First areas confirmed for public-owned bus fleet

Sheffield and Doncaster will be the first areas of South Yorkshire to receive a new fleet of buses promised to be more accessible and greener.

The zero-emission buses will be run under public ownership, after Mayor Oliver Coppard announced the move last year. Routes, timetables and tickets will be decided locally.

Following Sheffield and Doncaster in September 2027, the new fleet, which forms part of the South Yorkshire People's Network, will roll out to other areas of the region from 2029.

More than 180 buses are set to be introduced in Sheffield, replacing older diesel vehicles, with funding coming from both central government and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).

Matt Goggins, who heads the SYMCA's bus franchising, said the new fleet would be more accessible, cheaper to run and would carry new branding.

He said fares would be more straightforward, with changes to timetables taking effect later on, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillors welcomed the move to more modern and greener public transport, with the average age of existing buses in the region being 11 years old.

Doncaster Councillor Karl Hughes said people in Doncaster wanted to see better bus coverage in rural areas.

Goggins said other key issues on the table were punctuality and reliability of services in the region.

"The aim is it will stop the ongoing decline we've seen in passengers in South Yorkshire," he said.

"We want to stop the decline and start to grow the number of people using public transport."

Rotherham councillor Brian Steele said: "We need to get people back on to buses, using them and getting cars off the roads."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North