SYPTE is at the forefront of efforts to drive forward quality in public transport delivery.
It was in north Sheffield, for example, that the first Statutory Quality Partnership Scheme in England and Wales came into effect in late 2007. It brings together the PTE and Sheffield City Council to provide improved infrastructure for buses (such as new bus lanes, waiting areas and real time passenger information) which operators can use, provided they meet specified quality standards.
A further Voluntary Partnership agreement has also been established between SYPTE, Sheffield City Council and First Group where the PTE and council improve infrastructure in return for First Group investment in new buses. The agreement has resulted in a tangible growth in passenger journeys.
These agreements have resulted in the development of Quality Bus Corridors (branded ‘Smart Routes’) in the sub-region with many more to follow. Currently under development, for example, is the A638 Quality Bus Corridor in Doncaster. It aims to encourage motorists to use public transport, especially at peak times by providing a rapid, punctual and reliable service with high quality waiting areas including access to accurate timetable and transport information.
In a further bid to tempt motorists away from their cars, SYPTE, alongside councils in Rotherham and Sheffield, are currently building a case to introduce a Bus Rapid Transit system connecting Rotherham and Sheffield. The system seeks to give people a real alternative to car travel by providing a comfortable, high quality, affordable and quick service aboard environmentally friendly vehicles. The service would be limited stop between the two urban hubs promising a speedy journey time.
SYPTE have also had the go-ahead from the Department for Transport to trial tram-trains between Sheffield and Huddersfield, offering another means of rapidly transporting high volumes of people and potentially an opportunity to extend the service to run on the successful Sheffield Supertram network right into the heart of the city.
SYPTE have also been engaged in reinvigorating many of the sub-region’s key transport interchanges, the most recent being the new Barnsley Interchange. The bright and inviting building, which won the Award for Excellence at the Civil Engineers’ Yorkshire and Humber Awards, optimises natural daylight and uses sustainable-source and recyclable materials. It includes 22 bus stands and a direct link to the nearby railway station via a covered bridge. During its first year of operation, numbers of people using the interchange increased by 12 per cent. Next on the list for improvement is Rotherham’s railway station, with work expected to begin in late 2009.
SYPTE are involved in many other projects alongside improvements to infrastructure. For example, the sub-region hosts England’s only Transport Academy to train public transport workers in customer care. It is also piloting Yorcard - a multi-operator ticketless smartcard which, if successful, could be rolled out across Yorkshire and Humber.
Updated December 2008.
