South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has confirmed a phased franchising plan that will hand control of routes, fares, and timetables back to local authorities by 2029, backed by £350 million in capital investment and a new fleet of nearly 200 electric buses.
Sheffield’s buses have been run by private operators for nearly four decades. That is about to change.
In March 2025, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard confirmed the decision to introduce bus franchising across the region, following a public consultation in which 87% of respondents said they supported bringing buses back under public control.
The rollout will happen in three phases: Doncaster and most of Sheffield first in 2027, then Barnsley and Rotherham in 2028, with the remainder of Sheffield completing the transition in 2029. By the end of that year, the entire network will be under public control.
What franchising actually means
The distinction matters. Since 1986, bus services across South Yorkshire have been deregulated; private operators have set their own routes, timetables, fares, and service standards, running services to turn a profit. Under franchising, that changes fundamentally.
Once franchising is in place, private operators can still run services, but they have to win a contract to do so. That contract will specify the route, the frequency, the timetable, and the fares, and operators will hand all revenue collected back to the local authority.
Once franchising begins, SYMCA will take on responsibility for routes, timetables, fares, and service standards, with revenue from fares reinvested directly into improving local bus services; a model that mirrors the approach taken in London and Greater Manchester.
The money
£350 million has been earmarked from South Yorkshire’s Transport for City Regions Fund for the period 2027 to 2032, covering fleet renewal, depot acquisition, and system integration. A further £5 million is being used in the current financial year to fund early implementation steps including procurement, branding, and operational readiness.
A key part of that groundwork is already done. South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority has purchased five major bus depots; at Olive Grove, Ecclesfield, and Holbrook in Sheffield, Rawmarsh in Rotherham, and Wakefield Road in Barnsley. These join the already publicly owned Leger Way depot in Doncaster, forming the operational backbone of the new franchised network. First Bus and Stagecoach will lease the depots back from SYMCA in the meantime, ensuring continuity for passengers while preparations continue.
On top of that, the government has committed £33 million to deliver 186 new zero-emission buses for Sheffield specifically, replacing older diesel vehicles. Transport Minister Heidi Alexander visited the First Bus depot at Olive Grove in Sheffield in March 2026 to make the announcement. She pointed to September 2027 as the date franchising begins and the point at which the new buses will become visible on the streets.
Why now
The long-term results of deregulation are well documented: reduced service coverage, rising fares, declining reliability, and falling patronage. A South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority annual travel survey for 2024 to 2025 found that 72% of 1,238 residents use public transport regularly, but many were dissatisfied, citing frequency, waiting times, and reliability as major concerns.
Coppard has described the last forty years as a period in which public transport was “taken apart”; fares went up, routes and passenger numbers went down, and city centres and local economies suffered as a result.
The national legislative picture has also shifted. The government’s Bus Services Act has reshaped the franchising landscape, allowing direct award of initial contracts to incumbent operators to smooth the transition, and repealing the ban on municipal bus companies; giving authorities the option to run services directly if needed.
Looking to Manchester
South Yorkshire is not starting from scratch conceptually. Greater Manchester was the first city region outside London to bring bus services under local control, reversing almost four decades of deregulation and effectively rebuilding its network from the ground up. Early, visible improvements there; integrated Bee Network branding, a £2 fare cap, and more reliable timetables; helped build public trust quickly, with clear communication managing expectations across a phased rollout.
South Yorkshire is also exploring a new unified identity for its transport system, bringing buses, trams, and other assets under a single recognisable brand. That network already has a working name: the South Yorkshire People’s Network.
The trams, notably, were already brought back into public control last year; the bus franchising decision is described by Coppard as “another huge step on that journey” toward a fully integrated transport system across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield.
The first franchised services are scheduled to begin on 5 September 2027, with full transition across all four areas complete by July 2029.