Buses to be brought back under public control

Buses in West Yorkshire will be brought back under public control

Bus services in West Yorkshire are to be brought back under public control, the region's mayor has announced.

Tracy Brabin recommended bus franchising as the best way to improve the network across the county.

It would mean the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) would decide on services and timetables.

Ms Brabin said it marked a "historic moment" and would serve to "put passengers first".

A spokesperson for Arriva Yorkshire said they "look forward to working closely with the Mayor and her team to help achieve their ambitions for improved bus services for passengers in West Yorkshire."

Meanwhile, managing director of First Bus in West Yorkshire Andrew Cullen said: "We want to continue working with WYCA to deliver more improvements to bus operations for our communities".

The estimated cost of franchising would require a one–off transition investment by the authority of £15.1m spread over four years, as well as an £85.5m investment in depots, a meeting of the WYCA heard.

The government's 2017 Bus Services Act gave English 'metro mayors' new powers to set up Transport for London-style bus franchise systems.

A public consultation on the proposal ran from October 2023 to January 2024, with about 82% of people who responded saying they either supported or supported in part the move to franchising.

A report for the WYCA said the number of people using buses in West Yorkshire had been declining for a decade, with bus trips down from 167.7m in 2011-12 to 92.3m in 2021-22.

It also said the number of miles being operated had fallen from 60.9m miles in 2011 to 46.3m miles in 2021-22.

'Better-connected network'

The first franchised buses are expected to launch in parts of Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield from March 2027.

Ms Brabin said: "I’m delighted to announce that we are taking back control of our buses in West Yorkshire, empowering the public to hold me to account for better services.

“For too long, buses have been run in the interests of private companies, not passengers.

"Franchising will help us build a better-connected bus network that works for all, not just company shareholders.

“But we know that change will not happen overnight - the hard work we’ve been doing to improve the bus network continues while we work at pace to bring this new way of running the buses to our 2.4m residents.”

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