March 2024 will be a key month for the South Yorkshire Supertram system as it will see the network come under public control again following the conclusion of the contract with Stagecoach. With this just a year away, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority are starting a countdown in what they consider to be a key milestone in their ambitions to upgrade Supertram as part of a fully integrated public transport.
Exactly what this will look like has not been announced but the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority have already secured £100 million work of funding from the government to go towards modernising the system, including track and other infrastructure alongside better passenger facilities. What this won’t go towards though is the replacement of the trams which will be 30 years old by this time next year and so further funding is likely to be needed for this part of the project.
Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, said: “This time next year our iconic Supertram will begin its new chapter in public hands, an exciting step on our journey to fixing our public transport. A fully integrated, affordable and reliable transport network underpins everything we want to achieve in South Yorkshire; building a bigger, better economy, reaching our net zero targets and creating better places to live, grow up and grow old. This is a downpayment on our ambitions for public transport in South Yorkshire, and how we can help build a system that works for our communities for a generation to come.”
Stagecoach have operated Supertram since December 1997 but their contract comes to an end in March 2024. The SYMCA agreed last year to create an arms length company to run the network with work now underway to establish frameworks to manage the system.
Specifically 23rd March 2024 (Stagecoach took over from 20 Dec 1997 and were the only one of the six bidders to offer any cash for the 26 year franchise – £1.15 Million).
Does this mean that the England OAP bus pass will no longer be available?
Although the government does not reimburse local authorities to cover the cost of tram travel, I understand that South Yorkshire county council reimburses stagecoach for accepting bus passes on trams, funding this from the local council tax receipts.
You would expect this to continue under the new arrangements if the SYMCA is really serious about creating a fully integrated and affordable public transport system!