West Yorkshire Bus Franchising - Round 2 Opportunities

Description

A decision was made on the 14th of March 2024 by Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, to bring buses back under local control in the biggest shake-up of the region's transport network in decades. Since that decision, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has continued to engage with bus operators and prepare for the transition to franchising. Contracts for Round 1 are expected to be awarded in August 2026, with Round 2 scheduled to launch in early July 2026. The previous notice indicated that the franchising programme would be delivered through nine geographic baskets of contracts. The first three baskets are currently being evaluated, and WYCA is now preparing to launch the procurement process for the next three baskets, each comprising a varying number of contracts depending on size and operational complexity.