First South Yorkshire
Encyclopedia
First South Yorkshire is the largest bus
operator in South Yorkshire
, England
. As a division of FirstGroup the company's legal name was, for a time, Mainline which operated it between 1993 and 1998, following the sale South Yorkshire Transport
(SYT) to its employees.
SYT's head office was moved from SYPTE's HQ in Exchange Street, Sheffield to Amos Road in Meadowhall and at the time of the company's formation its central works was located on Queens Road in Sheffield, although this later closed. Under First ownership, Herries Road, Leadmill Road, Greenland Road and recently, Halfway garages have all been closed with only the Olive Grove garage remaining in Sheffield. The head office is now based at Midland Road garage in Rotherham.
, Mainline began as a trade name for the main routes, starting in Sheffield
in 1989. Buses traded with Sheffield Mainline names in a bright red and yellow livery, replacing the beige/red livery used before. It was followed by Doncaster Mainline in a silver grey and red livery relieved by a light yellow band and finally Rotherham Mainline, whose buses ran in blue and yellow. In 1992 the locality was dropped from the logo when Mainline became the fleetname, the livery based on the former Sheffield Mainline red and yellow, but with silver and blue bands added. Mainline operated most bus services in South Yorkshire over that time (thanks in the main to the former monopoly position of SYT
), though other operators such as Leon Motors
, Wilfreda Beehive
, Andrew's of Sheffield and Yorkshire Terrier
started making inroads. The company was generally popular with passengers, and boasted an extensive network with low fares and modern vehicles. Mainline was sold to its employees in 1993, though Stagecoach
bought a 20% stake in the company not long after. This had to be sold off in 1995, at which point the newly created FirstBus took this stake.
s in 1999 as well as a number of Volvo B7L
s (most from First Manchester) and B7TLs
between 2002–2004; most of these were however allocated to Sheffield, where 10 Volvo B7TL
s/Wright Eclipse Gemini
also entered service during summer 2006. Secondhand Volvo Olympian
s (Northern Counties) were cascaded from London and now make up the entire step entrance double decker fleet.
Save for the 10 Geminis, the fleet changed very little from 2003 until 2007 when First invested £6.4 million in 38 new double-decker buses. Twenty Volvo B9TL
/Wright Eclipse Gemini
double-decker buses arrived to upgrade the X78 route to low-floor operation; these new buses entered service on 1 June 2007. All twenty buses are now based at Rotherham Midland Road Garage although previously they were to be shared with Doncaster Leger Way depot. Doncaster received the remaining 18 of these buses in early 2008. These operate services 50, 55 and 78 as part of the Woodlands to Rossington Quality Bus Corridor. Shortly afterwards, an order for 58 more of the same buses was announced, and the majority of these have now entered service in Sheffield on routes 47/48/75/76.
Dennis Dominator
s were the main double deckers in the fleet with over 300 at one time. These have steadily been withdrawn and the last ran in service on 26 July 2006. A large number of Volvo B10M
s with Alexander PS bodywork (new to Mainline) are still in service although some of the older ones have been converted to driver training buses, some of the others are still in service while the rest are operating in Scotland with First Glasgow
, and a large batch of the newest ones were recently cascaded to Glasgow. The latest wave of new buses has allowed many of the older B10Ms to finally leave the fleet, and has also seen off the last of the step entrance Plaxton Pointer
s (both Dennis Dart
and Volvo B6
chassis example were operated, indeed two of the latter remain in service albeit with Alexander Dash
bodywork).
As of September 2010 the following bus types are operated:
Service X78 is a limited stop service which goes from Sheffield Interchange via Meadowhall, Rotherham and arriving an hour and a half later in Doncaster Frenchgate Interchange. From Monday to Saturday it operates every ten minutes during the day and every fifteen minutes on Sundays and week day evenings.
Service 91, Airport Services, departs from Doncaster Frenchgate Interchange and arrives approximately twenty-eight minutes later at Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport. This bus has luggage racks for passengers located at the front of the bus.
