The West Yorkshire bus franchising dynamic market has attracted 25 operators that are interested in bidding for contracts under a regulated marketplace in the region.
Such detail is contained within data published on the find a tender service. Membership of the dynamic market is required to bid for bus franchising contracts in West Yorkshire and tender documents will only be sent to those parties.
Participation is split across Part A – for West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA)-provided depots that will house large contracts – and the combined Part B and Part C that will deliver smaller contracts from operator-sourced depots.
Those descriptors sit with the tier approach adopted for the transition to franchising. Eight geographical regions will be split into nine zones, with Leeds accounting for two of those. Services will run under the green-based Weaver Network brand.
Within each zone will be a single large Tier A lot, typically built around a strategically located depot. Numerous smaller Tier B lots will be included, while Tier C lots will capture home-to-school services, and hence a number of coach operators are represented on the dynamic market. Procurement is to occur over three rounds.
Publication of dynamic market participants includes a note that failing to apply before 3 October may leave the operator unable to bid for round 1 contracts, but it otherwise says that applications can be made at any time. The dynamic market runs until 18 August 2032.
Of the 12 operators that have joined the dynamic market for Part A large contracts, each ‘big five’ group is present, with Arriva, First Bus, Go-Ahead, National Express and Stagecoach all having joined both that and the market for Part B and Part C.
Other larger operators to join Part A are Rotala, via its Diamond Bus North West undertaking; Metroline via a Metroline West Yorkshire business that was incorporated in July; Tower Transit; Transdev Blazefield; and Transport UK. Two SMEs have joined Part A in DM Motor Services of Tockwith in North Yorkshire, and Ascendal Group subsidiary Whippet.
Among members of the Part A dynamic market, only Metroline and Transport UK are not also members of Part B and Part C. That leaves 23 participants in the dynamic market for smaller contracts.
All operators that are interested in bidding only for Tier B or Tier C contracts are SMEs. They are A Lyles and Son; B&H Travel; Connexions Buses; E Stott and Sons; J&B Travel; Kilvingtons of Leeds; Lether’s Travel; Ross Travel; Squarepeg Buses; Stringers Pontefract Motorways; Tetley’s Coaches, which is part of First Bus; TLC Travel; and West Yorkshire Travel.
Procurement of the first bus franchising contracts in West Yorkshire is expected to start in October. The first franchised buses are due on the road from March 2027. Parts of Leeds and Kirklees form part of the opening round of contract awards.
