Just to keep you updated South Yorkshire Transport has supplied the following information re closures of Travel Information Centres and how to obtain their new services:
Travel Information Centres Closing (click here)
We recently had a slight nightmare when the website was severely damaged. Fortunately the site has now been rebuilt and this message is the last of the “lost” bulletins to be reloaded. It was first published at the end of March 2015 by South Yorkshire Transport by the deputy interim director, David Young.
I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with a briefing on new public transport information, timetable and ticketing choices that will soon be available for passengers in South Yorkshire.
More choice for buying a ticket
From Monday 30 March passengers will be able to buy a range of 7 and 28 day TravelMaster tickets – offering unlimited travel on bus, tram and train in South Yorkshire – from over 300 local Payzone outlets. Payzone outlets tend to be in local shops, often with extended opening hours, meaning that passengers no longer have to travel to an Interchange to buy their ticket.
Tickets will still be available at an Interchange, either from the existing debit/credit card ticket machines, or alternatively from new ticket machines which accept payment by cash as well as card. These machines will be available from the end of March and will offer customers the opportunity to buy tickets up to 33 days in advance and at a time more convenient to them.
If you currently buy an annual TravelMaster then you will be able to buy/renew your ticket online by creating a MyTSY account at www.travelsouthyorkshire.com. You will also of course be able to renew/buy this product by post.
For passengers wanting to purchase a day ticket such as Citywide or TravelMaster then they will have the added option to be able to buy a (Mobile) m-ticket using a smartphone and I will ensure that we write to you when this functionality is available. If you haven’t got a smartphone you can still buy a day ticket onboard your bus, tram or train as you can now.
Finding out Public Transport Information
For passengers wanting to find out public transport information we have great new tools at www.travelsouthyorkshire.com from the end of the month. Customers can save favourite journeys and also save their timetables for viewing or even print at home.
Full timetables will continue to be available online via our website at www.travelsouthyorkshire.com. This is already the most popular way of accessing timetables. We are, changing the format of the printable PDF file to an A4 format and simplifying the content. Timetables will be provided in a standard 12 point typeface making them easier to read on a screen and as a printout. These changes are expected to be in place by the end of April with some PDFs being revised at the end of March.
Timetables information will also continue to be available at bus/tram stops and train stations and you will see new signage at the Interchanges showing customers where poster information is available. You will of course still be able to call Traveline on 01709 515151 where, as always, staff are happy to help.
I am pleased to be able to tell you that following discussions with public transport operators, First, Stagecoach, TM Travel and Stagecoach Supertram have agreed to produce some paper timetable leaflets which will be available in Interchanges.
Applying for or renewing an elderly/student/megatravel pass
Applying for a new or renewing an elderly/student/megatravel pass will be even easier. From April you can complete the whole process of applying/renewing an elderly pass online at www.travelsouthyorkshire.com, again using the MyTSY account option. For those without access to the Internet you can still pick up a form at an interchange and either post this back to us or pop it in a customer post box which will be available in the Interchange next to the Customer Service Desk. You can apply for pass protection at the same time and if you require a wallet for your pass you can simply ask a Customer Service Assistant in one of the Interchanges. You will soon be able to also apply for a student/megatravel pass in exactly the same way as an elderly pass and I will write to you when this option is available.
Applying for a disabled persons pass
You can apply for a disabled persons pass by picking up a form from the Interchange and posting it back to us or dropping it in the Customer Post Box, after securing the approvals through the Local Authority process. You can also call Traveline regarding this matter. We are working hard with Local Authorities to simplify this process further and allow people to apply direct from the Local Authority. This will follow in the summer,
National Express tickets will no longer be available from SYPTE but they are available from Post Offices as well as other commercial outlets and via the Internet. Their shop in Sheffield Interchange will continue to sell their own tickets and is unaffected by SYPTE’s proposed changes.
Asking a Customer Service Advisor
We have Customer Service Desks in Interchanges where Customer Service Assistants are, as always, happy to help. Customers can visit the desks if they are unsure or would like help. Traveline, our local customer call centre, continues to be available on 01709 515151 and again staff are always happy to help.
As you can see we have a lot happening over the next couple of months and we need your help in working with customers to change the way they buy tickets, apply for passes and find out public transport information. With this in mind we will be keeping the Travel Information Centres open for a couple of months after the main options described above are introduced in order to help customers through the changes. The shops themselves will shut at the close of business on the 30th May.
We will be sending you regular updates regarding these developments and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact our communications team at communications@sypte.co.uk or 0114 221 1491.
Yours sincerely
DAVID YOUNG
DEPUTY INTERIM DIRECTOR GENERAL