BUS drivers in South Yorkshire are to undergo "customer care training" as part of a new plan which aims to increase the number of journeys on public transport by more than seven million.
The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority aims to hit that target by 2011 and it has produced a wish-list of measures it wants to implement in the next three years.
Members make their pledge to arrest the "long-term decline" in public tran
sport use in a 2008 business plan, which sets out priorities for the next 12 months.
The authority works alongside the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, with members drawn from councils and other county bodies to oversee transport policy.
Plans to make bus travel more popular include more dedicated bus lanes, including a through route between Barnsley and Wakefield town centres, and more park and ride sites.
Congestion hot spots where buses are regularly held up will be addressed and work on a "bus rapid transit" system between Sheffield and Rotherham is to be presented to the Government.
Passenger Transport Authority chairman Coun Andrea Milner said: "Forecasts are that there will be an increase in car ownership and a decline in public transport.
"With our partners we must take responsibility for improving the full public transport package within the current legislative framework and putting in the foundations for longer-term improvements."
As well as customer training for bus drivers, the plan also outlines aspirations to make buses cleaner and more attractive with "on-bus cleaners" and mystery shopper schemes to test passenger experiences.
On the railways, the authority says it is committed to "working with Department for Transport and the rail industry for the re-instatement of stops on the service between Sheffield, Barnsley and Leeds".
It also wants to see a Nottingham to Leeds service, calling at Sheffield, Barnsley and Wakefield, year-round Sunday services on the local Penistone line and significant improvements to Rotherham station.
Coun Milner said the authority and transport executive would aim to "promote and enhance public transport within South Yorkshire by providing a realistic alternative to the car".
She added: "This year we are able to report some modest signs of success. Along with continued growth in rail and tram operations, bus operators are also reporting signs of growth.
"This is especially marked in areas in which our partners and we have invested in improved ser-vices, bus priority measures and infrastructure improvements."
In its business plan, the authority highlights a number of "key successes" of the last 12 months, including Sheffield's new free-bee bus service, which is carrying 10,000 people a week.
The opening of modern transport interchanges at Barnsley and Doncaster is also credited with increasing the number of people choosing buses and trains.
Plans are also under way in conjunction with West Yorkshire transport chiefs to create an £8.6m smartcard ticketing pilot scheme called Yorcard which can be used on buses and trains across the region.
The full Passenger Transport Authority Business Plan is available at www.southyorks.gov.uk.
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