Public transport in South Yorkshire, England mainly consists of three modes: bus, tram and train. Passengers can switch between these modes of transport at various interchanges operated by the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority (under the passenger-facing brand Travel South Yorkshire).
Ticketing
Single-operator tickets On buses and trams, single and multi-trip tickets can be purchased on-board from the bus driver or tram conductor. These are usually only valid for travel with the same operator. Each operator also sells mobile tickets via their respective apps.
At the start of 2023, a £2 single fare cap was introduced on buses and trams as part of a nationwide scheme to combat the cost of living crisis. In November 2023 the tram fare cap was raised to £2.80, and on 1 January 2025, the bus fare cap was increased to £3 in line with the national fare cap scheme. Tram fares also increased again.
Since 1 January 2026, single tram fares have been capped at £3.
Multi-operator tickets
TravelMaster is an organisation operated by the major transport operators within South Yorkshire, and sells a range of multi-modal tickets valid either within Sheffield or the whole county. Tickets can typically be used across any operator in the valid area.
Most tickets require a smartcard to use, which can be purchased online, or alongside the ticket at some locations. Concessionary smartcards are available for young people, giving them discounts on most tickets.
1, 7 and 28-day tickets can be purchased online, on the TravelMaster app, at many bus interchanges and at Payzone outlets within South Yorkshire. 1-day and 7-day tickets can also be purchased on board trams and buses (with some restrictions when using contactless payments). Concessions Various concessionary travel schemes are available for young people and students, senior citizens and the mobility impaired.
Child fares and passes There is a single reduced fare for children under 11 across all buses and trams. Children under 4 can travel for free.
Young people between 11 and 18 years old who live in South Yorkshire can get a free Zoom Under 16 or Zoom 16-18, which must be shown to travel at the child fare. There are also Zoom Zero passes which allow primary and secondary school students to travel to and from school for free - these can be purchased or funded by a local council if eligible.
Under 18s living in Barnsley can travel for free using the Barnsley MiCard. There are plans to roll this out county-wide in the future.
Zoom 18-21 pass Young people between the ages of 18 and 22 who live in South Yorkshire (including students who live in Sheffield during term-time) can get a Zoom Beyond 18-21 travel pass, permitting the user to travel at reduced single fares on trams and some buses. Originally it allowed the holder to travel at the same single fare as under-18s. In 2023, reduced government funding led to the scheme nearly being scrapped. It was later announced that the scheme would continue, but in a weaker form - with fares nearly doubling.
Student fares Most operators offer reduced fares to students if shown a valid student ID. However, the exact fares can vary between operators. This may include both single and multi-day tickets.
Disabled passes Residents with some disabilities may be eligible for a free Disabled pass, which entitles them to free bus services within England and free tram services within South Yorkshire, along with free Northern train journeys between South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. There is also the +Carer pass, which allows a carer to travel with the pass holder, and the Visually Impaired pass, which allows the holder to show the card to the driver instead of scanning it.
Senior pass South Yorkshire residents who have reached state pension age are eligible for a free Senior pass, which entitles them to free bus services within England and free tram services within South Yorkshire during certain times of day. It also gives half-price tickets for Northern trains, and some free journeys to hospital appointments with some operators.
Bus
Bus services Since 1994, most bus routes in South Yorkshire have been operated by private companies. These include First, Stagecoach and TM Travel. There are some free "Sheffield Connect" bus services funded by SYMCA that operate in a loop though Sheffield city centre.
Bus interchanges Travel South Yorkshire operate nine bus interchanges and several smaller stations, many of which have been newly built or refurbished in the early 2000s. These bus interchanges provide a hub for local, regional and sometimes national bus and coach services, and in some locations also provide an interchange facility onto tram and rail services. +Main interchangesNameImageLocationTrain stationTram stopTram lines Blue Yellow Purple Tram TrainAdwick InterchangeChurch Lane, Adwick le Street, Doncaster AdwickNoneBarnsley InterchangeEldon Street North, Barnsley BarnsleyNoneDoncaster InterchangeFrenchgate Shopping Centre, Doncaster DoncasterNoneMeadowhall InterchangeMeadowhall Shopping Centre, Sheffield Meadowhall Meadowhall Interchange✓Rotherham InterchangeFrederick Street, Rotherham Rotherham Central (200m) Rotherham Central (200m)✓Sheffield InterchangePond Square, Sheffield Sheffield (200m) Sheffield Station / Sheffield Hallam University (250m)✓✓ Castle Square (250m)✓✓✓✓ 'Mini' interchanges: Arundel Gate Interchange ( Castle Square, 150m) Dinnington Interchange Hillsborough Interchange
Smaller stations:
Crystal Peaks Bus Station Grimethorpe Interchange Manor Top Bus Stop Mexborough Interchange ( , 300m)
Tram
Rail
Stations There are multiple railway stations in each of the four towns/cities of South Yorkshire. Regional services to destinations across the UK are available from Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield, and Meadowhall Interchange.
