Stagecoach has called for greater partnership working between bus operators and local authorities in order to drive forward improvements to South Yorkshire’s bus network.
The move follows Mayor Dan Jarvis’ review of the region’s bus network aimed at identifying improvements that will benefit bus users.
Stagecoach’s response sets out its own vision for a joint approach to improve bus services in the region. It calls on operators, central government and local authorities to deliver investment and improvements needed to attract more bus passengers.
The proposals would see a further build on what has already been achieved by the Sheffield Bus Partnership to deliver more improvements for bus passengers across the region.
Since its introduction in 2012, the Sheffield Bus Partnership, which includes Stagecoach Yorkshire, has delivered millions of pounds of improvements with £40m joint operator investment in 194 new buses, £18m investment in bus infrastructure improving journey times, integrated smartcard ticketing, contactless payments and online payment and the cheapest multi-operator bus prices in the country. This has resulted in an increase of a million customer journeys and customer satisfaction rising to 87%.
Matt Davies, Managing Director for Stagecoach Yorkshire, said, “Bus operators, central government and local authorities all have a shared responsibility to deliver high quality bus services. There is now a real and urgent need to focus on practical measures that will improve journeys to stop the decline in bus journeys that we have seen as a result of societal changes and the rise in car usage.
“That’s why we’re calling for a partnership approach to enable us to tackle the major issues such as congestion. This will help to deliver faster and more reliable journeys as well as a range of other benefits including cleaner buses, simplified ticketing and better information in order to attract more people to bus.”
