An overarching Weaver Network identity will be used on locally controlled public transport in West Yorkshire, including franchised bus services in the region from 2027.
The green-based brand was unveiled by Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin (pictured, third from right) and the region’s five council leaders on 12 May. It has been applied to a demonstrator Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV battery-electric double-decker.
Inspiration for the Weaver Network name follows work to explore the West Yorkshire cultural heritage and its textile history. That has included the involvement of poet laureate and local resident Simon Armitage.
The visual approach “reflects the cultural fabric of modern-day West Yorkshire,” the West Yorkshire Combined Authority says. “It will drive forward an overriding ambition to improve lives by connecting people with places.”
In March 2024, Ms Brabin decided that bus franchising in West Yorkshire is the avenue of service reform. Rollout will be phased. Parts of Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield are slated to be first, starting by March 2027.
Weaver Network branding will be deployed gradually and start with existing replacements at bus stops and stations. It will gain further traction in 2027 with the start of franchising and then be included on a planned West Yorkshire tram system, for which construction will begin during 2028.
Ms Brabin describes the Weaver Network brand as “a fresh, modern identity for transport in West Yorkshire, reflecting our greater powers through devolution, as well as ongoing work to bring buses back under public control and create a fully integrated mass transit network.”
She continues: “This will help us on our journey to creating a transport system that is easier to use, and demonstrates our ambition to create a better-connected region that works for all.”
WYCA Transport Committee Chair Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe says that the region currently has “about 19” different brands in use across its bus network.
The Weaver Network identity will displace the long-established Metro brand in West Yorkshire. Metro will be retired, as will related identities Leeds Park-and-Ride and CityConnect.
