West Yorkshire Combined Authority Bus Reform Programme

Following her election in May 2021, Mayor Tracy Brabin pledged to ‘bring buses back under public control, introduce simpler fares contactless ticketing and greener buses’. Therefore, in line with exploring different models for delivery (including franchising and enhanced partnership) in June 2021, the Combined Authority issued a Notice of Intent to conduct an assessment of a franchising scheme. The Combined Authority currently works in collaboration with existing commercial bus operators in West Yorkshire, via the West Yorkshire Bus Alliance, to oversee the delivery of improvements to the region’s bus network. As of April 2022 the Alliance has functioned as an Enhanced Partnership. The Combined Authority would like to engage with organisations from both inside and outside of our region and further afield to discuss the potential of bus reform and the opportunity of redefining the West Yorkshire bus market for the first time in a generation.