At a packed-out Sheffield City Hall today, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard launched a bold new transport plan.

Mayor Coppard took the stage to announce a “once in a generation opportunity,” calling today the “end of failed privatisation” with a vision that he hopes will “bring together a myriad of plans and proposals under one brand.”

The South Yorkshire People’s Network (SYPN) will be a community-led organisation set to bring back “pride, purpose and prosperity”.

He announced large-scale transport reform, starting with the reveal of the SYPN and it’s logo, a tracing of the route from Sheffield to Doncaster, and an orange and grey colour scheme, inspired by South Yorkshire’s industrial heritage.

The event was hosted by Tanya Arnold and featured speeches from Simon Lightwood MP, transport minister and MP for Wakefield, former Olympian and Tour de France participant Chris Boardman OBE, and Barnsley student and MiCard holder Bailey Hargate.

Key stakeholders from around South Yorkshire were also in attendance, such as Living Streets, a charity that works to make roads safer for pedestrians.

Zack Viney, the charity’s campaigns and public affairs coordinator, said: “It’ll be great to see fully integrated transport, all while looking out for people’s choice and freedom for them to walk and wheel around.”

Following the announcement, Mayor Coppard said: “People are at the heart of the people’s network, and it will deliver for its people.”

During the event, he laid out the SYPN’s timeline, coming as early as September 2027, with a new Magna train station at Rotherham, and a £350m investment in buses to make them “calmer and clearer”.

From 2028 to 2030, the Mayor hopes to bring in a new e-bike subscription scheme with 900 e-bikes being introduced to Sheffield and the introduction of passenger flights from Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Following this, South Yorkshire will utilise a £500m government scheme to introduce improved trams that will cater to the needs of the people, able to carry dogs and bikes while extending the tramlines to Rotherham.

Additionally, after 2030, the SYPN hopes to have hourly trains from Sheffield to Leeds and Manchester, while also improving rural and urban transport links and making all railway stations step free.

From 2040 and beyond, Mayor Coppard wants the SYPN to be the “envy of the world, because people deserve confidence when we step outside.”