Bus companies could be forced to sell West Yorkshire depots

But publicly-controlled bus routes, known as the Weaver Network, could be introduced in Ilkley and parts of West Leeds in 2027.

On Thursday, members of West Yorkshire Combined Authority voted to support plans to move forward with franchising the region’s bus services – a move that will give the Authority a say over where and when buses run.

It will see bus companies bid for contracts to run services in various different areas.

A report to the committee revealed that West Yorkshire would be divided into nine zones, with different “rounds” of franchising.

The first round – and the first areas to get franchised buses, will be the Heavy Woolen area, Kirklees and West Leeds/Ilkley.

The second round will include Five Towns, the remainder of Leeds and Wakefield.

The final round will include Bradford, Calderdale and Keighley.

Members heard that as part of the franchising preparations, the authority was in negotiations with bus companies to purchase various depots across the region.

If these negotiations fail, the Authority could force the sale of the depots through compulsory purchase orders.

A report to members said: “As depots are an illiquid and fixed asset which, unlike fleet, cannot be moved or developed easily, a lack of access to depot facilities could mean that operators are unable to enter or compete in the market.

“This is particularly the case for larger contracts, if operators do not have access to depots, and potentially hinders the growth ambitions for many Small and Medium-size Operators. The Combined Authority’s proposed Depot Strategy therefore assumes the acquisition of a strategically located depot in each Zone for contracts exceeding a certain level of Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR) to remove barriers to entry and increase competition.”

At the meeting Paul Matthews, Director of Bus Franchising, said: “Getting to this stage has been very time consuming.”

He said the Authority had learned lessons from other Councils, including Manchester, that had gone down the franchising route.

He added; “We’ve been in discussions with the owners of existing depots – having access to depots is critical.

“To mitigate the risk of non-delivery we are looking at compulsory purchase powers in parallel to commercial negotiations.”

After the meeting Bradford Council Leader and chair of the CA’s Transport Committee Susan Hinchcliffe said: “For too long, bus passengers in West Yorkshire have suffered from unreliable services and cancellations – and that is just for the routes that haven’t been cut completely. 

“A franchised network will allow us to run buses in the interests of the people who use them.”