First also run Peak District services; 51A and 272, from Sheffield, across the South Yorkshire boundary and into Derbyshire in the Peak District. Local or South Yorkshire FirstDay/Week/Month tickets are only valid up to the Sheffield boundary. Special day tickets must be purchased on board to travel on First South Yorkshire buses in Derbyshire. See ticketing
First also ran 215, 218, 240 to the Peak District, but as of 27 April 2009 First withdrew these services, and TM Travel operate these routes on behalf of Derbyshire County Council.
FirstDay GreenZone is for unlimited travell on all services within a smaller area of the FirstDay in Doncaster for £3.
FirstWeek is for unlimited travel for a week on all South Yorkshire services for £19.50. A local FirstWeek ticket for Sheffield only is £17.50, while a Doncaster or Rotherham ticket is £16.
FirstXtra is for people who buy a local FirstDay/Week/Month/Term ticket and want to travel to another town for £1.
The Centro is a ticket for Sheffield City Centre for 50p and Doncaster Town Centre for 40p.
Students can travel for 70p on the Unilink service if valid student ID is shown.
Other tickets: Children under 5 are free, Children aged 16 and under and students aged 16–18 can travel for 50p if they show a valid pass. Dogs cost 40p. These apply to all bus operators in South Yorkshire.
First also do special offers on certain Overground routes. Such as the Red Line and Orange Line. A FirstDay Red or a FirstDay Orange specific for that route is for £3, a FirstWeek for £9.
First attracted criticism for raising fares four times in 2005, raising the cost of a 5-10 minute journey to £1.60 as of February 2007, as well as for cutting a number of services. But the fares for the 51 service (Charnock-Lodge Moor via City Centre and back) were frozen. Referring to low passenger numbers in an interview, First South Yorkshire's managing director, Gary Nolan. said that on some routes. his drivers were "carting fresh air about" and, as such, it was uneconomical to maintain current service levels.
The company also attracted criticism from national journalists who launched an investigation into why First introduced several price rises in just two years whilst regional competitors such as Arriva
and Stagecoach
managed to cap their fare rises. The group's then financial director Nicola Shaw attributed the increases in fares to rising oil prices, despite the fact that in on press releases the group has said that it had hedged all of its fuel purchases to offset the rising cost of oil.
The company was also criticised for the seating comfort of newer vehicles and for withdrawing the 'bendibus
' from the roads of Sheffield. The company later went on to explain that the vehicles had been withdrawn 'due to their mileage', but these were later found to be in service at both Bristol airport and in Bath.
The company has suffered from poor industrial relations with drivers striking on many occasions due to pay and working conditions. In such strikes, management employees tried to run a skeleton service by driving the buses themselves.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
operator in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. As a division of FirstGroup the company's legal name was, for a time, Mainline which operated it between 1993 and 1998, following the sale South Yorkshire Transport
South Yorkshire Transport
South Yorkshire Transport was formed in 1986, as a result of deregulation of bus services in the UK. The South Yorkshire PTE was no longer allowed to operate buses itself, so an arms length operating company was created....
(SYT) to its employees.
History
SYT was eventually sold to its employees in 1993, and it became Mainline Group Limited. It was bought by First Group in 1998, operating at first as First Mainline and then First South Yorkshire.SYT's head office was moved from SYPTE's HQ in Exchange Street, Sheffield to Amos Road in Meadowhall and at the time of the company's formation its central works was located on Queens Road in Sheffield, although this later closed. Under First ownership, Herries Road, Leadmill Road, Greenland Road and recently, Halfway garages have all been closed with only the Olive Grove garage remaining in Sheffield. The head office is now based at Midland Road garage in Rotherham.
Mainline
Under SYTSouth Yorkshire Transport
South Yorkshire Transport was formed in 1986, as a result of deregulation of bus services in the UK. The South Yorkshire PTE was no longer allowed to operate buses itself, so an arms length operating company was created....
