Heckmondwike
The first bus station to get Weaver signage. It was due to open as the first Weaver Network bus station on 20 September 2026, with live information displays, more indoor seating, a Changing Places toilet, cycle parking and solar panels.
The new buses
Green, electric, and back in public hands.
From spring 2027, West Yorkshire’s buses start coming back under public control for the first time in nearly 40 years. Here’s what franchising actually means, when it reaches your area, and what the new buses are like.
Franchising in plain English
Same drivers, different boss
Franchising doesn’t mean the council drives the buses. Bus companies still run them, but under contract, to a timetable and a standard that the public sets. Here’s who decides what.
| Decision | Since deregulation (1986 to now) | Weaver franchising (2027 onwards) |
|---|---|---|
| Routes | Each operator picks the commercial routes it wants to run. The Combined Authority can pay for some extra services. | The Combined Authority decides the whole network. |
| Timetables & frequencies | Set by each operator for its own services. | Set by the Combined Authority, so routes can be planned together. |
| Fares & tickets | Set by each operator, with the Mayor’s Fares cap and MCard tickets on top. | Set by the Combined Authority for every franchised bus. |
| Buses & depots | Owned by the operators. | The Combined Authority will own most buses and depots for the larger contracts. |
| Who runs them | Up to 19 different operators (May 2025). | Operators, under contract, to standards set by the Combined Authority. |
| What it looks like | Each company’s own colours and branding. | One network, one name, Weaver green. |
Sources The Combined Authority’s own description of franchising, plus Wikipedia on deregulation. Greater Manchester’s Bee Network was the first franchised network outside London. Its rollout finished in January 2025, and Weaver is West Yorkshire’s equivalent.
How we got here
- 1 Apr 1974
Metro is born
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive forms. “Metro” becomes its public name.
- 26 Oct 1986
Deregulation
Under the Transport Act 1985, private operators outside London set their own routes, timetables and fares.
- Oct 1988
Yorkshire Rider sold
The public bus operation is privatised in a management buyout. In 1995 it is bought by what became First West Yorkshire.
- 2017
Bus Services Act
Mayoral combined authorities get the power to franchise buses.
- Oct 2023 – Mar 2024
Consultation, then decision
A large majority of consultation responses back franchising. The Mayor confirms the decision on 14 March 2024.
- May 2025
Weaver named
The brand is announced on 12 May 2025, drawing on the county’s textile heritage.
- 1 Sep 2026
First contracts signed
Phase 1 contracts go to First West Yorkshire and Transdev Blazefield.
Our view
The prize isn’t the paint job. It’s the timetable.
Once one body sets every bus timetable, there’s finally someone whose job it is to make the 17:58 train and the bus home fit together. That’s the bit we’ll be watching. See why it matters →
The rollout
Three phases, Kirklees first
Franchising arrives in three rounds between spring 2027 and late 2028. Pick a date to see how it spreads.
Stylised, not to scale. Phases follow contract areas based around bus depots, so they don’t match district boundaries exactly. Exact areas for each phase haven’t been mapped publicly in detail.
Phase 1 operators
Huddersfield & parts of Leeds
First West Yorkshire
In 1995 it bought Yorkshire Rider, the bus company privatised from Metro in 1988.
Dewsbury
Transdev Blazefield
Running Dewsbury’s franchised services under contract.
Contracts signed by 1 September 2026. Later phases are still being procured.
-
Spring (May) 2027 · Phase 1
Huddersfield, Dewsbury and parts of Leeds
The first franchised Weaver buses run, mainly in Kirklees. Contracts cover services from the Bramley, Dewsbury and Huddersfield depots. The Weaver website and app launch in 2027.
-
Early 2028 · Phase 2
Mainly parts of Leeds and Wakefield
The second round of contracts.
-
Late (autumn) 2028 · Phase 3
Bradford, Calderdale and the rest of Wakefield
The last round. By the end of 2028, every bus in West Yorkshire is under public control.
