Christmas/New Year Holiday 2023-24: Public Transport

[Andy C 86]

The details of the amended services over the holiday period have now been published at https://www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/en-GB/LandingPage/Christmas. It is similar to previous years.

 

Operator specific information including last departures on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve:

Stagecoach Yorkshire: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/yorkshire/festive-services-in-south-yorkshire-and-chesterfield

Stagecoach East Midlands: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/east-midlands/christmas/christmas-timetables

Stagecoach Supertram: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/news/yorkshire/2023/december/christmas-and-new-year-tram-service-information

First bus: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/sheffield/news-and-service-updates/updates/christmas-and-new-year-bus-services-20232024

National Rail: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

In summary:

 

• normal service up to Saturday 23 December
• Christmas Eve, Sunday 24 December: The normal Sunday timetable but with an early finish
• Christmas Day, Monday 25 December: no services
• Boxing Day, Tuesday 26 December: Selected bus routes running in Sheffield during the daytime. Bus services are operated under contract to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Trams will run to Halfway, Meadowhall and Middlewood until around 8:30pm. No trains.
• Twixtmas, Wednesday 27 to Saturday 30 December: Saturday service
• New Years Eve, Sunday 31 December: The normal Sunday timetable but with an early finish
• New Years Day, Monday 1 January: A Skeleton bus network operated under contract to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority will run in Sheffield in the daytime only. Trams will run to Halfway, Parkgate, Meadowhall and Middlewood in the daytime between 8:30am and 6:30pm. Modified weekday timetable on the trains.

 

COACHES:

 

National Express: https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

Megabus: https://uk.megabus.com/

Flixbus: https://www.flixbus.co.uk/

 

SUPERTRAM

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Andy C

[hackey lad 3,987]

You forgot to put ,the normal service for trams is to go to the stop and cross your fingers .

[kidneystone 23]

14 hours ago, hackey lad said:

You forgot to put ,the normal service for trams is to go to the stop and cross your fingers .

I thought that was the normal service for busses too.

[RollingJ 2,048]

10 minutes ago, kidneystone said:

I thought that was the normal service for busses too.

Not, if like me, you use a tracker app.

[Bargepole23 337]

13 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

Not, if like me, you use a tracker app.

https://bustimes.org/

 

is my preference for real time bus tracking.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Bargepole23

[vmam 35]

The 252 service from Sheffield to Crystal Peaks is already a joke so no buses at Christmas is normal. Only yesterday three consecutive buses were missing when a passenger rang TM Travel they were told there would be no buses until after 12:00, it's like living in a pre motor era. TM are a disgrace.

[RollingJ 2,048]

5 minutes ago, Bargepole23 said:

https://bustimes.org/

 

is my preference for real time bus tracking.

Fair enough. I tend to use 'Buschecker UK' on my iPad as it is location based, so I can check all stops in the immediate vicinity, but also travel around the map if required.

[Andy C 86]

3 hours ago, vmam said:

The 252 service from Sheffield to Crystal Peaks is already a joke so no buses at Christmas is normal. Only yesterday three consecutive buses were missing when a passenger rang TM Travel they were told there would be no buses until after 12:00, it's like living in a pre motor era. TM are a disgrace.

unfortunately like most of the industry TM are suffering a serious shortage of drivers but it is more noticable when it is a smaller company with less resources, especially if like the 252 it is a rural/secondary service that runs less frequently.

 

Over Christmas the 252 should be running every day it normally runs (ie Monday to Saturday) except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day - on those days any buses that run in Sheffield are run under contract to - and subsidised by - the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority with some support from Sheffield City Council. The areas on route 252 that are in South Yorkshire all have other buses available and Derbyshire County Council aren't funding any buses on these days hence no buses in Dronfield/Chesterfield/Eckington/Killamarsh.

3 hours ago, RollingJ said:

Fair enough. I tend to use 'Buschecker UK' on my iPad as it is location based, so I can check all stops in the immediate vicinity, but also travel around the map if required.

There are various independent websites and apps, all typically use the same source data which is BODS (Bus Industry Open Data Service) which all the bus operators support. I personally use bustimes.org to track buses on a map as well as look up timetables etc.

[RollingJ 2,048]

3 minutes ago, Andy C said:

There are various independent websites and apps, all typically use the same source data which is BODS (Bus Industry Open Data Service) which all the bus operators support. I personally use bustimes.org to track buses on a map as well as look up timetables etc.

@Andy C - I know that - I was just stating that I, personally, find that app the most convenient to use. I also use operator sites, the one you quote and a couple of others.

[Andy C 86]

3 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

@Andy C - I know that - I was just stating that I, personally, find that app the most convenient to use. I also use operator sites, the one you quote and a couple of others.

fair enough. Good to have it all at our fingertips in various forms!

[vmam 35]

1 hour ago, Andy C said:

unfortunately like most of the industry TM are suffering a serious shortage of drivers but it is more noticable when it is a smaller company with less resources, especially if like the 252 it is a rural/secondary service that runs less frequently.

 

Over Christmas the 252 should be running every day it normally runs (ie Monday to Saturday) except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day - on those days any buses that run in Sheffield are run under contract to - and subsidised by - the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority with some support from Sheffield City Council. The areas on route 252 that are in South Yorkshire all have other buses available and Derbyshire County Council aren't funding any buses on these days hence no buses in Dronfield/Chesterfield/Eckington/Killamarsh.

There are various independent websites and apps, all typically use the same source data which is BODS (Bus Industry Open Data Service) which all the bus operators support. I personally use bustimes.org to track buses on a map as well as look up timetables etc.

Lack of drivers is a weak excuse for 252 buses missing, yet their other routes Plumley etc seem to run ok, many people are late for work because missing buses, this awful service has been like this for the two years I've relied on it, just imagine going to Sheffield from Eckington, waiting for a return bus home, it's missing, the next ones missing too THEN they are taken out of service from 14:00 till 16:00 for the school run but they even do that when the children are on holiday, if you get caught out but this it means a taxi home, costs £18-+.

[Andy C 86]

On 08/12/2023 at 15:26, vmam said:

Lack of drivers is a weak excuse for 252 buses missing, yet their other routes Plumley etc seem to run ok, many people are late for work because missing buses, this awful service has been like this for the two years I've relied on it, just imagine going to Sheffield from Eckington, waiting for a return bus home, it's missing, the next ones missing too THEN they are taken out of service from 14:00 till 16:00 for the school run but they even do that when the children are on holiday, if you get caught out but this it means a taxi home, costs £18-+.

The Stagecoach 50/50a/53 will be a more comprehensive service from Eckington to Sheffield, the 252 is really a rural bus for Ridgeway and a shoppers link to Crystal Peaks. Timetables https://www.derbysbus.info/

Edited December 19, 2023 by Andy C