, Mainline began as a trade name for the main routes, starting in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in 1989. Buses traded with Sheffield Mainline names in a bright red and yellow livery, replacing the beige/red livery used before. It was followed by Doncaster Mainline in a silver grey and red livery relieved by a light yellow band and finally Rotherham Mainline, whose buses ran in blue and yellow. In 1992 the locality was dropped from the logo when Mainline became the fleetname, the livery based on the former Sheffield Mainline red and yellow, but with silver and blue bands added. Mainline operated most bus services in South Yorkshire over that time (thanks in the main to the former monopoly position of SYT
South Yorkshire Transport
South Yorkshire Transport was formed in 1986, as a result of deregulation of bus services in the UK. The South Yorkshire PTE was no longer allowed to operate buses itself, so an arms length operating company was created....
), though other operators such as Leon Motors
Leon Motors
Leon Motors was a bus company based in Finningley, it operated buses in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Formed in 1922, it was taken over by MASS Engineering of North Anston during 2004....
, Wilfreda Beehive
Wilfreda Beehive
Wilfreda Beehive is a coach and bus operator based in Adwick-le-Street, Doncaster.-History:It was formed in 1949 by Bill and Marie Scholey, and remains in family ownership. At first it operated coach services from a depot at Ranskill, near Bawtry...
, Andrew's of Sheffield and Yorkshire Terrier
Stagecoach Yorkshire
Stagecoach Yorkshire is an operating division of Stagecoach UK Bus.It was formed in 2005 to take over the former Traction Group fleets in Yorkshire by Stagecoach Group, which took over Traction from Frank Carter on 14 December 2005; Yorkshire Traction, Yorkshire Terrier and Barnsley & District....
started making inroads. The company was generally popular with passengers, and boasted an extensive network with low fares and modern vehicles. Mainline was sold to its employees in 1993, though Stagecoach
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
bought a 20% stake in the company not long after. This had to be sold off in 1995, at which point the newly created FirstBus took this stake.
First Mainline
Mainline was taken over by First Group in 1998, and became First Mainline. A simplified livery of just red and yellow was introduced, reminiscent of the original 1989 Sheffield Mainline livery. The name was altered again to First South Yorkshire. Since about 2000, vehicles began being repainted in First Group corporate livery (nicknamed "Barbie" by enthusiasts). There are three versions of the livery: the main corporate livery, a livery intended for buses pre 1998 but this livery is being slowly phased out, and a revised version of the original livery.Fleet
First received a large batch of Volvo B10BLEVolvo B10BLE
The Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was launched around 1992 with the engine mounted on the rear overhang of the bus. It was the successor of the citybus version of Volvo B10B and is used as a base for single-deck...
s in 1999 as well as a number of Volvo B7L
Volvo B7L
Volvo B7L was a low floor citybus chassis with a rear engine mounted vertically on the left of the rear overhang, it was built as a replacement for the Volvo B10L...
s (most from First Manchester) and B7TLs
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
between 2002–2004; most of these were however allocated to Sheffield, where 10 Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...
s/Wright Eclipse Gemini
Wright Eclipse Gemini
The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a type of double-decker bus body built for Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL and Volvo B5L Hybrid for use in the United Kingdom....
also entered service during summer 2006. Secondhand Volvo Olympian
Volvo Olympian
The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....
s (Northern Counties) were cascaded from London and now make up the entire step entrance double decker fleet.
Save for the 10 Geminis, the fleet changed very little from 2003 until 2007 when First invested £6.4 million in 38 new double-decker buses. Twenty Volvo B9TL
Volvo B9TL
The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...
/Wright Eclipse Gemini
Wright Eclipse Gemini
The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a type of double-decker bus body built for Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL and Volvo B5L Hybrid for use in the United Kingdom....
double-decker buses arrived to upgrade the X78 route to low-floor operation; these new buses entered service on 1 June 2007. All twenty buses are now based at Rotherham Midland Road Garage although previously they were to be shared with Doncaster Leger Way depot. Doncaster received the remaining 18 of these buses in early 2008. These operate services 50, 55 and 78 as part of the Woodlands to Rossington Quality Bus Corridor. Shortly afterwards, an order for 58 more of the same buses was announced, and the majority of these have now entered service in Sheffield on routes 47/48/75/76.
