Busageddon – Fairness on the 83 and 83a
Story and photography by Graham Jones
‘Fairness on the 83’ was the title of a documentary film which highlighted the difference in living standards along this cross-city bus route.
However, to many local people, the changes to the 83/83a routes reflect all that is unfair with the ill-considered ‘bus improvements’ of November 2015.
The 83/83a bus routes serve Firshill Estate, home to many elderly and infirm people. The diversion of these routes away from Burngreave Road deprives residents of the estate direct bus access to GPs, dental surgeries and shops. It seems that the route changes were drawn up by people with little knowledge of how the bus routes provide a lifeline to many communities.
Maureen Scott of Crabtree was quoted as saying, “Those making decisions should put themselves in the shoes of passengers.”
12,000 people in Sheffield signed a petition on Change.org to reverse the bus cuts. But this seems unlikely in light of the projected £8.5m reductions to South Yorkshire’s public transport budget by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE). Instead it looks like there will be more cuts in services and more fare increases.
So what can we do? We can demand that all our local council candidates make clear where they stand on local public transport before the May local elections.