PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARE FREEZES AND CUT START ON NEW YEAR’S DAY

Published 29 December 2025 at 1:30pm

New Year’s Day sees a major boost for public transport in South Yorkshire as Supertram fares and child concessionary fares across bus and tram are frozen, along with a cut to the long distance single Supertram fare.

The fare freeze is the first in a non-Covid pandemic year for over 25 years and means that from January 1^st 2026:

• Supertram fares will be frozen at their current rate.
• The Adult Long Distance Supertram single fare will reduce in price from £3.40 to £3 - putting the cost in line with the national bus fare cap price.
• The child concessionary fare across buses and trams will remain at just £1 per journey.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “My mission is simple: to create a world-class, integrated public transport system that’s affordable and accessible. For decades, Supertram has suffered from a lack of investment, and fixing that hasn’t been easy. But we’ve brought Supertram back under public control – and buses will follow in 2027.

“That means decisions are made here in South Yorkshire, for the benefit of the people who live and work here – including the fares you pay. Whether you’re commuting, studying, visiting family or heading out for the night, we’re building a transport network that works for everyone.

“From January, for the whole of 2026, we’re cutting the price of an adult long-distance tram ticket from £3.40 to £3 and freezing all other Supertram fares. We’re also keeping the child concessionary fare at £1 across buses and trams – helping families travel more easily.

“Freezing and reducing fares is just the start. In 2026, we’ll also open the new tram-train station at Magna, as well as spending millions to make the network more resilient and reliable, and accelerate our preparations for bus franchising in 2027. It’s going to be an exciting year as we continue to transform our public transport in South Yorkshire.”

The fares decision was taken at a meeting of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) Board in November, chaired by South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard, to support people with the cost of living and encourage the public back onto public transport.

Since Supertram was brought back into public control, work has started on a £110m investment by SYMCA into the existing tram network improving the track, the lines and the network – and initiatives including allowing dogs on trams are opening up the network to more people.

The reduction in the cost of the Adult Long Distance Supertram Single fare applies to on-board purchases of single tickets. Passengers can also continue to make more savings on travel by purchasing multi-day tickets and using the TSY Mobile App where further discounts apply.

More information on the tram fare changes will be available to customers via Travel South Yorkshire (TSY) and Supertram social media channels, on the TSY website and leaflets on the trams.

The child concessionary fare was first introduced in South Yorkshire in 1984 and is now funded by SYMCA. Since November 2023 the price for a ticket has been £1 and the freeze on the fare applies across Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.

In Barnsley, SYMCA is one of the partners, along with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, funding the MiCard pilot which currently offers free bus travel for children and young people aged 5 to 18, as long as the journey starts or ends in the Barnsley local authority area and is within South Yorkshire.

To date, child journey numbers in Barnsley compared to the same period last year have seen a 50 percent increase. The Mayor has an ambition to offer free bus travel to those aged 5 to 18 across South Yorkshire and the Barnsley pilot evaluation will inform next steps for the region.

Over the past year there has been a slight overall fall in the number of children and young people using buses so initiatives such as freezing the concessionary fare and the Barnsley MiCard pilot aim to increase usage by opening up more travel options and opportunities.