A new South Yorkshire People’s Network has been launched to enhance the region’s transport system.

In an announcement yesterday, South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard confirmed that the joined up, sustainable system is designed to be affordable and people-centric.

Supported by an investment of £1.5bn, the move will see that the region’s tram network receives a £630m boost, as well as targeting £350m of the funds towards the improvement of South Yorkshire’s buses.

Changes will include the refurbishment of stops and shelters, the reopening of Magna Tram Train Station, bus franchising starting in Doncaster and Sheffield, and simplified tickets on franchised bus services.

Acknowledging the current system’s issues of increased fares and service cuts, the statement says that the South Yorkshire People’s Network is to be founded on the following six principles:

• Freedom and choice – delivering connections for residents

• Prioritising people

• Affordability

• Aligning with growth ambitions of generating jobs, opportunities and investing in communities

• Fit for the future

• Safe and easy to use

It will also include the colours of molten orange, grey and asphalt black, which the SYMCA has explained as reflective of ‘the region’s history of industry, Northern grit, and resilience’.

Changes are to be implemented in the approaching months and will continue throughout the 2040s, with branding on uniforms, vehicles, and infrastructure being rolled out in stages.

Mayor Oliver Coppard said: ‘Transport isn’t just about getting from A to B. A proper public transport network gives people real freedom and choice about how they travel and move, connects people to opportunity and opens up new horizons.

‘But public transport in South Yorkshire has been broken for too long. I promised to make change happen, to give South Yorkshire back the world class public transport system we once had, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.’