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South Yorkshire Bus Service Needs Improvement

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Andy C, it was actually a Stagecoach 86 bus outbound southwards from town a few weeks ago. I was waiting on London Road and idly browsing the bustimes..org on line map.   (Like you,  I much prefer a visual live map.)  I was looking to see where all the buses were. All the other arrived as indicated on the map. 

There was no 86 showing anywhere on the route  even on the other side of town.

So I set off walking. Within maybe two minutes, an in-service 86 passed by with several passengers on board.

This is why I asked the technical questions in my earlier posts. Maybe it had been at a timing point with its engine and ticket machine powered off?

I have no criticism of the drivers, or bus companies, I'm just puzzled about the accuracy of the tracking system sometimes..

Thanks to all so far for their various explanations. I guess it was just a one- off.  I'll continue to use busyimes. org.

 

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South Yorkshire Enhanced Partnership consultation

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) recently approved plans to develop an Enhanced Partnership with bus operators in response to the government’s National Bus Strategy (Bus Back Better). 

 

An Enhanced Partnership for South Yorkshire will allow local leaders to work together with operators to improve ticketing, routes, and frequency of services across the region. It will also allow us to bid for a fair share of £3 billion of national funding pledged by government to encourage local bus use. We want to ensure the public’s views continue to inform our journey to transform bus services in South Yorkshire. 

 

We are seeking feedback on the proposed improvements that the Enhanced Partnership is aiming to make – the Enhanced Partnership Plan, and the actions to achieve them – the Enhanced Partnership Scheme, in a public consultation.

 

We want to know if you think the proposals within the Enhanced Partnership Plan and Scheme are ambitious and extensive enough to deliver the change we all want to see on our bus network.

 

https://www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/en-GB/LandingPage/Enhanced-Partnerships

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Guest busdriver1
3 hours ago, Michael_N said:

South Yorkshire Enhanced Partnership consultation

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) recently approved plans to develop an Enhanced Partnership with bus operators in response to the government’s National Bus Strategy (Bus Back Better). 

 

An Enhanced Partnership for South Yorkshire will allow local leaders to work together with operators to improve ticketing, routes, and frequency of services across the region. It will also allow us to bid for a fair share of £3 billion of national funding pledged by government to encourage local bus use. We want to ensure the public’s views continue to inform our journey to transform bus services in South Yorkshire. 

 

We are seeking feedback on the proposed improvements that the Enhanced Partnership is aiming to make – the Enhanced Partnership Plan, and the actions to achieve them – the Enhanced Partnership Scheme, in a public consultation.

 

We want to know if you think the proposals within the Enhanced Partnership Plan and Scheme are ambitious and extensive enough to deliver the change we all want to see on our bus network.

 

https://www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/en-GB/LandingPage/Enhanced-Partnerships

Will it also give a tree that grows drivers? 

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1 hour ago, busdriver1 said:

Will it also give a tree that grows drivers? 

With a bit of luck the driver situation should sort itself out once the Covid pandemic is over (whenever that might be!).

 

The Enhanced bus partnership is important to get done as it is a requirement to unlock government building bus back better cash. Being public sector investment obviously there has to be big public consultation involved first...

 

I'm cynical about a few things in it - Demand responsive bus services (what the consultants sell as Uber style buses) elsewhere in the country don't have a great track record, they seem to be a financial black hole that a load of subsidy gets shovelled into then when the money runs out they get scrapped and declared an unsuccessful "trial".  Also investment in bus priority measures - this is so important to get the reliability and journey time but I'm not sure politically anyone has enough balls to push them through and say no to the motorists lobby. Those things aside I think it is generally a positive thing though as long as the council improve their mentality towards public transport and both support and understand the whole thing. 

Edited by Andy C

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6 hours ago, Andy C said:

With a bit of luck the driver situation should sort itself out once the Covid pandemic is over (whenever that might be!).

 

The Enhanced bus partnership is important to get done as it is a requirement to unlock government building bus back better cash. Being public sector investment obviously there has to be big public consultation involved first...

 

I'm cynical about a few things in it - Demand responsive bus services (what the consultants sell as Uber style buses) elsewhere in the country don't have a great track record, they seem to be a financial black hole that a load of subsidy gets shovelled into then when the money runs out they get scrapped and declared an unsuccessful "trial".  Also investment in bus priority measures - this is so important to get the reliability and journey time but I'm not sure politically anyone has enough balls to push them through and say no to the motorists lobby. Those things aside I think it is generally a positive thing though as long as the council improve their mentality towards public transport and both support and understand the whole thing. 

SCC's vision of public transport in the future:

LtZb486.gif

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Guest busdriver1
11 hours ago, Andy C said:

With a bit of luck the driver situation should sort itself out once the Covid pandemic is over (whenever that might be!).

 

 

That is what the companies are saying but the problem is deeper rooted than that. Covid has just made things worse for a while.

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On 14/01/2022 at 18:23, Andy C said:

With a bit of luck the driver situation should sort itself out once the Covid pandemic is over (whenever that might be!).

 

The Enhanced bus partnership is important to get done as it is a requirement to unlock government building bus back better cash. Being public sector investment obviously there has to be big public consultation involved first...

