Protesters call for ‘hopper’ bus fares in South Yorkshire in upcoming stunt

Next Tuesday, May 9, members of the Better Buses for South Yorkshire Coalition and bus users will protest during a meeting of private bus operators at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) offices.

Beginning at 1.15pm, protesters will perform a sketch with an inflatable rabbit to call for “hopper” short distance bus fares.

The group will call for bus franchising to deliver fairer fares and protest against private control of public transport.

It comes after a previous stunt in Doncaster, which saw members protest outside the council’s Civic Office.

Activists are calling for the implementation of short distance bus fares which can be seen in London and soon to be in Manchester to make prices more representative of journey lengths.

Members believe that this can be acheived through franchising, which would mean that South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard would have to approve terms of private bus contracts.

In the current system of deregulation, bus companies are able to set their own routes, fares and bus standards.

The Better Buses for South Yorkshire coalition has described deregulation as a “wild west free market” due to competition preventing a standard set of tickets that work across all services.

Matthew Topham, a Campaigner at Better Buses for South Yorkshire, said: “South Yorkshire’s fares used to be the envy of the world. Imagine getting a single for 10 pence!

“When control was handed to private operators, fares went up by 300 per cent or more overnight.

"Now bus drivers are given a 30-page booklet to explain all the different ticket types on sale. Passengers shouldn’t need a PhD in tickets to be sure they’re getting value for money!

“If we franchise our buses, fares will be fairer. They’ll be accountable to us.

"We’ll have new powers to keep them low. And we’ll be able to guarantee you’re charged the lowest fare for the journeys you actually make, removing stress about choosing the right ticket.”

Fran Postlethwaite, the Convener at Better Buses for South Yorkshire, added: “We recently ran a community meeting in Sprotbrough. Imagine you live there and you’re trying to get to an appointment at Donny Royal Infirmary.

“Your partner has taken the car to work. Maybe they can probably pick you up. Maybe not. You’ve got to take a bus into town and then another bus out to the hospital.

“So, do you just pay two singles on each bus, coming to £4, for a single journey less than 50 minutes? If your partner doesn’t come, will you actually need a day ticket to get home too?

“We need to sweep away this complicated system. A London-style system would mean you don’t have to be anxious about second guessing what the right ticket that day, week or month is — it’ll be simple, capped, and working across all operators equally. A single journey will be treated as just that, without having to pay twice.”

A petition to deliver public control of buses in South Yorkshire, which has nearly 3,300 signatures, can be found here: Take South Yorkshire’s Buses Into Public Control | Megaphone UK