Sheffield Bus Network Changes - September 2019

[Andy C]

55 minutes ago, catmiss said:

 

Just found out the 135 is to bypass my area altogether. Stop at bottom of Whitehouse Rd with next on Walkley Lane cutting off an area with many elderly and disabled residents. So much for concern re social and health isolation- there’s nothing in the area as most centred in soon to be inaccessible Hillsborough. 

This is perhaps something to take up with your elected representative (councillor/MP).

 

Simply put the 31 isn't financially viable without public subsidy - it isn't really busy and many of the passengers travel for free on a concessionary pass.

 

our local authority SYPTE keep having their funding cut and simply cannot afford to pay to save the service. 

 

There are other issues too - carr road is often impassable due to inconsideratly parked cars for example.

 

Many parts of the current route 31/31b will be covered by other services - 52a, 61/62, 95 and 135/135a. However it does still leave a few bits around Walkley without.

 

Community transport had been running the 31 with no subsidy mon-fri daytime but having lost a lot of contracts to other operators such as Powell's and First that is non longer viable.

Edited August 20, 2019 by Andy C

[Temuchin]

12 hours ago, janie48 said:

 

 

 

Grenoside has had an unreliable poor bus service for some time, now it appears its going to get even worse. 

Unreliable... poor... spot on. I'd add shameful and confusing. In the 11 years we've lived here, I can recall Greno to town being served by 13, 35, 66, 77, 85,  and 135. I say "served", but it's never been what I would expect a service should be (although am I remembering right that the 85 ran every 20 minutes?). All have been plagued by constant route "tweaks" and missing buses that make Northern Rail look efficient.

[Andy C]

Parts of Grenoside are also served by the 86 of course.

 

From what I can see the new line up of buses for the Grenoside area:

 

Stagecoach/First 86: Lowedges-Abbeydale Road-City Centre-Wadsley Bridge-Fox Hill-Parson Cross-Grenoside-Burncross-High Green

 

First 135/135a: Sheffield-Upperthorpe-Hillsborough-Wadsley Bridge-Grenoside-High Green-Chapeltown-Thorpe Hesley-Kimberworth-Rotherham

 

Stagecoach M92: Harley-Warren-Chapeltown-Ecclesfield-Grenoside-Fox Hill-Wadsley Bridge-Hillsborough

 

Still rather poor though.

[Andy C]

On 19/08/2019 at 16:23, catmiss said:

I use the 31 to lower Walkley, it gets me +shopping up the hill from Hillsborough or city centre along with a lot of other older people. It’s going to be replaced by rerouted 135 whose timetable says it will travel on Whitehouse Rd rather than Whitehouse Lane but I can’t find out where the stop nearest me will be and can’t think where one would be feasible. Anyone any idea where I can find out?

I'm particularly disappointed at the loss of a bus to the Blake Hotel....  nearest now would be walking down from the 95.

 

The new 135 route is Upperthorpe Road, Daniel Hill, Fox Road, Burgoyne Road, Whitehouse Road, Walkley Road, Burnaby Crescent and Langsett Crescent. 

 

I'm guessing Daniel Hill Street would be too narrow for a full size bus.

[Andy C]

some of the information on the Travel South Yorkshire website a little understated

 

25 and 86 : Minor timetable change = complete withdrawal of evening service on one side of the city!

[Andy C]

6 hours ago, Andy C said:

I'm particularly disappointed at the loss of a bus to the Blake Hotel....  nearest now would be walking down from the 95.

 

The new 135 route is Upperthorpe Road, Daniel Hill, Fox Road, Burgoyne Road, Whitehouse Road, Walkley Road, Burnaby Crescent and Langsett Crescent. 

 

I'm guessing Daniel Hill Street would be too narrow for a full size bus.

Also no Sunday service as the 135 will just be shuttling Grenoside-Hillsborough Interchange on Sundays (connections into City with tram or buses 52/52a/81/82)

[catmiss]

On 20/08/2019 at 23:52, Andy C said:

This is perhaps something to take up with your elected representative (councillor/MP).

 

Simply put the 31 isn't financially viable without public subsidy - it isn't really busy and many of the passengers travel for free on a concessionary pass.

 

our local authority SYPTE keep having their funding cut and simply cannot afford to pay to save the service. 

 

There are other issues too - carr road is often impassable due to inconsideratly parked cars for example.

 

Many parts of the current route 31/31b will be covered by other services - 52a, 61/62, 95 and 135/135a. However it does still leave a few bits around Walkley without.

 

Community transport had been running the 31 with no subsidy mon-fri daytime but having lost a lot of contracts to other operators such as Powell's and First that is non longer viable.

The 31 service is well used in the day time but I agree mainly by concession passengers. Carr Rd is a problem but recently only alternate busses have gone up to South Rd and I think there’s the same issue on Whitehouse Rd re parking. The road is also very steep so I can see the 135 being re-routed in icy conditions. Perhaps the eventual intention is to bypass  lower Walkley altogether. By all accounts there’s not going to be a stop between the bottom of Whitehouse Rd and half way down Burnaby Crescent so it’s not accessible for more than a few bits of lower Walkley

[Andy C]

On 22/08/2019 at 20:47, catmiss said:

The 31 service is well used in the day time but I agree mainly by concession passengers. Carr Rd is a problem but recently only alternate busses have gone up to South Rd and I think there’s the same issue on Whitehouse Rd re parking. The road is also very steep so I can see the 135 being re-routed in icy conditions. Perhaps the eventual intention is to bypass  lower Walkley altogether. By all accounts there’s not going to be a stop between the bottom of Whitehouse Rd and half way down Burnaby Crescent so it’s not accessible for more than a few bits of lower Walkley

Community Transport was running the Monday to Friday daytime service commercially but on quite thin margins, the problem I've heard is that because they've lost contracts for all tendered work except the H1  they've had to let drivers go and it was no longer viable to provide the resource for the 31/31b. Due to government austerity cuts SYPTE doesn't have the budget to provide a subsidy for the 31/31b so a cheaper alternative was First agreeing to divert the 135 to cover part of the route.

[Guest busdriver1]

1 hour ago, Andy C said:

Due to government austerity cuts SYPTE doesn't have the budget to provide a subsidy for the 31/31b 

So where are they spending the BSOG money they are retaining?  Fact finding missions to the algarve? 

[catmiss]

I think there’s quite a campaign going on re this -see Sheffield Star this week. Met several distressed people who will be housebound as a result of this decision and some drivers who are to be made redundant. If you house elderly and disabled people at the top of hills with few facilities  do you not have a duty to support their access to necessary resources? The area is not particularly well off so-car ownership in the demographic is low and taxi fares prohibitive  for regular travel. Several passengers will now require hospital transport rather than public transport thereby pushing costs onto an already stretched health service. Several people I’ve spoken to would be prepared to pay a reasonable top up fee to travel up the hills. Sheffield transport and the Council are obviously not signed up to climate change objectives or preventing social isolation. It’s obvious that the tortuous journey the 135 will be taking will make the service unreliable and subject to weather affected diversions- probably leading to the eventual decision to bypass Lower Walkley altogether. Admittedly most of the passengers have bus passes but as one traveller said this week ‘they take your rates/poll tax/council tax for 50 years and then sell you down the river’