Public transport in South Yorkshire, England mainly consists of three modes: bus, tram and train. Passengers can switch between these modes of transport at various interchanges operated by the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority (under the passenger-facing brand Travel South Yorkshire).
On buses and trams, single and multi-trip tickets can be purchased on-board from the bus driver or tram conductor. These are usually only valid for travel with the same operator. Each operator also sells mobile tickets via their respective apps.
At the start of 2023, a ã2 single fare cap was introduced on buses and trams as part of a nationwide scheme to combat the cost of living crisis. In November 2023 the tram fare cap was raised to ã2.80, and on 1 January 2025, the bus fare cap was increased to ã3 in line with the national fare cap scheme. Tram fares also increased again.
Since 1 January 2026, single tram fares have been capped at ã3.
TravelMaster is an organisation operated by the major transport operators within South Yorkshire, and sells a range of multi-modal tickets valid either within Sheffield or the whole county. Tickets can typically be used across any operator in the valid area.
Most tickets require a smartcard to use, which can be purchased online, or alongside the ticket at some locations. Concessionary smartcards are available for young people, giving them discounts on most tickets.
1, 7 and 28-day tickets can be purchased online, on the TravelMaster app, at many bus interchanges and at Payzone outlets within South Yorkshire. 1-day and 7-day tickets can also be purchased on board trams and buses (with some restrictions when using contactless payments).
Various concessionary travel schemes are available for young people and students, senior citizens and the mobility impaired.
There is a single reduced fare for children under 11 across all buses and trams. Children under 4 can travel for free.
Young people between 11 and 18 years old who live in South Yorkshire can get a free Zoom Under 16 or Zoom 16-18, which must be shown to travel at the child fare. There are also Zoom Zero passes which allow primary and secondary school students to travel to and from school for free - these can be purchased or funded by a local council if eligible.
Under 18s living in Barnsley can travel for free using the Barnsley MiCard. There are plans to roll this out county-wide in the future.
Young people between the ages of 18 and 22 who live in South Yorkshire (including students who live in Sheffield during term-time) can get a Zoom Beyond 18-21 travel pass, permitting the user to travel at reduced single fares on trams and some buses. Originally it allowed the holder to travel at the same single fare as under-18s. In 2023, reduced government funding led to the scheme nearly being scrapped. It was later announced that the scheme would continue, but in a weaker form - with fares nearly doubling.
Most operators offer reduced fares to students if shown a valid student ID. However, the exact fares can vary between operators. This may include both single and multi-day tickets.
Residents with some disabilities may be eligible for a free Disabled pass, which entitles them to free bus services within England and free tram services within South Yorkshire, along with free Northern train journeys between South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. There is also the +Carer pass, which allows a carer to travel with the pass holder, and the Visually Impaired pass, which allows the holder to show the card to the driver instead of scanning it.
South Yorkshire residents who have reached state pension age are eligible for a free Senior pass, which entitles them to free bus services within England and free tram services within South Yorkshire during certain times of day. It also gives half-price tickets for Northern trains, and some free journeys to hospital appointments with some operators.
Since 1994, most bus routes in South Yorkshire have been operated by private companies. These include First, Stagecoach and TM Travel. There are some free "Sheffield Connect" bus services funded by SYMCA that operate in a loop though Sheffield city centre.
Travel South Yorkshire operate nine bus interchanges and several smaller stations, many of which have been newly built or refurbished in the early 2000s. These bus interchanges provide a hub for local, regional and sometimes national bus and coach services, and in some locations also provide an interchange facility onto tram and rail services.
<nowiki/>'Mini' interchanges:
Smaller stations:
The South Yorkshire Supertram is operated by the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority, and runs regular services across four lines connecting various areas of Sheffield and Rotherham:
Single/return journey tickets can be purchased on-board, or multi-day tickets can be purchased online. Single long-journey tickets allow changing lines and are valid for 1 hour travelling in the same direction.
There are multiple railway stations in each of the four towns/cities of South Yorkshire. Regional services to destinations across the UK are available from Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield, and Meadowhall Interchange.
All stations with National Rail services are listed below (in no particular order):
Eleven new stations were opened by SYPTE between 1983 and 1993. Many of these were re-opened former stations previously closed in the 1960s under the Beeching cuts, but not all; Goldthorpe and Thurnscoe were entirely new stations, Rotherham Central was built to replace the closing which was further away from Rotherham town centre, and Meadowhall Interchange was built to serve the new Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Rotherham Parkgate, the terminus of the Sheffield Supertram tram-train pilot scheme from Sheffield city centre, opened in October 2018.
Stations in italics are located outside of the South Yorkshire CMA area.
Notes:
Before the Sheffield Supertram there used to tramway networks across each town in South Yorkshire. The Sheffield Tramway was the largest and the longest lasting, opening in 1873 and closing in 1960. Some of the trams used on the Sheffield Tramway are now at the National Tramway Museum.
In 1985, the SYPTE purchased an Alexander RH bodied Dennis Dominator trolleybus with a view to reintroducing a trolleybus network. A one mile section on Sandall Beat Road alongside Doncaster Racecourse was wired. However with deregulation in 1986, the project was shelved.