Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, talks about the decision to hold a consultation on bus franchising:
Sheffield is transforming day by day. New homes are being built and regeneration projects are underway with cranes dotted across the city’s skyline. It is an exciting time for our city.
And now we are moving forward with a plan to improve our buses.
Buses are vital for thousands of people in Sheffield to get to work, access education, go shopping, to care for loved ones and to see friends and family. But I know that our buses are currently not good enough.
For 40 years, since privatisation in the 1980s, private bus companies have been able to pick and choose routes, cut services and put profit ahead of passengers. Our deregulated bus system means communities have little say and no control.
There is a way to turn this around. This …