The new fleet
193 electric buses, built by Wrightbus
A contract worth up to £100m for single- and double-deck electric buses, built in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. They enter service from spring 2027 and roll out in stages to late 2028.
193
new electric buses, single- and double-deck
£100m
maximum value of the Wrightbus contract
£39m
approved for zero-emission buses in October 2025
150+
green Weaver bus shelters being installed
- Electric rampsElectrically powered accessible ramps at the door.
- Two wheelchair spacesPlus an extra flexible space for pushchairs and luggage.
- USB-A and USB-CCharging points at every seat.
- Fully electricZero emissions at the tailpipe, with air conditioning on board.
- Woven in West YorkshireSeat fabric from Camira Fabrics, a West Yorkshire textiles firm. Fitting, for a network named after weaving.
- Distinctive green liveryWeaver buses carry their own green colours. They were on the Wrightbus production line when the Mayor visited on 1 October 2026.
Bus stations
Better places to change buses
Weaver signs are going up as old ones come up for replacement, and three Kirklees bus stations are being rebuilt or refreshed first.
Huddersfield: £28m
Work began on 1 June 2026 and is due to finish in spring 2028. The station stays open throughout. Plans include real-time bus and rail information screens, a Changing Places facility, a new entrance canopy, a green roof and cycle parking.
Dewsbury
Dewsbury Bus Station is expected to reopen later in 2026, making it the second of three Weaver bus stations in Kirklees.
Fares
What a bus ride costs, and where it’s heading
Under franchising, the Combined Authority sets the fares, so tickets can be simple and work on every Weaver bus, whoever runs it.
From Sept 2022
£2 single
Mayor’s Fares cap single bus fares at £2.
Since 30 March 2025 · now
£2.50 single
The cap rises to £2.50 for a single and £6 for a DaySaver.
Planned for 2027
£2 single?
In July 2026 the Government announced a £2 single-fare cap on participating buses in England outside London, from 1 January to 31 December 2027.
MCard
19–25s
MCard, West Yorkshire’s smartcard and ticket brand, offers cheaper fares for 19 to 25-year-olds.
Hedge alert
We haven’t seen the full detail of how the 2027 £2 cap will apply to Weaver buses alongside Mayor’s Fares, so treat it as a plan, not a promise. What we’d like to see on fares: tap-on contactless with daily and weekly caps, valid on bus and train together, like Greater Manchester is building. More on that in How a joined-up network should work.
Sources
Checked on 4 October 2026. The bus drawing and district map are our own illustrations. “Our view” marks opinion.
- WYCA, Weaver Network (what franchising means; phases; signage; website and app in 2027).
- WYCA news, First franchising contracts signed, 1 September 2026 (operators, depots, rounds, ownership of buses and depots).
- Public Sector Executive, West Yorkshire signs first bus franchising contracts.
- Wikipedia, Weaver Network (West Yorkshire) (history from 1974; consultation; decision; tender; 19 operators; £39m).
- WYCA news, Hundreds of new electric buses (193 Wrightbus buses, up to £100m).
- bus-news, Wrightbus to supply 193 electric buses.
- WYCA news, Tens of millions being invested (ramps, wheelchair spaces, USB-A and USB-C).
- WYCA news, First look at new Weaver Network buses, 1 October 2026 (production line; Camira seat fabric; 150+ shelters; air conditioning).
- WYCA news, West Yorkshire’s first Weaver Network bus station, 7 September 2026 (Heckmondwike; Dewsbury).
- WYCA news, Work starts on Huddersfield Bus Station revamp, 29 May 2026.
- WYCA news, Mayor’s Fares: making it easier to get around West Yorkshire, 28 March 2025 (£2.50 single and £6 DaySaver from 30 March 2025); WYCA, Weaver Network (Mayor’s Fares from 2022; MCard).
- GOV.UK, Cheaper travel for millions with a third off fares, 22 July 2026 (£2 cap during 2027).
- Greater Manchester precedent: Marketing Stockport, Tap and go launches on Bee Network buses.