Dennis Dominator
Dennis Dominator
The Dennis Dominator was Dennis's first rear-engined double-decker bus chassis, it was launched in 1977. Dennis had been absent from the bus manufacturing market since the last Lolines were produced in 1967. The Dominator was described as bespoke, with numerous options...
s were the main double deckers in the fleet with over 300 at one time. These have steadily been withdrawn and the last ran in service on 26 July 2006. A large number of Volvo B10M
Volvo B10M
The Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
s with Alexander PS bodywork (new to Mainline) are still in service although some of the older ones have been converted to driver training buses, some of the others are still in service while the rest are operating in Scotland with First Glasgow
First Glasgow
First Glasgow is the largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in, Scotland. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
, and a large batch of the newest ones were recently cascaded to Glasgow. The latest wave of new buses has allowed many of the older B10Ms to finally leave the fleet, and has also seen off the last of the step entrance Plaxton Pointer
Plaxton Pointer
The Plaxton Pointer is a successful single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis.With the launch of the Dennis Dart in 1989, Plaxton's subsidiary Reeve Burgess made the Pointer body on the short 8.5 m...
s (both Dennis Dart
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
and Volvo B6
Volvo B6
The Volvo B6 is a midibus manufactured by Volvo between 1991 and 2000. Its low-floor variant, the Volvo B6LE, was first built in 1994.The Volvo B6/B6LE chassis was built to compete with the Dennis Dart/Dart SLF chassis. It could be fitted with Volvo TD63E/TD63ES engine...
chassis example were operated, indeed two of the latter remain in service albeit with Alexander Dash
Alexander Dash
The Alexander Dash is a midibus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders of Scotland during the 1990s. It was one of the variants of Alexander's AM-type body and was usually combined with the Dennis Dart and Volvo B6 step-entrance bus chassis....
bodywork).
As of September 2010 the following bus types are operated:
- Volvo B9TLVolvo B9TLThe Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...
/Wright Eclipse GeminiWright Eclipse GeminiThe Wright Eclipse Gemini is a type of double-decker bus body built for Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL and Volvo B5L Hybrid for use in the United Kingdom....
- all depots, the group's current favoured order - Volvo B7TL/Alexander ALX400 - all depots
- Volvo B7LVolvo B7LVolvo B7L was a low floor citybus chassis with a rear engine mounted vertically on the left of the rear overhang, it was built as a replacement for the Volvo B10L...
/Wright EclipseWright EclipseThe Wright Eclipse is a low-floor single-deck bus body built by Wright on Volvo B7 chassis. It shares its design with the Wright Solar on Scania L94 chassis....
- all depots - Volvo B7RLEVolvo B7RLEVolvo B7RLE is a low-floor single-deck citybus launched initially in Australia in 2001, and then in the United Kingdom in 2003 to supplement the B7L single-decker, which was unsuccessful in both countries. It is similar to the B7L's predecessor, the B10BLE...
/((Wright Eclipse)) - Doncaster/Sheffield - Volvo OlympianVolvo OlympianThe Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....
/Northern Counties PalatineNorthern Counties PalatineThe Northern Counties Palatine is a step-entrance double-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK. It was built mainly on Leyland Olympian and Volvo Olympian chassis, although some were also built on DAF, Volvo B10M Citybus and Scania chassis...
- Sheffield/Rotherham although only Sheffield has the Palatine II version - Optare SoloOptare SoloThe Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...
- Doncaster, M850 version - Volvo B10BLEVolvo B10BLEThe Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was launched around 1992 with the engine mounted on the rear overhang of the bus. It was the successor of the citybus version of Volvo B10B and is used as a base for single-deck...
/Wright RenownWright RenownThe Wright Renown is a low floor single-deck bus body built on Volvo B10BLE chassis by Wright.Over 800 Renowns were built between 1997 and 2002, making it somewhat more successful than the B10L-based Liberator....
- Sheffield/Rotherham - TransBus DartDennis DartThe Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
- Doncaster - Volvo B7TL/TransBus ALX400Alexander ALX400The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...
- Doncaster - Volvo B6LE/Wright CrusaderWright CrusaderThe Wright Crusader is a single-decker bus body built by Wright on Dennis Dart SLF and Volvo B6LE chassis. The Wright Crusader 2 was built on the B6LE's successor, the Volvo B6BLE....
