Public Transport in South Yorkshire

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).

Multi-modal tickets
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.

Concessions
Various concessionary travel schemes are available for young people and students, senior citizens and the mobility impaired.

Zoom Travel Passes
Young people under 21 can get a free Zoom Under 16, Zoom 16-18 or Zoom Beyond 18-21 Travel Pass if they live in South Yorkshire. 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.

Student fares
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.

Disabled passes
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. 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.

Senior pass
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. It also gives half-price tickets for Northern trains, and some free journeys to hospital appointments with some operators.

Bus services
Since 1994, most bus routes in South Yorkshire have been operated by private companies. These include First, Stagecoach, TM Travel, and Hulleys of Baslow. There are some free "Sheffield Connect" bus services run by SYMCA in Sheffield city centre.

Bus interchanges
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.


 * Adwick Interchange
 * Arundel Gate Interchange ( Castle Square, 150m)
 * Barnsley Interchange
 * Crystal Peaks bus station
 * Dinnington Interchange
 * Doncaster Frenchgate Interchange
 * Grimethorpe Interchange
 * Hillsborough Interchange
 * Manor Top Interchange
 * Meadowhall Interchange
 * Mexborough Interchange ( Mexborough, 300m)
 * Rotherham Interchange (  Rotherham Central, 200m)
 * Sheffield Interchange (  Sheffield, 150m)

Tram
The Sheffield Supertram is operated by the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority, and runs regular services across four lines connecting various areas of Sheffield and Rotherham:


 * Blue: Halfway - Malin Bridge
 * Purple: Herdings Park - Cathedral
 * Yellow: Meadowhall Interchange - Middlewood
 * Tram-Train: Rotherham Parkgate - Cathedral

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.

Routes
Stations in italics are located outside of the South Yorkshire CMA area.

Notes:


 * – Station is located in West Yorkshire, but TSY multi-modal TravelMaster tickets are valid to and from these railway stations.

Opened and re-opened stations
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.


 * 1983 – Silkstone Common
 * 1984 – Chapeltown (station re-sited)
 * 1987 – Rotherham Central
 * 1988 – Goldthorpe; Thurnscoe
 * 1989 – Dodworth
 * 1990 – Meadowhall Interchange; Swinton
 * 1991 – Kirk Sandall
 * 1992 – Bentley
 * 1993 – Adwick
 * 2018 – Rotherham Parkgate (tram-train stop)

Tramways
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. Some of the trams used on the Sheffield Tramway are now at the National Tramway Museum.

Trolleybus
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. However with deregulation in 1986, the project was shelved.