Rotherham to emulate neighbouring Sheffield with a voluntary bus partnership arrangement
Rotherham is set to follow in the footsteps of Sheffield with the introduction of a bus partnership, albeit a voluntary one at this stage.
The Rotherham Bus Partnership (RBP) brings together South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, and bus operators First South Yorkshire, Stagecoach South Yorkshire, TM Travel and Powells in a bid to improve the town’s bus services so that they best meet passenger needs.
Residents and stakeholders will be given the opportunity to comment on proposals for changes to a number of services in a public consultation from November 4 to December 2. The plans include better co-ordinated timetables across the RBP network, more services in some areas and the intention to improve punctuality.
David Young, SYPTE Deputy Interim Director General, said: “Together with our partners we are delighted to establish RBP to offer better bus services for Rotherham’s passengers. Adopting this type of approach can help increase customer satisfaction, improve reliability of services and see more people using the buses to travel to work, education, training, or to visit friends and family.
“The RBP consultation provides an ideal opportunity for people to have their say on how we can best improve Rotherham’s bus network. We are keen to hear from as many people as possible so we can use their comments and suggestions to shape the town’s bus services so that they meet our customer’s needs.”
Paul Lynch, Stagecoach Yorkshire Managing Director, said: “We want to hear from as many people as possible during the consultation exercise – their valued contributions will help us to shape the future of bus network in Rotherham.”
Ben Gilligan, Managing Director for First in South Yorkshire, said: “Strong partnerships are key to the future success of local bus services. We are absolutely committed to improving our services and delivering customer growth and therefore determined to foster powerful relationships with our local partners in Rotherham and across South Yorkshire – this will help us unlock the full potential of bus travel.”
Paul Hopkinson, TM Travel, said: “We think the Partnership is the way forward to improve public transport in Rotherham. It will provide a better forum for engaging bus users for their feedback, and help us to improve service provision by working together.”
Jane Powell, Co-Director of Powells, said: “As a local, family run company, we hope to continue to provide our services to the community. The added benefit of a working partnership enhancing our services will make the passenger experience a more enjoyable one. We welcome the opportunity to be a member of this partnership working with the general public and fellow operators to ensure that Rotherham achieves and maintains a fully integrated network.”
