People urged to join fight to fix 'broken' bus services in South Yorkshire

Bus fares for children and young people across the county are to increase

Communities hit by "broken" bus services in South Yorkshire are being urged to get behind a fight for better public transport.

The campaign by the area's elected mayor Oliver Coppard comes after the county received no funding from a government bus scheme last year.

Mr Coppard is holding a series of public meetings on the issue.

The government said it had given more than £500m over five years for the county's transport network.

Mr Coppard said he was "angry" that South Yorkshire bus services had been given "a fraction of the funding given to other places across the country".

He added: "While the government promised us levelling-up, in reality the bus network in our region is broken."

Funding was allocated to local transport authorities through the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) but South Yorkshire was the only mayoral combined authority that did not receive any.

Oliver Coppard said government funding cuts were "a disgrace".

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Authority said it meant there was not enough funding to protect all services and fare discounts.

As a result, the authority announced earlier this month it had made the "difficult" decision to increase bus fares for children and young people

The mayor said the public meetings, which start next week, would give him a chance to explain the situation and what could be done about it.

He added: "I am determined to fight these cuts so we can have the public transport system we need and deserve."

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said funding provided through the bus strategy scheme focused on areas which did not originally benefit from BSIP funding.

They added: "South Yorkshire has been allocated more than half a billion pounds over five years for its local transport network.

"This comes on top of the government's £500m package of support to cap bus fares at £2 until the end of October 2023, £2.50 until the end of November 2024 and protect bus routes into 2025."