Sign my petition and get the Mayor to give us a fair deal for our rural bus services
I know how important regular reliable bus services are for rural areas like ours, offering vital transport connections for families and businesses.
The Mayor of South Yorkshire is responsible for planning and funding our public transport network to meet the needs of everyone in the county. But, it seems to me that communities like Penistone, Stocksbridge and the surrounding villages are being neglected by a public transport system that prioritises cities and major towns.
Our rural communities are being let down, so I’m calling on the Mayor to use his powers and resources to give us a fair deal for rural bus services.
The Government has awarded £570 million to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to fund improvements to the county’s transport network.
£570 million is a huge investment that has the potential to bring real improvements in our area. And yet none of this money was committed to specifically improving rural bus links.
We’ve also been let down by SYMCA’s failure to produce a Bus Services Improvement Plan that qualified for additional funding, with South Yorkshire’s leadership leaving us trailing behind other parts of the country. Whilst Greater Manchester’s Mayor won £95m of additional funding for buses and Derbyshire received £40m, South Yorkshire’s proposal failed to secure any additional funding at all because the plan would not have delivered the benefits required.
I’ve worked with local communities and bus providers to secure funding for the number 26 bus that links Penistone and Stocksbridge with a number of our local villages. This new route has been a great success, offering much improved connectivity to schools, shops, health services, and social activities and could be used as a template for new services.
Too many people in our communities are struggling to travel to jobs, education and health services, reducing opportunities for young people and isolating the elderly.
We need the people in charge of our local transport network to develop a proper plan for improving and maintaining rural bus routes.
That’s why I’m asking for your support as I call on the Mayor to produce a Rural Bus Services Action Plan that recognises the specific needs of Penistone, Stocksbridge and surrounding villages.
I continue to talk to bus providers to give feedback on routes, timings, accessibility and resident experiences, and will be working with them to explore how the rural plan could be put into action to best serve our communities.
If you agree that we need the Mayor to give us a fair deal for rural bus services, you can join my campaign and strengthen our case by signing the petition below.
