The SYPTE Years 1974 to 1985 (Read 1,836 times)

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The SYPTE Years 1974 to 1985

In 1974 local Government reorganisation saw several NEW PTE's formed in the Uk. South Yorkshire County was formed and the local council bus operations of Sheffield,Rotherham and Doncaster were merged. Operations in Barnsley remained with the National Bus Company - Yorkshire Traction. All public Transport were to be administered by the New SYPTE according to Policy set by the SYCC until it was abolished in 1986. Its most famous policy was a virtually freezing of Fares on buses at 1975 levels.
During the PTE's ownership it invested in new buses and was one of the most modern in the country.Between 1976 and 1982 it purchased 8 bus companies - Booth & Fisher of Halfway (1976), Felix motors of Hatfield (76), Blue Ensign(7, Samuel Morgan(Blue Line) of Armthorpe(79), Store Reliance of Stainforth (79), Dearnways of Goldthorpe(82). At the time of Bus Deregulation the SYPTE had operating agreements with serveral other operators who came into the county of SY.
Under the ownership of the SYPTE the Bus service was the most highly subsidised in the UK and cost almost £60 MILLION in 1985/86 with operating revenue rising just over £17 MILLION.
A NEW era was to affect Bus Service provision in the UK and the role (job)of PTE's was to change under a Transport Act of 1985 passed by the Tory Party.All Bus operations had to be operated by PRIVATE Companies so the PTE set up SYT-South Yorkshire Transport Ltd.To prepare for this new era the PTE had to prune it operations in readiness for private commercial operation of the bus service by SYT by axing 100 buses from its fleet and the loss of 1300 jobs.Fares went up 225% in April 86 and passenger numbers fell by 20%. At a later date a clause was added to the Transport Act which required the all the PTE's to sell its bus service companies.This was when SYT became Mainline.

[muddycoffee]

Its fun to remember the days when as children we could catch the bus for 2p. But we weren't old enough to pay rates, and this subsidy was making the council bankrupt. In addition we had the highest rates in the country.
The council had to put on hold road schemes and other projects it wanted to get on with. It's no wonder that all the tower blocks suffered from lack of maintainence and the road surfaces started their 30 year neglect which we are feeling so acutely today.

In addition I understand the decision, a decade earlier or more, was to put all the money and effort into the busses rather than any other form of transport, and so all the local train stations were closed down, compared with leeds manchester and liverpool where you can still catch local trains. Thus we got a local transport monster.