Mayor: 'Bus services in Doncaster are not as good as others in South Yorkshire'

Bus services in Doncaster are ‘not as good’ as other parts of South Yorkshire, mayor Ros Jones has said.
Doncaster mayor Ros Jones has said buses in the borough need to improveDoncaster mayor Ros Jones has said buses in the borough need to improve
Doncaster mayor Ros Jones has said buses in the borough need to improve

The mayor and transport chiefs at DMBC are set to meet MP Clive Betts this week who is heading up a review looking at the state of bus services across South Yorkshire.

Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis announced a review into the bus network across South Yorkshire to see what improvements could be made and appointed Mr Betts to select a panel of commissioners.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The group have been asking residents, community groups and business their views about how the bus service could be improved.

DMBC transport bosses have submitted their views to the bus panel including a call for Doncaster to be selected as a trial area for any future electric buses due to the flat nature of the borough’s topography.

Mayor Jones said Doncaster had been hard done by through a combination of old buses and a higher percentage of rural communities being cut off through service cuts.

She added that any changes need ‘a real incentive’ to get people out of the cars on the bus.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Bus services in Doncaster are not as good as other parts of South Yorkshire,” the mayor said.

“We want see the most efficient bus service ever which is clean, green and reliable for passengers across Doncaster who heavily rely on it especially in rural areas.

“We want to be an area where they trial new electric buses because Doncaster’s topography is generally very flat.

“It’s important to note that Doncaster has a higher proportion of older buses than other areas of South Yorkshire.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We’ve got a lot of rural areas that’s been cut off with bus services being taken off the roads. There seems to be rounds of cuts all the time.

“We need proper, real time information at all bus stops – this is done in some places but not all. It makes a big difference when you have that.

“There needs to be a price that’s sensible for people to use. This has come on since the introduction of the contactless price cap on buses now.

Some councillors across South Yorkshire have called on the Sheffield City Region mayor to implement a bus franchise system which would bring services under the combined authority with the power to set fares and routes.

Mayor Jones didn’t express support for a franchise system directly but did say ‘all options should be explored’ in order to improve services.