{"id":35885,"date":"2021-12-03T15:35:38","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T15:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sheffieldwire.co.uk\/?p=35885"},"modified":"2021-12-03T15:35:38","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T15:35:38","slug":"labour-councillor-speaks-out-about-suspension-of-bus-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/index.php\/2021\/12\/03\/labour-councillor-speaks-out-about-suspension-of-bus-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Labour councillor speaks out about suspension of bus services"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jonathan Tsui and Gwynn Gao<\/strong><\/p>\n

Residents in Crookes and Crosspool have faced an unexpected suspension of bus services due to last weekend’s heavy snow.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ward Labour candidate Minesh Parekh and ward councillor Ruth Milsom have written a letter to First South Yorkshire and Stagecoach Yorkshire to complain about the lack of contingency plans for extreme weather.<\/span><\/p>\n

Milsom said she has been receiving an increasing number of complaints centred around bus services from residents in the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Last weekend, the 51 (First South Yorkshire), 52 (Stagecoach Yorkshire) and 52A (First South Yorkshire) were suspended because of the snow in Sheffield.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people were reporting there was no notice beforehand and even on the websites\u201d, said Parekh.<\/span><\/p>\n

“If people checked times on the websites, it just said they were delayed, whereas you had to check on their Twitter account to find out they were cancelled”, he continued.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the letter, Parekh shared his concerns about the contingency plans for adverse weather from the two bus companies and how they will be adapted to ensure Crookes and Crosspool will not be left without service next<\/span>\u00a0time.<\/p>\n

He said part of the problem is the disconnect between bus companies and the local council: \u201cThe bus companies don\u2019t feel like they have to talk to the council and have to talk to local authorities. So there\u2019s no joint approach to navigating a situation like this when we have adverse weather conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milsom suggested that bus companies, the council and the highway department should work together since what happened last weekend was an instance of a \u201clack of communication\u201d. She said: \u201cI think we could have had the routes open a lot sooner. If there\u2019s some coordination of services, not just gritting but ploughing the roads and getting the buses through as a priority.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n