Free City Centre bus service welcomes Sheffield’s first electric buses

As the old saying goes, ‘you wait for one bus to arrive then two turn up at once’. Well Sheffield City Council can do better than that, with four electric buses set to begin service in the city centre free for passengers to use.

From Monday 8 April bus users in Sheffield will be able to enjoy their free journey around the city centre in the comfort of a brand new, zero emission bus.

Sheffield Connect will be completely free service for people to use seven days a week across the core of the city centre. Stops will be located within just a few minutes’ walk of the main active areas and the service will link up to existing trams and trains. The service will run every seven to eight minutes – so passengers can turn up and go, making their journeys quicker, cleaner and for free.

Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee, said: “This is an important and exciting moment in the history of Sheffield, not only are we introducing the city’s first zero emissions buses to our streets, but a service that is completely free for people to use.

“Sheffield Connect will make getting around the city centre so easy, making the city centre more accessible for everyone and providing residents and visitors with a quick, easy and zero emission way to travel.”

The introduction of Sheffield’s first Zero Emission buses, which is being supported by South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard, continues the City Council’s ambition of reducing carbon emissions across the area, helping to clean up the air we breathe and make Sheffield a nicer, cleaner place to live, work and play.

Mayor Oliver Coppard, said: “We’re delighted to see the very first fully electric buses arrive in South Yorkshire. They are just the first of many that will start operating in the region over the next few weeks, with the support of the Mayoral Combined Authority. Electric vehicles are critical to decarbonising our bus fleet, achieving our net zero ambitions, and improving air quality for South Yorkshire’s residents.”

In addition to the new buses, a brand-new second route for Sheffield Connect is being launched to help people get access to even more of what the city centre has to offer. The new route will link The Moor to Castlegate and West Bar and run every 20 minutes.

Cllr Miskell continues: “Sheffield Connect, along with the brand-new second service, is not only fantastic news for passengers and those looking to get around our amazing city centre, but it will also help to support the economy allowing people to shop, eat, drink and relax more easily.

“Sheffield is a city on the up and these brand-new electric buses prove that we are committed and fully focused on making it as easy as possible for people to experience everything the city centre has to offer. But this is just the start, we have other brilliant plans for our public transport network right across the city as we work to give Sheffielders the network they and the city deserves for decades to come.”