Stagecoach step in to save bus route

By George Torr, Local Democracy Reporter

HCT Group announced their Powells and CT Plus bus companies will close and services will stop running from Monday, August 8.

Stagecoach Yorkshire will operate service 6 from Sheffield to Millhouses, 61/62 between Hillsborough and Low Bradfield and 201 from Chapeltown to Stocksbridge.

The service 6 will run to the same timetable operated by Powells, as will the 61/62 service on Mondays to Saturdays.

The 61/ 62 will no longer run on Sundays. Service 201 will have a new timetable and slightly different route in Stocksbridge.

The larger buses are not able to cross the bridge at Fox Valley, so will use Manchester Road, bus bosses said.

Customers that have valid Powell’s bus tickets can continue to use them on the replacement Stagecoach services until August 14.

Customers travelling along other routes in South Yorkshire previously covered by Powell’s Bus services can also travel on Stagecoach services along their route until August 14.

Stagecoach Yorkshire bosses said a number alternative routes may help customers continueto travel.

Customers previously using service 49 can use Stagecoach 219. Customers previously travelling on Powell’s X20 can travel on Stagecoach services 22x and 226 between Barnsley, Wombwell and Manvers, 221 between Doncaster and Mexborough and 218, 218a and 220 between Mexborough and Manvers.

Matthew Kitchin, managing director of Stagecoach Yorkshire, said: “I’m proud of the way our staff have responded to this situation and enabled us to act very quickly to maintain these links for passengers.

“We are glad that we are able to minimise the disruption to customers and offer alternative routes, either from our current extensive network in South Yorkshire, or the routes that we are taking over from Monday.”

Originally founded as Hackney Community Transport in 1982, HCT Group was established in 2008. It operates 19 services across South Yorkshire from its Powells depot in Hellaby, employing around 50 staff.

COUNCIL STATEMENT

Sadly we have very little direct influence over bus providers and for many years we have demanded more powers from government, and for more investment into public transport. But instead, we are seeing a managed decline of bus services throughout the North.

Your council is trying to do everything it can - we recently launched the city centre shuttle bus, Sheffield Connect, and have spent millions on improving roads and the connectivity of the network. But due to national lack of investment this isn’t counting for a lot in retaining decent and wideranging bus services in the city.