All stations with National Rail services are listed below (in no particular order): +Passenger rail stations in South YorkshireBarnsleyDoncasterRotherhamSheffield Barnsley Penistone Silkstone Common Dodworth Darton Wombwell Elsecar Thurnscoe Goldthorpe Bolton-upon-Dearne Doncaster Adwick Bentley Hatfield & Stainforth Kirk Sandall Conisborough Mexborough Thorne North Thorne South Rotherham Central Swinton Kiveton Bridge Kiveton Park Sheffield Meadowhall Interchange Dore & Totley Darnall Woodhouse Chapeltown
Opened and re-opened stations Eleven new stations were opened by SYPTE between 1983 and 1993. Many of these were re-opened former stations previously closed in the 1960s under the Beeching cuts, but not all; Goldthorpe and Thurnscoe were entirely new stations, Rotherham Central was built to replace the closing which was further away from Rotherham town centre, and Meadowhall Interchange was built to serve the new Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Parkgate, the terminus of the Sheffield Supertram tram-train pilot scheme from Sheffield city centre, opened in October 2018.
1983 – 1984 – (station re-sited) 1987 – 1988 – ; 1989 – 1990 – Meadowhall Interchange; Swinton 1991 – 1992 – Bentley 1993 – 2018 – Parkgate (tram-train stop)
Routes Stations in italics are located outside of the South Yorkshire CMA area.
Hallam LineWakefield LineDearne Valley LinePenistone LineSheffield–Leeds via Castleford LineOperators: Northern Trains, East Midlands Railway
Barnsley Interchange Meadowhall Interchange
Operators: Northern Trains, CrossCountry
Meadowhall Interchange
Swinton
Operators: Northern Trains
Meadowhall Interchange
Swinton
Operators: Northern Trains
Meadowhall Interchange
Barnsley Interchange
Operators: Northern Trains
Meadowhall Interchange
Barnsley Interchange
Hope Valley LineSheffield–Hull LineAdwick–Lincoln LineDoncaster–Leeds LineDoncaster–Scunthorpe LineSheffield–Rotherham tram-trainOperators: Northern Trains, East Midlands Railway, TransPennine Express
Hope
Operators: Northern Trains, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express
Meadowhall Interchange
Swinton
Hull Paragon InterchangeOperators: Northern Trains, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express
Bentley
Swinton
Meadowhall Interchange
Operators: Northern Trains, Grand Central, London North Eastern Railway
Bentley
Operators: Northern Trains, TransPennine Express
Operators: Sheffield Supertram
Cathedral Castle Square Fitzalan Square Ponds Forge Hyde Park Cricket Inn Road Nunnery Square Park & Ride Woodbourn Road Attercliffe Arena for Olympic Legacy Park Valley Centertainment Carbrook for IKEA Tinsley Meadowhall South Magna
Parkgate
Notes:
– Station is located in West Yorkshire, but TSY multi-modal TravelMaster tickets are valid to and from these railway stations.
Historical
Tramways
Before the Sheffield Supertram there used to tramway networks across each town in South Yorkshire. The Sheffield Tramway was the largest and the longest lasting, opening in 1873 and closing in 1960. Some of the trams used on the Sheffield Tramway are now at the National Tramway Museum.
Trolleybus
In 1985, the SYPTE purchased an Alexander RH bodied Dennis Dominator trolleybus with a view to reintroducing a trolleybus network. A one mile section on Sandall Beat Road alongside Doncaster Racecourse was wired.Trolleybus starts days at races Commercial Motor 20 July 1985 However with deregulation in 1986, the project was shelved.
Notes
References
External links
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive Travel South Yorkshire Public transport information for South Yorkshire South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority Passenger Transport Executive Group