From: Matthew Smith, Hillsborough, Sheffield.

The failure of the South Yorkshire Mayor to follow Andy Burnham's footsteps in sorting out the dire public transport in South Yorkshire is having a wide reaching impact not just on bus passengers but on community cohesion and a brain drain across the county.

Over the border in Greater Manchester a bus ticket is available on the excellent Transport for Greater Manchester App allowing journeys into and out of the peak district on the bus for either £2 one way or £5 for all day travel.

At the Sheffield end the equivalent journey would mean having to buy a bus day saver for around £7 then having to pay for either another day saver or single fares to cover the part of the journey past the South Yorkshire boundary at Owler Bar, Rivelin Valley Road or Fox House.

A bus at Sheffield Interchange on Pond Street,

placeholder image — A bus at Sheffield Interchange on Pond Street,

That's an equivalent of a journey which costs £5 in Greater Manchester costing around £13. The current specification for the bus franchising model does not mention addressing this from what I have seen so bus passengers will continue to lose out on job opportunities, with the high cost of travel potentially putting work opportunities in the peak district completely out of reach to those on zero hour contracts and low pay.

Elsewhere workers in the East end of Sheffield are having to resort to e bikes and scooters many times not out of a desire to behave in an antisocial manner but due to public transport not being available to match up with shifts in the warehouses and factories. Mr Coppard really needs to get a grip and sort this out.