Branding unveiled for South Yorkshire’s new £1.5bn public transport network

New branding for the £1.5bn public transport network coming to South Yorkshire has been unveiled.

A bold orange and asphalt black has been chosen as the colour scheme for the upcoming South Yorkshire People’s Network, the new transportation system that will bring public transport under public control.

The transport network hopes to replace a system that local authorities and residents say lets people down by rising fares, impractical routes and cuts to services.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard promises the network will be reliable, affordable and easy to use after the £1.5bn investment transforms the system.

The mayor said: “Public transport in South Yorkshire has been broken for too long. I promised to make change happen, to give South Yorkshire back the world-class public transport system we once had, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

“That’s why we’re putting in a huge investment to fix our public transport system, backed by even greater ambition, so that we can build something that truly works for all of us across South Yorkshire; a real People’s Network.”

Some £630m of the investment will be allocated to the tram network, with 25 new trams being iontroduced into service in the next five years.

Trams are the first public transport to be taken back under public control. In the future, the network also hopes to explore tram extensions, supported by £7.5m from the government to develop plans.

Reforms to South Yorkshire’s buses will be supported by £350m of the investment, which, along with driver uniforms, will also showcase the distinctive orange and black colour scheme from next year.

The authorities will start putting buses under public control from next year, with simplified ticket systems.

Bus franchising will start in Doncaster and Sheffield in September 2027, covering all four of South Yorkshire’s boroughs by 2029 .

The branding will appear first on bus stops, shelters and interchanges, on tram staff uniform and on a new South Yorkshire People’s Network website, replacing Travel South Yorkshire by the end of the year.

The mayor’s South Yorkshire-wide e-bike subscription programme and Sheffield City Council’s e-bike hire scheme will also be rebranded.

In the next few years, free travel for all under‑18s will be extended from Barnsley to Sheffield, with a wider ambition to introduce it across the whole of South Yorkshire by Summer 2027.

Alongside the launch, investment plans are being put in place to reopen Doncaster Sheffield airport, with the aim of flights returning by 2028.

Read more: Five new railway stations set to open in West Midlands as part of £185m project