Three women to be voices on board Bradford buses

Irene Kaali (left), Humaira Bham (right) and Olivia Wright (not pictured) will be the new voices of buses in Bradford

The voices of three women from Bradford will be used for announcements on board the city's bus fleet.

Irene Kaali, Humaira Bham and Olivia Wright won the BBC's New Voices Bradford competition in May 2024

Their pre-recorded information about routes and stops will be used by First buses during the UK City of Culture year.

Ms Kaali said: "I'm really hoping that people will leave this year thinking, wow, we are just as valued, just as special, just as exciting and have so much to offer."

The voices will be heard on all First buses around the Bradford district

Ms Bham added: "I remember going to university and hearing some southern woman doing announcements on the bus, so its going to be really cool to hear a Bradfordian accent."

The recordings were made in the BBC Radio Leeds studios. A total of 160 buses working on 35 routes will use them.

First's operations director for West Yorkshire, Megan Hope, said: "The local accents give a genuine Bradford and Yorkshire touch to the announcements, which is a real change from the AI technology we normally use."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.