The Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport, is visiting South Yorkshire this Friday (15 June 2007) to officially open Barnsley Interchange, discuss bus services in Sheffield, and also view the initial work on Doncaster's Quality Bus Corridor (QBC).
In the morning he will visit Barnsley to formally open the new £24 million interchange, which opened to the public last month.
Mr Alexander will have the opportunity to see the innovative interchange, which combines both bus and rail facilities in the heart of the town centre, being used by people living, working and visiting Barnsley.
In the afternoon the Secretary of State will attend the Sheffield Bus Forum - a conference which will bring MPs, councillors, bus operators and transport officers together to talk about bus services across the county.
At the special forum, which is being hosted by Angela Smith MP at the Cutlers' Hall in Sheffield, Mr Alexander will take part in a question and answer session with the public on how he intends to improve services in South Yorkshire and other cities in the UK.
Other members of the panel include Nicola Shaw, Managing Director of First Buses; Paul Lynch, Managing Director, Stagecoach Yorkshire; Roy Wicks, Director General of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE); Anita Russell of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry and leading politicians from South Yorkshire.
The panel will be discussing the Local Transport Bill which the Government published back in May. More information on the draft Local Transport Bill is available online.
After the forum Mr Alexander will travel to Doncaster to visit the site of a planned park and ride, which is part of the A638 QBC.
Speaking about the forthcoming visit Roy Wicks, Director General of SYPTE said: "We are delighted that the Secretary of State for Transport is coming to South Yorkshire this Friday. Barnsley Interchange is an innovative, creative bus station which has really transformed public transport in Barnsley and I am delighted that the Secretary of State for Transport has agreed to formally open it.
"Since the interchange opened in May it has become a landmark in Barnsley and thousands of people are using it each week. I hope this success continues and that many more people are encouraged to use public transport in the coming weeks, months and years."
Mayor of Doncaster, Martin Winter added: "I'm delighted to welcome the Secretary of State to Doncaster to see for himself the regeneration of our Borough and how we are leading the way with our Quality Bus Corridor.
SYPTE is a member of the Travel South Yorkshire partnership.
The aim of the partnership is to bring public transport together, encourage more people to use it, make it easier to understand and deliver new, innovative public transport products and services.
Travel South Yorkshire is the new identity of the public transport network in South Yorkshire.