2 October is going to be a date that won’t be celebrated by those travelling by bus. It sees government Covid support funding, which had been supporting the existing network against a background of falling ticket sales, rising costs and a national shortage of drivers, start to be phased out, disappearing entirely next March. This means the network has to adapt to be sustainable, which in most cases means cutbacks to services.
One of the cuts in many areas, which is of particular relevance to us as it impacts pubgoing, is evening services although there are also examples of routes either shortened or cancelled altogether.
All the details are at travelsouthyorkshire.com/en-gb/newsupdates/service-changes but here is a basic summary for Sheffield.
1a/11 Herdings – City – Chapeltown: 1a to only run in the daytime and from Herdings will run via Blackstock Road. Route 11 to run Herdings-City via Heeley Green including in the evening.
6/83 City – Greystones – Millhouses: 83 is completely withdrawn with service via Greystones replaced by changes to route 6. This however is a daytime only service. Bus 83a will still run in the daytime, no contract yet awarded for an evening service.
8 Ecclesfield – Neepsend – City – Birley – Crystal Peaks: Ecclesfield end of the route to no longer operate in the evening with evening buses running City-Birley only. Daytime route to be split into two separate services with Crystal Peaks to Birley a different bus. Bus 7 will continue unchanged.
10/10a Manor Top – Nether Edge circular – South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority not yet awarded the contract to a new operator following Powell’s bus ceasing trading.
18 Hillsborough – Meadowhall – Norton Lees – City: A new timetable, First to only operate on weekdays with a contract to operate a Saturday service not yet awarded by SYMCA to any operator.
24 Woodhouse – City – Lowedges – Bradway: Route cut shorter to Lowedges, meaning no evening service to Bradway. Last buses slightly earlier than now (about 10pm). Bus 25 to still run to Bradway until 8pm.
27 Rotherham-Crystal Peaks: route withdrawn.
41 City-Frecheville: No contract yet awarded to operate a Sunday service.
44 Sheffield-Coal Aston-Dronfield-Chesterfield: change of route into Chesterfield
50/50a Sheffield-Eckington-Chesterfield: no longer limited stop
52a Woodhouse – Handsworth – Attercliffe – City – Crookes – Hillsborough – Wisewood/Loxley. Route cut back to Hillsborough. Last buses to be around 9pm. New bus 31 will replace section to Loxley in the daytime only. Bus 61/62 will still run as now and bus 52 will still run until late to a new timetable.
57/57a/58/59/SL1/SL1a Sheffield – Hillsborough – Middlewood – Oughtibridge – Stocksbridge: Buses SL1 and SL1a withdrawn replaced by changes to route 57/57a Stocksbridge Flyer which will run Sheffield to Stocksbridge all day every day (57 via Midlewood, 57a via Worrall. No contract yet awarded for route 59. No changes to bus 58.
61/62 Hillsborough – Bradfield circular: no contract awarded to operate a Sunday service as yet so will continue unchanged.
86 Lowedges – City – Chapeltown: All journeys to be operated by Stagecoach with some modest improvements to the evening service.
97/98 Hillsborough – City – Totley/Totley Brook: last buses slightly earlier at weekends.
120 Halfway – City – Fulwood: evening frequency reduced
135 Sheffield – Upperthorpe – Hillsborough – Grenoside – Chapeltown – Rotherham: Route reduced just to Rotherham-Chapeltown with no evening or Sunday service. Hillsborough-Sheffield replaced by new route 31 daytime only. Bus 86 will still operate through Grenoside.
137 Rotherham – Blackburn – Meadowhall – Sheffield: route extended to Sheffield. No evening or Sunday service.
M17 Dore-Jordanthorpe: contract not yet awarded to any operator
X5 Sheffield-Dinnington: some evening journeys withdrawn.
X55 Sheffield-Dinnington – route withdrawn
There are also timetable and/or operator changes on routes 9, 9a, 20, 25, 41, 51, 52, 56, 72, 72a, 73, 74a, 75, 76, 80, 81, 82, 83a,181, 208, 256/257/258, 271/272, X1, X10, X54, X74, X78.
