Public transport in South Yorkshire, England mainly consists of three modes: bus, tram and train. Passengers can switch between these modes of transport at various interchanges operated by the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority (under the passenger-facing brand Travel South Yorkshire).
Travel South Yorkshire sells a range of multi-modal tickets on behalf of the public transport operators of South Yorkshire, including city-wide or countywide Travelmaster tickets. These are generally in the form of smart card tickets and can be used with any operator within the valid area.
Various concessionary travel schemes are available for young people and students, senior citizens and the mobility impaired.
Young people under 21 can get a free Zoom Under 16, Zoom 16-18 or Zoom Beyond 18-21 [1] Travel Pass if they live in South Yorkshire. [2] This permits the user to travel at a reduced single fare on all buses and trams within the county. This is also available to students 21 or younger who live in South Yorkshire during term-time. Children under 11 years old do not need to show a Zoom pass to get the concessionary fare.
There are also Zoom Zero passes which allow primary and secondary school students to travel to and from school for free. These can be purchased or funded by a local council if eligible.
Most operators offer reduced fares to students if shown a valid student ID. However, the exact fares can vary between operators. This may include both single and multi-day tickets.
Residents with some disabilities may be eligible for a free Disabled pass, which entitles them to free bus services within England and free tram services within South Yorkshire, along with free Northern train journeys between South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. [3] There is also the +Carer pass, which allows a carer to travel with the pass holder, and the Visually Impaired pass, which allows the holder to show the card to the driver instead of scanning it.
South Yorkshire residents who have reached state pension age are eligible for a free Senior pass, which entitles them to free bus services within England and free tram services within South Yorkshire during certain times of day. [4] It also gives half-price tickets for Northern trains, and some free journeys to hospital appointments with some operators.
Since 1994, most bus routes in South Yorkshire have been operated by private companies. These include First, Stagecoach, TM Travel, and Hulleys of Baslow. [5] There are some free "Sheffield Connect" bus services run by SYMCA in Sheffield city centre. [6]
Travel South Yorkshire operate thirteen bus interchanges, many of which have been newly built or refurbished in the early 2000s. These bus interchanges provide a hub for local, regional and sometimes national bus and coach services, and in some locations also provide an interchange facility onto light rail and heavy rail services.
The South Yorkshire Supertram is operated by the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority, [7] and runs regular services across four lines connecting various areas of Sheffield and Rotherham: [8]
Single/return journey tickets can be purchased on-board, or multi-day tickets can be purchased online. Single long-journey tickets allow changing lines and are valid for 1 hour travelling in the same direction.
Stations in italics are located outside of the South Yorkshire CMA area.
Hallam Line | Wakefield Line | Dearne Valley Line | Penistone Line | Sheffield–Leeds via Castleford Line |
---|---|---|---|---|
Operators: Northern Trains, East Midlands Railway | Operators: Northern Trains, CrossCountry | Operators: Northern Trains | Operators: Northern Trains | Operators: Northern Trains |
Hope Valley Line | Sheffield–Hull Line | Adwick–Lincoln Line | Doncaster–Leeds Line | Doncaster–Scunthorpe Line | Sheffield–Rotherham tram-train |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Operators: Northern Trains, East Midlands Railway, TransPennine Express | Operators: Northern Trains, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express | Operators: Northern Trains, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express | Operators: Northern Trains, Grand Central, London North Eastern Railway | Operators: Northern Trains, TransPennine Express | Operators: Sheffield Supertram |
Notes:
Eleven new stations were opened by SYPTE between 1983 and 1993. Many of these were re-opened former stations previously closed in the 1960s under the Beeching cuts, but not all; Goldthorpe and Thurnscoe were entirely new stations, Rotherham Central was built to replace the closing Rotherham Masborough which was further away from Rotherham town centre, and Meadowhall Interchange was built to serve the new Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Rotherham Parkgate, the terminus of the Sheffield Supertram tram-train pilot scheme from Sheffield city centre, opened in October 2018. [9]
Before the Sheffield Supertram there used to tramway networks across each town in South Yorkshire. The Sheffield Tramway was the largest and the longest lasting, opening in 1873 and closing in 1960. [10] Some of the trams used on the Sheffield Tramway are now at the National Tramway Museum.
In 1985, the SYPTE purchased an Alexander RH bodied Dennis Dominator trolleybus with a view to reintroducing a trolleybus network. A one mile section on Sandall Beat Road alongside Doncaster Racecourse was wired. [11] However with deregulation in 1986, the project was shelved.
Meadowhall is an indoor shopping centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It lies 3 miles (5 km) north-east of Sheffield city centre, and 2 miles (3 km) from Rotherham town centre. It is the largest shopping centre in Yorkshire, and currently the twelfth-largest in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, plans for an extension are currently under consideration, for completion in the 2020s, which would make Meadowhall the 11th biggest shopping centre in the United Kingdom.
