South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has announced the all new South Yorkshire People’s Network of public transport backed by £1.5 billion of investment as the ‘future of transport’ in the region.

The ‘once in a generation’ scheme will see trams and buses branded with the bright orange of the network reflecting the industrial heritage of the region whilst improving transport links across South Yorkshire.

Speaking outside Sheffield Town Hall, Mr Coppard said it would create a brand new identity for the active transport network spreading across Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster as well as Sheffield.

Mr Coppard said he felt the improvements were needed as ‘the world changed and our transport system didn’t’.

He added: “Too often it failed to offer the reliability, flexibility, accessibility, simplicity and connections modern life demands.”

The project will bring buses under public ownership – matching the tram – with 330 buses being introduced to South Yorkshire in the upcoming year.

Henry Howard, 23, a bus driver based in Holbrook said he knew franchising had been coming for a while and that Mr Coppard’s vision ‘definitely looks interesting’ and would be ‘willing to give it a go’.

£350 million of the investment has been allocated to the bus network upgrades with the signature orange branding being added to stops.

The scheme is viewed as the region’s version of the Manchester Bee network and London’s Transport for London (TFL).

Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group, said: “This is a hugely exciting time for South Yorkshire and for anyone – from residents to visitors – travelling in the region.”

Free travel for under-18s will be extended from Barnsley to Sheffield with the view to extend to the whole region by 2027.

An E-bike subscription and hire was unveiled alongside the Buses with the project given a March 2027 start date.

Looking ahead further the South Yorkshire People’s Network aims to increase travel to the reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport with plans for a tram stop or train station at the site in the works.

Coppard said he would ‘keep banging the drum’ for more funding for the project saying the South Yorkshire People’s Network is ‘here to stay’.

The new Orange bus will go on tour and can be seen in Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster Town Centres in the coming days.