The temporary measure has been announced to help people who have a current senior pass, access key services during the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance shopping at supermarkets, to align with initiatives by food retailers allowing OAP's exclusive access to their stores early in the morning.

Public Health England guidance recommends that anyone aged 70 or over follows social distancing measures in the coming weeks. This includes avoiding non-essential use of public transport. However, for some older people public transport is their only option, connecting them to vital health and support services and shops.

Mayor Jarvis said: “In these uncertain times we must all follow the advice from the NHS and Public Health England. At the moment people over 70 have been advised to stop all unnecessary travel.

“But we do know that they may still need to visit the supermarket to get vital supplies. Along with South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, I have therefore decided to extend the hours so that they are able to use their senior passes before 9.30am any day of the week. This will help people do their shopping and access the grace periods introduced by supermarkets.

“This is an extraordinarily difficult time for all our communities, businesses and public services and we are doing everything we can to support them. It is essential that people pull together and look out for each other. This means shopping sensibly and supporting others, particularly the elderly and vulnerable.”