The South Yorkshire Supertram, sometimes referred to as the Sheffield Supertram, is a tram and tram-train network covering Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. The network is owned and operated by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).
Sheffield station is a combined railway station and tram stop in Sheffield, England; it is the busiest station in South Yorkshire, and the third busiest in Yorkshire & the Humber. Adjacent is the Sheffield Supertram stop.
The Wakefield line is a railway line and service in the West Yorkshire Metro and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive areas of northern England. The Wakefield line is coloured yellow on maps and publications by West Yorkshire Metro. The line was electrified in 1989, between Leeds & Wakefield Westgate, as part of the programme to electrify the East Coast Main Line.
The Dearne Valley line is the name given to a railway line in the north of England running from York to Sheffield via Pontefract Baghill and Moorthorpe. The route was built over several years and consists of lines built by several railway companies.
Meadowhall Interchange is a transport interchange located in north-east Sheffield, consisting of a combined heavy rail station, tram stop and bus and coach station. The second-busiest heavy rail station in the city in terms of passenger numbers, Meadowhall Interchange provides connections between National Rail services, the Sheffield Supertram light rail network, intercity coach services and the city bus network.
Rotherham Central railway station is in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The station was originally named "Rotherham", becoming "Rotherham and Masborough" in January 1889 and finally "Rotherham Central" on 25 September 1950.
Parkgate is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It has since been consumed by its neighbour, Rawmarsh and is in the ward of Rawmarsh from which it has been indistinguishable since the early 20th century.
Swinton railway station is a railway station in Swinton, South Yorkshire, England. It has three platforms and a small bus station, and lies at the junction of the former North Midland Railway main line between Rotherham Masborough and Leeds via Cudworth and the former South Yorkshire Railway line to Doncaster.
Transport in Sheffield, England is developed around the city's unusual topography and medieval street plan. Once an isolated town, the transport infrastructure changed dramatically in the 19th and 20th centuries. The city now has road and rail links with the rest of the country, and road, bus and trams for local transport.
Sheffield Interchange is the main bus station in central Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The facility is served by buses operating across the Sheffield region, as well as National Express coaches that connect Sheffield with destinations across the United Kingdom.
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) was the passenger transport executive for South Yorkshire. It was responsible for implementing policies set by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority (SYPTA) and for operation of the Authority's bus fleet from its formation in 1974 until its dissolution in 2023, when its assets and duties were transferred to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
The Mexborough & Swinton Tramways Company was a tramway system in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, founded in 1902 and which began services in 1907 linking Rotherham with the Old Toll Bar, Mexborough. Its routes served Manvers Main Colliery, Wath upon Dearne and the towns of Rotherham, Rawmarsh, Swinton and Mexborough.
Doncaster Corporation Tramways was an electric tramway network serving the town of Doncaster, England. It was authorised in 1899, and the first route to Bentley opened in 1902. This remained separated from the rest of the system until North Bridge was built to carry traffic over the Great Northern Railway main line to Edinburgh. Soon afterwards, deep mining of coal began in the area, and several extensions to the system were made between 1913 and 1916 to serve new communities which developed around the pit heads. The Racecourse route was unusual, in that it had balloon loops at both ends to enable almost continuous running on race days, a feature that was not common in England, and only found favour in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Rotherham Tramway was a tramway system serving the West Riding town of Rotherham. Service began on 31 January 1903 and ended on 13 November 1949.
Hillsborough Interchange is a bus and tram interchange in Hillsborough, Sheffield. It serves a variety of operators including First South Yorkshire, Sheffield Supertram and Stagecoach Yorkshire, South Pennine Community Transport. It is staffed between 07:00 and 19:00 Monday to Saturday and has six bus stands and two tram platforms.
The Siemens-Duewag Supertram is a fleet of 25 trams built by Siemens-Duewag of Düsseldorf, Germany in 1992 for use on the South Yorkshire Supertram light rail network in England. They were the only trams in use on the network until the entry into service of British Rail Class 399 tram-trains in 2017. As of May 2024, 24 of the fleet are operational, with one currently out of service. Tram 105 was involved in a road traffic collision (RTC) and has arrived back at the depot after repairs, but has not yet returned to service.
The British Rail Class 399 Citylink is a type of rail vehicle built by Vossloh on its Citylink platform for operation by Sheffield Supertram. Primarily a low-floor tram, it is also capable of being used on the National Rail network; the Class 399 is the first such tram-train to see operational use in the United Kingdom.
Rotherham Parkgate is a tram-train stop on the South Yorkshire Supertram network. It opened on 25 October 2018, following the opening of the extension from Meadowhall to Rotherham, and serves the suburb of Parkgate in South Yorkshire.
Travel South Yorkshire is the public transport passenger information brand used by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. It was originally the public facing brand of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive before it was dissolved and merged into SYMCA in April 2023.