- Doncaster - Volvo B6BLE/Wright Crusader 2 - Doncaster/Sheffield
- Dennis Dart SPDDennis DartThe Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
- Rotherham. Slowly re-entering service after six months on reserve. some received corparte seating. - Scania L113CRL/Wright Axcess-UltralowWright Axcess-UltralowThe Wright Axcess-Ultralow is a low-floor single-deck bus body built on the Scania L113CRL chassis by Wrightbus between 1995 and 1998.-History:A total of 330 were built, of which 244 were for companies owned by FirstBus/Group...
- Sheffield
Routes
First South Yorkshire run services in Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. Due to bus services history and number changes, some routes share service numbers within South Yorkshire.Service X78 is a limited stop service which goes from Sheffield Interchange via Meadowhall, Rotherham and arriving an hour and a half later in Doncaster Frenchgate Interchange. From Monday to Saturday it operates every ten minutes during the day and every fifteen minutes on Sundays and week day evenings.
Service 91, Airport Services, departs from Doncaster Frenchgate Interchange and arrives approximately twenty-eight minutes later at Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport. This bus has luggage racks for passengers located at the front of the bus.
First also run Peak District services; 51A and 272, from Sheffield, across the South Yorkshire boundary and into Derbyshire in the Peak District. Local or South Yorkshire FirstDay/Week/Month tickets are only valid up to the Sheffield boundary. Special day tickets must be purchased on board to travel on First South Yorkshire buses in Derbyshire. See ticketing
First also ran 215, 218, 240 to the Peak District, but as of 27 April 2009 First withdrew these services, and TM Travel operate these routes on behalf of Derbyshire County Council.
Overground
First have branded some services as Overground on bus services with high frequency during the daytime. Based on the London Underground network where each frequent service is given a recognisable colour, each Overground service is, in addition to its running number, colour coded. The concept is now a prominent fixture throughout all First bus companies in the UK. Most buses on the Overground run to a frequency of ten minutes, although some run every fifteen to twenty minutes, a few routes in certain areas may even run on a frequency under ten minutes.| Number | | Branding | From | To | Via | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield | |||||
| 11 11A 12 |
Pink | Stannington (11)(11A) Hall Park Head (12) |
Sheffield City Centre | Stannington Road, Malin Bridge, Hillsborough Interchange, Langsett Road and Shalesmoor | |
| 14 | Turquoise | Woodhouse | Loxley |
Stradbroke, Hyde Park, Shalesmoor, Langsett Road, Hillsborough Interchange and Wisewood | |
| 20 20A |
Lime Green | Hemsworth | Hillsborough | Woodseats (20A), Norton, Chesterfield Road, City Centre, Wicker, Burngreave, Pitsmoor, Northern General Hospital, Longley, Southey Green, Wadsley Bridge and Leppings Lane | Services from 2030 hours are run by Stagecoach Sheffield. |
| 22 | Green | Nether Edge | Woodhouse | Sharrow, City Centre, Hyde Park, Manor Park and Stradbroke | |
| 120 42 44 49 |
Orange | Fulwood (120) Crystal Peaks (42, 44) Killamarsh (49) |
Halfway (120) Sheffield (42, 44, 49) |
120: Nether Green, Ranmoor, Broomhill, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, City Centre, Duke Street, City Road, Manor Top, Intake, Frechville, Hackenthorpe and Crystal Peaks 42: Hackenthorpe, Dyke Vale Road, Frechville, Intake, Manor Top, City Road and Granville Road 44: Birley, Base Green, Hollinsend Road, Intake, Manor Top and Granville Road |
Part of the Travel South Yorkshire 'Optio' network. |
| 47 48 |
Olive | Herdings | Shiregreen | 47: Heeley, Bramall Lane, City Centre, Nursery Street, Pitsmoor, Fir Vale, Northern General Hospital and Firth Park 48: Hemsworth, Newfield Green, Olive Grove Road, Bramall Lane, City Centre, Nursery Street, Pitsmoor, Fir Vale, Northern General Hospital and Firth Park |
