500 signatures reached
To: The Transport Secretary and Chancellor
Stop the Cuts and Save South Yorkshire’s Buses
Dear Transport Secretary and Chancellor,
Our buses are in crisis. Over 35 years of privatisation has hollowed out our network, making it increasingly unsustainable as private companies prioritise profits over people and planet.
The public paid millions to keep buses going during COVID. When the Government ends this funding on October 5th, private operators could axe 1 in 3 services, with only four bus routes running past 10pm.
Extend the Bus Recovery Grant funding and stop the cuts!
Sincerely,
The People of South Yorkshire
Why is this important?
The Problem
- The public paid millions to keep buses going during COVID.
- That funding ends October 5th: 1 in 3 services could be cut!
- Cuts could leave just 4 buses across the whole of South Yorkshire after 10pm and no buses in Barnsley after 7pm!
The Cause
- For decades, private bus companies have been putting short-term profits over the needs of people and planet.
- Now our bus network is unsustainable without massive public support. The pandemic has made this even worse.
- But even when the public offer to pay private companies to run services, they're now refusing to play their part!
The Solution
How do they get away with it? The public has almost no say over the network, leaving big business free to call the shots.
1) We need the Government to extend its funding to keep our buses on the road.
2) We need to speed up plans to bring buses into public control, so routes & timetables are set in the public interest.
3) We need a publicly owned operator to make sure essential services get run, even if private operators refuse!