Conservative candidate for South Yorkshire mayor to explore free bus fare for hospital routes

Bessacarr councillor Nick Allen has announced that he will explore making bus fares on hospital routes in South Yorkshire free of charge if he is elected as mayor.

Coun Allen announced his candidacy for the mayoral election on 2 May earlier this month.

He will be running against current Labour mayor Oliver Coppard, who has held the position since 2022.

The election was called ahead of term as the functions of the Police and Crime Commissioner were transferred to the authority.

Discussing his policy plan, Coun Allen said: “It would be worth experimenting with the routes that go past hospitals to see if more people use them or if they can be made more efficient by making them free of charge.

“Obviously, it is not going to just happen overnight and a lot of what needs to be done is outside the Mayor’s remit but it would be worth making the case that these particular bus routes should be free of charge for all users.

“There are other types of routes which could be looked at too, for example services which go past schools.

“As mayor I would look into how a trial could be implemented so that hospital services become free of charge.

“There would be lots of benefits, not least cutting out all the wasted time queueing waiting for people to tap a pass or pay a fare.

“It might also encourage more people to use the buses generally which should hopefully generate more revenue overall.

“Obviously, public transport is a huge cost to the tax-payer but we need to be realistic with what prices can be charged for fares etc.

“I believe that making certain routes free of charge would actually help boost the service, it would also save bus users a lot of money too!”

Coun Allen has represented the Bessacarr ward since 2015, campaigning against the sale of green spaces in the area and illegal fishing at Doncaster’s Lakeside.

He works for the office of Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher, who has endorsed his campaign for mayor.