More than 180 new electric buses are coming to Sheffield in 2027, costing £92.7 million in total, with an additional £26 million for infrastructure upgrades, but the plans are already being questioned by some users. 

The UK Government has contributed £33.4 million to this project, and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has provided £58.3 million. 

The Government’s contribution accounts for 40% of the £73.2 million package for zero-emission buses across England, building off its zero-emission Bus Regional Areas Programme, and has funded over 2,500 cleaner buses nationally.

When speaking to a few bus users, questions about the reliability of these buses became quite common, as well as whether the amount of money being invested is justifiable. 

ShefLive spoke to Mr Alan Eckersley, 79, who said: “Will they be here on time, will it make any difference?” 

Mr Eckersley said that the current buses are either late or never turn up, and they only come once an hour. 

When asked if he thought the buses would improve public transport, he said: “Absolutely not, no.”

He said: “What about roadworks, potholes, and things like that? You’ve got to look after them, don’t you?”

The SYMCA has also invested £26 million to upgrade infrastructure and prepare Olive Grove Bus Depot for these new buses. 

Councillor Tom Hunt, announcing the plan, said: “We’ve done a lot of work in this city over the last few years to drive down air pollution, this will allow us to go further.”

However, some bus drivers also shared the same scepticisms and criticisms as bus users.

One bus driver for ‘First Bus’, whose name we have decided not to disclose, said: “You don’t know if they’re going to be reliable.” 

While there won’t be much change to his job, there will be a lot more training, he said.

When asked if this was a good use of government money, He said: “No, not at all.” and said, “I think the tram network should have been worked on before the buses.”

Reports say that the performance of the tram network is poor, with punctuality issues, aging infrastructure and staff shortages. With South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard offering his apologies for the issues of reliability in November 2025.

So the question remains, is Sheffield’s electric bus revolution worth the price tag?

The SYMCA contact page can be found here: https://www.southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk/contact.