History of public transport services in South York (Read 1,180 times)

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History of public transport services in South Yorkshire
The earliest public transport in South Yorkshire dates back to 1834 and comprised of a horse bus service running between Sheffield and Rotherham. This developed over the years into Sheffield’s horse-pulled trams which appeared in 1873 and eventually into electric tram services which were in operation by the turn of the 20th century which were joined later by trolleybuses.

The municipal motor was introduced in Sheffield and Rotherham in 1913 and in Doncaster in 1922. These buses gradually replaced the trams during the 1930’s in Rotherham and Doncaster, but Sheffield trams continued to run alongside buses until 1960 when the last tram was withdrawn.

Buses also slowly replaced trolleybuses with the last one finally being withdrawn from service in 1965.

By the mid 1960’s the bus was the main form of public transport in South Yorkshire with each area (principally Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley) being responsible for providing services in their own respective areas.

Prior to 1970, public transport in South Yorkshire was provided by a variety of companies, but in 1970 several local bus companies were bought for the state by the new National bus Company. The formation of the new South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive on 1st April 1974 amalgamated the municipal fleets of Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster.

The SYPTE continued to control public transport across South Yorkshire until the de-regulation of bus services by the national government in 1986. This move saw the control of bus services pass into the hands of the commercial operator.

A variety of public transport operators once again provide a network of buses, trains and trams across South Yorkshire, of which First is the region’s leading bus company. First in South Yorkshire is one of 24 bus operating companies that make up the bus division of First, the UK’s largest bus company.

In South Yorkshire, First is the successor company to Mainline and the former South Yorkshire PTE and Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster municipal undertakings, which have run public transport services in the area for over 100 years. We are proud to continue this fine tradition.

Since the acquisition of Mainline Group in 1998, First has been committed to achieving its aim to transform travel by public transport throughout the area. Our commitment most clearly visible in the investment of millions in new vehicles, comprising low floor, easy access single and double deck buses. First has also introduced high frequency Overground branded networks in Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster, which follow the principles of simplicity, reliability and stability.

With an operating resource of over 600 buses and 2100 staff based at 4 depots, First services in South Yorkshire carry around 90 million passengers each year on a network of over 100 routes serving Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, North East Derbyshire, the Peak District, the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire.

Travelling by bus with First couldn’t be easier. In addition to our own range of daily, weekly and monthly tickets giving substantial savings over normal fares, First also operate a number of integrated ticketing schemes for the benefit of our customers. Joint ticketing initiatives such as these have put the region well on course to be one of the country’s first ‘Centres of Excellence for Integrated Transport’

First works closely with local authorities to continually improve the quality of operation of public transport in South Yorkshire by the introduction of new bus priorities and the development of service monitoring systems and real time passenger information.