Sheffield councillors pledge to “take back control of our buses” through a new franchising scheme to be implemented by September 2027.

Ian Smith, Assistant Director of Bus Reform at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), highlighted the importance of “doing what the people of South Yorkshire want” as the bus network comes back under public control.

Fares, routes and timetables will no longer be controlled by private bus companies.

Following Mayor Oliver Coppard’s decision to proceed with bus franchising on March 18, the SYMCA will implement the scheme through phases guided by consultations with the community.

Councillor Tom Hunt, who was involved in the SYMCA board on this matter, said: “This is us taking back control of our buses.

“The tram came back under public control in 2024 and what we can now move towards is integrating our bus and tram system. Frankly, if you go to any major European city you would expect to be able to hop on seamlessly from bus and tram.”

At the Central Local Area Committee last Thursday, Mr Smith highlighted the worrying travel trends in South Yorkshire.

He presented data showing a decline in bus usage nationwide, and added that this is more pronounced in South Yorkshire.

Therefore, the SYMCA has compiled a list of priorities to “drive patronage” of buses. These include affordability, connectivity, punctuality and equity in customer experience.

Members of the public at the Local Area Committee raised concerns about how the scheme will support local communities and the most vulnerable, which Mr Smith assured “will be quite high on the agenda”.

Free bus passes are already being trialled for under-18s in Barnsley. Councillors say the aspiration is to expand this if the trial is successful.

Councillor Angela Argenzio suggested the implementation of a similar free bus pass for elderly people and asylum seekers.

Mr Smith said there has not been an opportunity to trial this, but the option could be explored. He added: “We don’t want to do too much change in one go; it has to be delivered correctly.

“At first, [the focus is on] how do we deliver and expand existing services.”

The SYMCA found that 87% of members of the public who were questioned support the proposed franchising scheme.