Decision details

The purpose of this proposal is to seek approval for the delivery of a Christmas public transport travel offer.  This scheme will provide a free TravelMaster bus and tram day ticket for travel.  This will be available from the 1^stDecember 2024.

(a)      To authorise the use of £24,000 (from in-year bus gate income and festive buses budget) to fund the acquisition of 4,000 TravelMaster CityWide Bus and Tram day travel tickets.

(b)      To authorise the release of the tickets via the BetterPoints app to support sustainable travel and reduced impacts of congestion during December 2024.

On the 27^th September 2023 the Waste & Street Scene (W&S) Committee considered the potential options to provide free car parking during the Christmas period. In considering this, the W&S Committee determined that it would not implement a free parking offer. Environmental and financial issues were deemed to contribute to this decision. It was however recommended that the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee should consider the potential to introduce a public transport incentive to encourage people to visit the city centre by bus.

Following discussions with SYMCA, SY TravelMaster and Bus Operators, potential options for a proposal was considered that would encourage people to use public transport to visit the city centre at Christmas.

This proposal formed the basis of a 2023 Christmas public transport travel ticket offer that the council chose to undertake to:

• Align with, and complement, the Council’s programme of Christmas activity each year in the city centre.
• Support Clean Air and Net Zero ambitions. 
• Support public transport usage.
• Reduce private car use along with related environmental impacts.
• Support SCC’s strategy towards active and sustainable travel.

The purpose of the 2023 proposal was therefore to fund a scheme that provides a free day's travel for up to 10,000 people during the festive period. This scheme aimed to support and encourage people to visit the hospitality and retail offer being offered during what is a crucial trading period for businesses. This aimed to supports the existing networks in hospitality, e.g., Sheffield BID, Unite (evening economy group) etc.

This scheme was deemed to be successful, culminating in:

• 1,497 tickets redeemed.
• 29% increase in recorded bus trips (BetterPoints users), which averaged 5,648 prior to the promotion and 7,289 during it.
• Support towards the BetterPoints app with 1,447 new registered users in December 2023.

The 2023 offer “set a base” for delivering a further offer. Following discussions with Transport Regeneration and Climate Committee they have requested that the proposal for 2024 will be to offer a similar “free” travel offer. This will however provide a more realistic estimation of targeted demand and so a lower financial budgetary need compared to 2023. As a result, the scheme will take the form:

• Ticket vouchers acquired via the BetterPoints app. The ticket voucher is then issued for redemption via TravelMaster app. New members receive ticket for joining. Current members can utilise awarded points from the app.
• 4,000 vouchers of which 200 available as physical scratchcards for people that cannot access digitally.
• Timescale for offer – 01 December 2024 to 26 December 2024 for the acquisition of tickets.

Undertaking the scheme for 2024 therefore aims further:

• Seek to increase footfall to support the Christmas retail and hospitality offer.
• Promote access to, and use of, sustainable transport.
• Reduce congestion within the City Centre at a time where there would be significant demand because of Christmas festivities. 

No alternative options other than those identified above have been considered.