BUS campaigners’ long-held ambitions to bring services back under public control following years of protests could be decided as soon as the spring, county leaders have confirmed.
The former government’s 2017 Bus Services Act gave English ‘metro mayors’ - such as ex-county boss and current Barnsley North MP Dan Jarvis, his successor Mr Coppard and West Yorkshire leader Tracy Brabin - new powers to set up Transport for London-style bus franchise systems.
The 12-week, £165,000 consultation into how buses should be run in the region ends at 11.59pm on Wednesday.
So far, almost 6,000 people have taken part in the questionnaire, which aims to get the views of people, businesses and organisations on proposals to introduce a bus franchising model which would see operators effectively bid for routes’ contracts.
Under bus franchising, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) would take control of the bus network including depots, bus fleets, routes, timetables, service standards, tickets and fare setting.
Currently, bus companies have jurisdiction over routes, fares and standards but re-regulation would reverse that.
SYMCA chief executive, Martin Swales, said: “The response to the consultation so far has been excellent, demonstrating just how important bus services are for all of us.
“This is now the last opportunity for everyone who lives, works or even just visits South Yorkshire to have their say.
“Views will help shape how bus services across Barnsley could look in the future.
“We will listen and consider all opinions before a final decision is made on the future of how bus services are operated.”
A public consultation on public control in neighbouring West Yorkshire ran from October 2023 to January 2024, with about 82 per cent of people who responded saying they either supported or supported in part the move to franchising.
Campaigner Matthew Topham, from Better Buses for South Yorkshire, told the Chronicle: “The current privatised system is little more than daylight robbery - routes have been slashed, buses seem to never turn up on time and the public pays to pick up the pieces through higher subsidies.
“Reliability is a top issue across our region.
“If the bus doesn’t turn up on time or at all, passengers are left scrambling to get themselves to work, school, or just to see family and friends.
“We know that areas with greater local control of services, like Blackpool, are some of the most consistently reliable services in the country so we deserve the same here.
“By taking our buses into public control, we’ll unlock new powers to regulate for reliability: fines for bad service, rewards for rapid improvements and timetables that are set with punctuality - not profits - in mind.
“No other country runs buses like this - let’s take control of the services so more profits can be reinvested and operators have to answer to us.”
If you want to get involved and give your views about the proposals in the consultation, you can read the full consultation or summary of it and respond by using the long or short questionnaire on SYMCA’s website.
A SYMCA spokesperson added: “Following the consultation, the results will be published, and a final decision is expected to be made on the future of buses in the spring.
“Bus services provide essential journeys allowing people to access employment, education, healthcare, leisure and social activities.
“They are fundamental in supporting the SYMCA’s ambitions to drive economic growth and to improve the prosperity, health and environment.
“However, bus services have been experiencing a long-term cycle of decline, an issue that has been further exacerbated by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and rising levels of inflation.
“The bus reform assessment considers a range of possible future operating models for services alongside the underlying market and strategic challenges and opportunities and considers potential implications for local people.”