|
| 51 | Yellow | Charnock | Lodge Moor | Gleadless Town End, Hollisend, Arbourthorne, Olive Grove Road, Queen's Road, Bramall Lane, City Centre, West Street, Western Bank, University of Sheffield, Western Park, Broomhill and Crosspool | |
| 52 |
Red | Crookes | Woodhouse Station | Crookes, Broomhill, Western Park, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, West Street, City Centre, Wicker, Darnall and Hansworth | |
| 53 | Brown | Bradway | Ecclesfield | Meadowhead, Woodseats, Queen's Road, City Centre, Nursery Street, Neepsend, Hillsborough, Wadsley Bridge and Parsons Cross | Services before 1900 terminate at Low Edges instead of Bradway. |
| 56 | Salmon | Sheffield | Wybourn | Park Hill and Hyde Park | |
| 73 | Violet | Sheffield | Ecclesfield | Wicker, Burngreave, Shirecliffe, Firshill, Southey Green and Parson Cross | |
| 75 76 |
Blue | Jordanthorpe (75) Low Edges (76) |
High Green (75) Ecclesfield (76) |
Batemoor (75), Greenhill (76), Meadowhead (75), Beauchief (76), Woodseats, Abbydale Road, City Centre, Wicker, Burngreave, Pitsmoor, Fir Vale, Firth Park, Sheffield Lane Top and Chapeltown (75)/Sicey Avenue (76) | |
| 82 | Purple | Ecclesall | Sheffield | Banner Cross, Hunters Bar and Collegiate Crescent | |
| 95 | Mauve | Walkley | Sheffield | Commonside, Crookesmoor, University of Sheffield, Western Bank and West Street | |
| 97 98 |
Claret | Ecclesfield | Totley (97) Totley Brook (98) |
Southey Green, Northern General Hospital, Pitsmoor, Burngreave, Wicker, City Centre, Abbeydale Road, Milhouses, Abbey Lane, Abbeydale and Baslow Road (97)/Furniss Road (98) | Circulars around Ecclesfield |
| Rotherham | |||||
| 1 2 |
Red | Maltby | Rotherham | Bramley, Wickersley | Circulars in Maltby |
| 7 8 |
Pink | Blackburn (7) Kimberworth Park (8) |
Rotherham | Kimberworth | |
| 15 | Orange | East Herringthorpe | Rotherham | Clifton Park | Circular |
| 32 33 |
Peach | Sheffield (32) Treeton (33) |
Rotherham | Brinsworth, Canklow | |
| 37 | Green | Thrybergh | Rotherham | Herringthorpe | |
| 39 | Mauve | Kimberworth Park | Rotherham | ||
| 41 42 |
Yellow | Kimberworth Park | Rotherham | Circulars | |
| Doncaster | |||||
| 15 | Indigo | Edlington | Doncaster | Warmsworth, Balby | Circular around Edlington |
| 16 | Orange | Broomhouse Lane | Doncaster | Balby | |
| 19 19A |
Green | Dryden Road | Doncaster | Balby Road | |
| 49 | Sky | Sprotbrough | Doncaster | Circular around Sprotbrough | |
| 50 50A |
Mauve | Skellow | Doncaster | Scawthorpe | |
| 55 55B |
Pink | Rossington | Doncaster | Circulars around Rossington | |
| 57 | Brown | Goodison Boulevard | Doncaster | Cantley | |
| 63 | Yellow | Bentley | Doncaster | Circular around Bentley | |
| 66 | Purple | Intake | Doncaster | Shaftesbury Avenue | |
| 71 | Salmon | Greenfield Lane | Doncaster | ||
| 76 76A 77 |
Turquoise | Clay Lane (76/76A) Wheatley Hills (77) |
Doncaster | Wheatley, Wheatley Park | |
| 78 78A |
Claret | Woodlands | Doncaster | Sunnyfields | Circulars around Woodlands |
| 81 82 |
Blue | West Moor Park (81) Parkway (82) |
Doncaster | Armthorpe, Doncaster Royal Infirmary | Circulars around Armthorpe |
| 83 84 85 |
Lime Green | Hatfield | Doncaster | Edenthorpe, Kirk Sandall, Barnby Dun, Dunsville, Dunscroft | Circulars around Hatfield (83/85) |
| 87 88 88A |
Red | Moorends (87) Goole (88/88A) |
Doncaster | Rawcliffe (88/88A), Moorends, Thorne, Edenthorpe | |
| Barnsley | |||||
| 22 | Claret | Rotherham | Barnsley | Stairfoot, Wombwell, Wath upon Dearne, Rawmarsh | |
Other services
- 4 Millhouses - Darnall
- 30: Dore - Hunters Bar - Sheffield - Birley - Crystal Peaks or Plumbley
- 39 Sheffield - Chancet Wood/Batemoor
- 57'58 Sheffield - Hillsborugh - Worrall - Oughtibridge - Deepcar - Stocksbridge
- X78 is not an Overground route but is listed in the Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster Overground maps.
