now have to go round the ring road from the University to Eyre Street, completely missing out a chunk of the City Centre.

 

Westfield Terrace has had its one way direction reversed creating a dangerous situation now with traffic trying to pull out at West Street tram stop. The trams appear to have lost their priority at traffic lights too.

 

As for Pinstone Street/Leopold Street, this was the flagship bus stop facility in one direction for a number of key routes. Those bus stops are in a key City Centre location where people wanted to be, they had nice shelters with seating and passenger information systems, they were well lit, covered by CCTV and on wide pavements. This all sits there abandoned while passengers now have to use temporary stops either on Arundel Gate or Rockingham Street - unpleasant locations with no facilities where people feel unsafe waiting for their bus and in the case of Arundel Gate often surrounded by alcoholics, druggies and beggars whilst at Rockingham Street you are stood on a dodgy back street between a pay & display car park and a building site.

 

I'm not someone against change. The proposals for a beautiful public space extending from the Peace Gardens across Pinstone street looks great - but we should be encouraging use of public transport and making it attractive, not downgrading the experience and putting people off. 

 

Proper replacement bus facilities should have been provided and ready around the same time  that Pinstone Street and Leopold Street was closed. OK I accept the initial closure had to be rushed to allow shops to reopen with social distancing but a year and a half has passed now and all we can see is proposals for redesigning Arundel Gate and Rockingham Street with some bus stops and bus lanes at some non specific date in the future as part of a separate project.

 

And so the MPs, councillors and local journalists keep telling everyone very loudly that bus services are bad and if only the public sector ran them they would be so much better... yet all these problems buses are facing seem to be caused by the public sector who refuse to listen and improve..

Edited by Andy C

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