TASK FORCE PUTS PASSENGERS FIRST IN MAYOR’S FIGHT TO FIX BROKEN BUS SYSTEM

Published 4 October 2022 at 3:34pm

Mayor Oliver Coppard has brought in a task force to put communities at the centre of plans to fix South Yorkshire’s broken bus system.

Spearheaded by independent bus champion Dawn Badminton-Capps, of Bus Users UK, the experienced forum of community, campaign and business representatives will stand alongside South Yorkshire’s Mayor to put passengers first; working to create legally binding promises and performance checks that hold bus companies and government to account.

Mayor Coppard, said: “When I took office as South Yorkshire’s Mayor I made fixing our buses a priority, not just for me but the thousands of people let down every day by our broken bus system. Because for far too long our buses have been unaffordable, unreliable, and now – in the face of sweeping service cuts - inaccessible for far too many across our region. 

“I am doing everything I can with the limited powers and money that I have available to protect our services, on behalf of our communities -  but it is not enough and I find that hugely frustrating. It is clear we need a fundamental change to how the whole system works; because our buses are no longer working for South Yorkshire.

“That’s why I have brought in a bus champion and task force of bus users, business representatives and interest groups with the common goal of putting passengers at the heart of building a better future for the services we use and that so many of us rely on. This group will play a fundamental role in representing our communities and helping to create a formal customer promise, set in legislation, that will set out what we want and deserve from our network. We will stand together and hold bus companies and government to account because we all agree that we cannot carry on with an unreliable, expensive, and polluting system that puts people off choosing travel choices that reduce traffic on our roads. 

“I’m under no illusion, fixing our bus system will not be easy; it will take time, and we’ll need the government to deliver on their promise for significant funding to make it happen. But together we will take action to re-build a service from the bottom up and campaign for a joined up public transport network that is more like the one enjoyed by London; one that truly meets our regions’ needs, that is fit for purpose and delivers faster, smarter, greener bus journeys that South Yorkshire can be proud of.”

Bus forum Chair, Dawn Badminton-Capps, England Director at Bus Users UK, added: "Buses are the lifeblood of local communities. They have the potential to reduce congestion and pollution, boost the economy and provide access to life's opportunities. We are putting passengers at the heart of decision making to make sure that bus services really deliver for the people of South Yorkshire."

The bus task force will directly report into South Yorkshire’s legislative Enhanced Bus Partnership Board, to build on the foundations set in the making of the region’s Bus Service Improvement Plan and create a bus system for South Yorkshire based on local need. The inaugural task force meeting focused on the creation of a formal customer charter that puts passengers first and holds transport authorities and bus companies to account to deliver a better service.

The next South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Enhanced Partnership Board meeting takes place on Tuesday 4 October. 

For more information visit the Transport section.