Release of funding for a further 63 new vehicles as part of the rollout of bus franchising in West Yorkshire will go for approval by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) board on 30 July.
Papers for that meeting state that WYCA expects to buy 576 new battery-electric and diesel buses for all three rounds of franchising. It has already ordered 193 from Wrightbus to service large, Tier A contracts within the first round of Weaver Network rollout. Those services will start in mid-2027 and capture Dewsbury, Huddersfield, and one of two zones in Leeds.
A deposit of £30 million has been paid by WYCA, with the 30 July gathering seeking approval to release £90 million to honour the existing contract with Wrightbus and fund the 63 further buses that will be used on some Tier A contracts in round two of franchising.
It will capture Castleford, Featherstone, Knottingley, Normanton and Pontefract, the second Leeds zone, and parts of Wakefield. Go-live is early 2028, although complications with a new-build Tier A depot in Wakefield are likely to cause a delay to the launch of franchised services from that location to October 2028.
While approval on 30 July will take to 256 new buses for which funding is committed, WYCA notes how across Tier A contracts for all three rounds of franchising in the region, around 576 new vehicles will be required. The third and final round, capturing Bradford, Calderdale and other parts of Wakefield, will start in late-2028.
The 256 buses to be purchased for round one and some of round two will consist of:
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- 165 battery-electric double-decks
- 43 battery-electric single-decks
- 37 diesel double-decks
- Eight diesel single-decks
- Three diesel midibuses.
The meeting papers note that at present, 327 existing vehicles for Tier A contracts are expected to be sourced from incumbent operators via a residual value mechanism. Tier A awards across the three phases of franchising require 903 buses in total, thus leaving the shortfall of 576.
Of orders that WYCA expects to place at an estimated overall cost of £266 million, all will be made a minimum of 15 months before the first day of each franchising round. For smaller Tier B and Tier C awards, successful operators will be responsible for providing vehicles.
The 320 buses above procurements for round one and some of round two will service the third round of franchising rollout and the new Wakefield depot that forms part of the second round.
Approval of funding for the third tranche of bus purchases will be sought following a retendering exercise with manufacturers, planned for later in 2026. Across the entire planned 576-bus procurement, WYCA expects to buy:
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- 312 battery-electric double-decks
- 196 battery-electric single-decks
- 37 diesel double-decks
- 14 diesel single-decks
- 11 battery-electric midibuses
- Six diesel midibuses.
Diesel buses are slated to be replaced by 2036, at which point WYCA aspires to own a completely zero-emission fleet, although it notes that repower could feature in meeting that target.
Speaking about the planned 256-vehicle procurement for earlier parts of franchising, Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin says: “This investment demonstrates our commitment to building a better-connected West Yorkshire with a bus network that is fit for the future.
“Dozens of state-of-the-art electric buses are on the production line as we speak, while work is ongoing to bring depots and facilities into public control. The Weaver Network and its buses will be the pride of West Yorkshire.”
