South Yorkshire’s transport system will be known as the “People’s Network”, with trams, buses and hire bikes all coming under public control.
The plan was unveiled on Monday by the region’s mayor, Oliver Coppard, who said it would create an affordable, joined-up network in molten orange and asphalt black colours. A large fleet of electric buses and 25 new trams will be introduced over the next five years.
Buses will be franchised and taken under public control next year, joining the Supertram, which was brought back into the combined authority’s hands in 2024.
Coppard said it was a “once in a generation change to how transport works in South Yorkshire”.
He added: “The vision for that transport network is joined up. It’s sustainable. It’s one that puts people at its very heart. It’s affordable. And we will make those principles real in everything that we do going forward.”
The People’s Network follows the successful launch of Greater Manchester’s Bee Network and the plans announced for the Weaver Network in West Yorkshire.
About £1.5bn of investment from devolved funding settlements will go into the network over the next five years, including £630m toward renewal and enhancement of the Supertram system and £350m for buses.
About 70% of the bus fleet will be electric at the start of the switch to franchising in 2027, with funding already confirmed for 186 zero-emission buses in Sheffield.
The bike hire schemes in the city will be rebranded next year in the new colours.
“We are referencing the coal, the steel, the industrial heritage, the spark of ingenuity, that South Yorkshire is so famous for,” said Coppard.
“We are incredibly proud of the history and heritage. I grew up in a place called the People’s Republic of South Yorkshire. And that’s what the South Yorkshire People’s Network is all about.”
Fares have not been confirmed but Coppard said he hoped to offer free travel to under-18s along with more funding for schemes promoting road safety, walking, wheeling and cycling.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport is also scheduled to reopen in 2028, with a separate subsidy. It closed down in 2022 because airlines judged it commercially unviable but Coppard said it was “a big part of our plans”, adding: “Over time, being able to get either a tram or train to the airport should improve the viability [and] get the passenger numbers up.”
The region is set to benefit from a major investment announced for Northern Powerhouse Rail, which had been pushed by David Blunkett, a former Sheffield council leader and Labour home secretary.
The peer said: “We have a real opportunity to transform the way people travel, improving connections to support economic growth. A transport network that works for everyone is essential to the future of South Yorkshire, as it was in the past, and the vision is a vital step towards achieving this.”
Henri Murison, the chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “South Yorkshire has a bright future ahead of it. But to realise its destiny, the city region needs a transport network that connects people more easily to the better paid jobs and opportunities being created here – which too often it currently is falling short of.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