 

 

The consultation is a sham....as are all consultations in my experience.

  The fact is in 2017 the Govt gave the Combined Authority Leaders the green light to explore other models of service delivery including Public Ownership/Franchise models, Dan Jarvis on being elected set a 6 year period for this to be formally examined...nothing has been done and we're in 2022 now ( I accept Covid arguments to a degree) . If you read the consultation documents they state that they intend to implement this after consultation... what should happen is that both models should be examined and the public consulted to decide which they prefer, but as it is this is not going to happen.

   The Combined Authority Leaders had a meeting scheduled for the 24th of Jan to decide on triggering the legal application to examine the Public Ownership/Franchise model, this has now been postponed, without having the dates in front of me my guess is that they will adopt the 'enhanced' partnership model and let Public Ownership/Franchise die without ever having been examined and offered to the public.

   The Consultation ( which is not that easy to access btw) asks questions that most people would support,  ie would you support free travel for under 18's ( I'm paraphrasing), most people would answer 'Yes' ...the problem is your well meaning yes is then used as a ringing endorsement of the enhanced partnership...it doesn't address the fact that the same benefit could be included in a Franchise model.

Edited by sadbrewer

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3 hours ago, sadbrewer said:

The consultation is a sham....as are all consultations in my experience.

  The fact is in 2017 the Govt gave the Combined Authority Leaders the green light to explore other models of service delivery including Public Ownership/Franchise models, Dan Jarvis on being elected set a 6 year period for this to be formally examined...nothing has been done and we're in 2022 now ( I accept Covid arguments to a degree) . If you read the consultation documents they state that they intend to implement this after consultation... what should happen is that both models should be examined and the public consulted to decide which they prefer, but as it is this is not going to happen.

   The Combined Authority Leaders had a meeting scheduled for the 24th of Jan to decide on triggering the legal application to examine the Public Ownership/Franchise model, this has now been postponed, without having the dates in front of me my guess is that they will adopt the 'enhanced' partnership model and let Public Ownership/Franchise die without ever having been examined and offered to the public.

   The Consultation ( which is not that easy to access btw) asks questions that most people would support,  ie would you support free travel for under 18's ( I'm paraphrasing), most people would answer 'Yes' ...the problem is your well meaning yes is then used as a ringing endorsement of the enhanced partnership...it doesn't address the fact that the same benefit could be included in a Franchise model.

Everything in the public sector seems to require a public consultation before anything happens, that's why projects take longer and cost more!

 

The government has offered local authorities funding for public transport under the "Bus Back Better" scheme which comes after Covid funding and other support ends, which is very soon. The funding has a condition on it that the local authority has to set up either an enhanced partnership or franchising to qualify, with a tight deadline to do so. Sheffield already has a bus partnership that simply needs enhancing so a quick and easy win.

 

As far as this consultation goes, it can be treated really as "The government is offering financial support to public transport in South Yorkshire, shall we accept it yes or no?" To say no would be foolish really.

 

There is absolutely no way franchising could be introduced in the timescale required. Franchising would also require a much higher level of public subsidy than Sheffield currently has any chance of having available so still remains in the aspiration category.

Edited by Andy C

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18 hours ago, Andy C said:

Everything in the public sector seems to require a public consultation before anything happens, that's why projects take longer and cost more!

 

The government has offered local authorities funding for public transport under the "Bus Back Better" scheme which comes after Covid funding and other support ends, which is very soon. The funding has a condition on it that the local authority has to set up either an enhanced partnership or franchising to qualify, with a tight deadline to do so. Sheffield already has a bus partnership that simply needs enhancing so a quick and easy win.

 

As far as this consultation goes, it can be treated really as "The government is offering financial support to public transport in South Yorkshire, shall we accept it yes or no?" To say no would be foolish really.

 

There is absolutely no way franchising could be introduced in the timescale required. Franchising would also require a much higher level of public subsidy than Sheffield currently has any chance of having available so still remains in the aspiration category.

Long been the case. The thing about consultation is that like many things it can be well designed and useful or the opposite and many organisations may go out to consultation but that does not mean to say the listen and act accordingly on the reuslts

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Sheffield buses are getting a lot worse, just like the ones I took on my old backpacking journeys through third world countries in my younger years in the early eighties.

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53 minutes ago, dutch said:

Sheffield buses are getting a lot worse, just like the ones I took on my old backpacking journeys through third world countries in my younger years in the early eighties.

Explain further?  How are Sheffield's buses comparable to those of third world countries some 40 years ago? 

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1 minute ago, Baron99 said:

Explain further?  How are Sheffield's buses comparable to those of third world countries some 40 years ago? 

Ripped up and patched basic seats rattling overloaded old buses.

I suggest to go and check other developed first world countries in northern EU to see how their busses have developed elsewhere. Sheffield is getting far behind since there is little to no improvement for a while now.

When returning from germany netherlands belgium a bus in sheffield certainly feels like a step back in poverty.

There is nothing wrong with this since they get you from A to B and it can have a certain romantic quality to do this on a sheffield bus.

Many UK people would be too shocked and scared if the bus companies suddenly came with real modern high tech buses.

They prefer the old and ancient look and feel of things.

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