Ticketing
FirstDay is for unlimited travel on all services in South Yorkshire, and costs £4.80. Local FirstDay tickets, covering Sheffield, Rotherham or Doncaster only, are available for £4.30. A FirstDay Group ticket is available to groups of two adults and a maximum of three children for £8.50.FirstDay GreenZone is for unlimited travell on all services within a smaller area of the FirstDay in Doncaster for £3.
FirstWeek is for unlimited travel for a week on all South Yorkshire services for £19.50. A local FirstWeek ticket for Sheffield only is £17.50, while a Doncaster or Rotherham ticket is £16.
FirstXtra is for people who buy a local FirstDay/Week/Month/Term ticket and want to travel to another town for £1.
The Centro is a ticket for Sheffield City Centre for 50p and Doncaster Town Centre for 40p.
Students can travel for 70p on the Unilink service if valid student ID is shown.
Other tickets: Children under 5 are free, Children aged 16 and under and students aged 16–18 can travel for 50p if they show a valid pass. Dogs cost 40p. These apply to all bus operators in South Yorkshire.
First also do special offers on certain Overground routes. Such as the Red Line and Orange Line. A FirstDay Red or a FirstDay Orange specific for that route is for £3, a FirstWeek for £9.
Criticism
First lost many routes to other competition recently, particularly in Sheffield. Some routes are either shared with another company or completely run by a competitor. Routes 4/6/7/17/20/20A/33/272 are all now shared with other operators; this caused Stagecoach Sheffield and TM Travel ridership to increase and First's large share of the market to decrease dramatically.First attracted criticism for raising fares four times in 2005, raising the cost of a 5-10 minute journey to £1.60 as of February 2007, as well as for cutting a number of services. But the fares for the 51 service (Charnock-Lodge Moor via City Centre and back) were frozen. Referring to low passenger numbers in an interview, First South Yorkshire's managing director, Gary Nolan. said that on some routes. his drivers were "carting fresh air about" and, as such, it was uneconomical to maintain current service levels.
The company also attracted criticism from national journalists who launched an investigation into why First introduced several price rises in just two years whilst regional competitors such as Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
and Stagecoach
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
managed to cap their fare rises. The group's then financial director Nicola Shaw attributed the increases in fares to rising oil prices, despite the fact that in on press releases the group has said that it had hedged all of its fuel purchases to offset the rising cost of oil.
The company was also criticised for the seating comfort of newer vehicles and for withdrawing the 'bendibus
Articulated bus
An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...
' from the roads of Sheffield. The company later went on to explain that the vehicles had been withdrawn 'due to their mileage', but these were later found to be in service at both Bristol airport and in Bath.
The company has suffered from poor industrial relations with drivers striking on many occasions due to pay and working conditions. In such strikes, management employees tried to run a skeleton service by driving the buses themselves.
See also
- South Yorkshire TransportSouth Yorkshire TransportSouth Yorkshire Transport was formed in 1986, as a result of deregulation of bus services in the UK. The South Yorkshire PTE was no longer allowed to operate buses itself, so an arms length operating company was created....
- South Yorkshire Passenger Transport ExecutiveSouth Yorkshire Passenger Transport ExecutiveThe South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for South Yorkshire in England. It is supervised by the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, which consists of representatives from the metropolitan boroughs of Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, and...
- List of bus operators of the United Kingdom