West and South Yorkshire Mayors team up to fund extra bus services

06 May 2025

An agreement between West and South Yorkshire Combined Authorities, and bus operator Stagecoach will see increased frequency on services linking Barnsley with Wakefield and Pontefract, starting on April 26. 

It follows similar interventions from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to run the City Circle service in Bradford, and the “superloop” in Leeds to ensure communities across the region have access to important public transport links.

Interventions in South Yorkshire include new and enhanced bus services to provide improved connections to major employment sites at Grimethorpe, Waverley, Sheffield Business Park, Europa Link, Armthorpe, Iport, Lakeside, Wheatley and the wider Meadowhall employment and retail zone area.

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “I am proud to be working alongside Stagecoach to bring more cross-border services between Wakefield and Barnsley. 

“We recognise people’s lives aren’t neatly contained within one town or city – many people from Wakefield have links to South Yorkshire and vice versa. 

"This also reflects our White Rose Agreement commitments to working across borders within Yorkshire. 

“While we are working towards a fully-franchised bus system across West Yorkshire by 2028, we will ensure people living in more remote parts of our region keep those vital public transport links.”

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: “Buses are essential for our communities. They’re not an optional extra. 

“That’s why I’m working with Yorkshire Mayors, like Tracy, through our recently signed White Rose Agreement to improve cross-border bus services so we can connect our people to services, to jobs, training and opportunity, and to friends and family.  

“It’s also why I took the historic decision back in March to bring our bus services back under public control. Starting in 2027 we’ll begin to take back control of routes, fares and timetables across South Yorkshire. 

“Introducing these services between our two regions is just one step on our journey to creating a public transport system that allows people to get where they want to go, when they want to go there.” 

Matt Kitchin, Managing Director for Stagecoach Yorkshire, said: “We’re proud to work with West and South Yorkshire Combined Authorities to deliver better bus connections across the region. The more frequent services 28/38 and 59 will help make travel easier for passengers. 

“Bus X19 between Barnsley and Doncaster has also been doubled in frequency, helping to better connect local communities. These changes are part of a wider effort, supported by the West and South Yorkshire Combined Authorities to strengthen public transport links, working with Stagecoach.”
  
Buses 59/59A from Barnsley and Royston to Wakefield are increased from once an hour to run every 30 minutes during weekday daytimes, as well as improved evening services.

A new, hourly 38 route will operate in addition to the 28, along the same route in West Yorkshire, from Pontefract to Barnsley via Hemsworth and Grimethorpe, meaning an increase from hourly to half-hourly services during daytimes from Monday to Saturday.