West Yorkshire has made two substantial commitments to its bus network. On November 2, FirstGroup announced a £109 million agreement with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority covering five depots, associated infrastructure and 330 buses, including 79 battery-electric vehicles. The authority is also spending £120 million on more than 250 new buses through a separate programme. These investments will help establish the region’s new franchised Weaver Network, but many of the assets being acquired will remain in use long after the first operating contracts have ended.

West Yorkshire’s fleet and depot commitments illustrate a problem explored in my 83-page report, The Bus Is Not the System. The accompanying TFIE Strategy Briefing assessment examines which decisions are becoming expensive to reverse and what authorities should establish before making their next commitments.

The Weaver Network changes the relationship between public transport planning and private bus operations. The Combined Authority will specify services and retain responsibility for passenger revenue under its initial large contracts, while private operators deliver the routes. The region is securing assets that will remain important regardless of which company operates the buses. In principle, that can make future competition easier because bidders do not each have to provide a new depot and fleet.

The challenge is that buses, operating contracts and infrastructure follow different clocks. An operating contract might last five or seven years. Vehicles can work through successive contracts, while depot buildings and electrical connections may remain useful for decades. A change in route patterns, population or employment locations can make an established depot less convenient.

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