---
title: "Bus Franchising Round 1 Tier B"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f4a2"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f4a2"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f4a2.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f4a2.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "West Yorkshire Combined Authority"
published: "2026-09-08"
---

# Bus Franchising Round 1 Tier B

Buyer: West Yorkshire Combined Authority  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f4a2

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## Summary

West Yorkshire Combined Authority procured franchised public road transport services under Bus Franchising Round 1 Tier B. The requirement covers bus operations for nine areas: Cleckheaton, Dewsbury Small, Kirklees North, Huddersfield Small, Holmfirth, Slaithwaite, Hebden Bridge, Leeds Bradford Airport and Leeds Pudsey. The services are classified as public road transport services and are delivered across West Yorkshire, including routes connecting communities with Leeds Bradford Airport. The procurement is a utilities-related service requirement managed by the Combined Authority, based in Leeds. It is split into area-based franchise agreements, with the named services awarded across the participating bus operators. The opportunity is therefore relevant to established bus companies and other transport operators able to provide franchised local public transport services in West Yorkshire.

The procurement is complete and awards were made on 8 September 2026 following a selective competitive flexible procedure. The nine awards are: Cleckheaton to The Go-Ahead Group Limited, £40m net (£48m gross); Dewsbury Small to The Go-Ahead Group Limited, £21m (£25.2m); Kirklees North to The Yorkshire Traction Company Limited, £17.5m (£21m); Huddersfield Small to Transdev Blazefield Limited, £26.5m (£31.8m); Holmfirth to Tower Transit Operations Ltd, £7m (£8.4m); Slaithwaite to E. Stott & Sons Limited, £7m (£8.4m); Hebden Bridge to Transdev Blazefield Limited, £4.5m (£5.4m); Leeds Bradford Airport to Tower Transit Operations Ltd, £21m (£25.2m); and Leeds Pudsey to The Go-Ahead Group Limited, £6m (£7.2m). Each franchise period is 18 September 2026 to 30 May 2032, with two possible one-year extensions to 28 May 2034. The procedure received 30 bids, with nine final-stage bids.

This award shows sustained demand from West Yorkshire Combined Authority for franchised bus operations delivered through separate local service packages. The successful suppliers include large national or regional transport groups and established SMEs, indicating that both scale and specialist local operating capability can be relevant, depending on the service area. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need demonstrable experience delivering public road transport services, the operational capacity to run reliable franchised routes, and a strong understanding of West Yorkshire communities and travel patterns. Experience serving urban, suburban, smaller-town and airport-linked routes would be particularly relevant to the range of areas covered here. Suppliers should also be prepared for a selective competitive flexible procedure and for competition against experienced bus operators, including both large companies and smaller local businesses.

## Notice

Bus Franchising Round 1 Tier B Franchise Agreements: Lot 4: Cleckheaton Lot 5: Dewsbury Small Lot 6: Kirklees North Lot 7: Huddersfield Small Lot 8: Holmfirth Lot 9: Slaithwaite Lot 10: Hebden Bridge Lot 11: Leeds Bradford Airport Lot 12: Leeds Pudsey

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084929-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large, SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 8 Sep 2026 |
| Contract period | 18 Sep 2026 - 30 May 2032 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £122,500,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | West Yorkshire Combined Authority |
| Locality | LEEDS |
| Postcode area | Leeds |
| Postcode | LS1 2DE |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber |
| ITL 2 | TLE4 West Yorkshire |
| ITL 3 | TLE42 Leeds |
| Local authority | Leeds |
| Electoral ward | Little London & Woodhouse |
| Westminster constituency | Leeds Central and Headingley |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 5 |
| Supplier names | THE GO-AHEAD GROUP LIMITED; THE YORKSHIRE TRACTION COMPANY LIMITED; Transdev Blazefield Ltd; Tower Transit Operations Limited; E.Stott & Sons Ltd |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 60112000 - Public road transport services

## Release History

- 8 Sep 2026 at 14:16 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084929-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084929-2026
  8th September 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://tlctravelltd.co.uk
- http://towertransit.co.uk
- http://www.go-ahead.com
- http://www.stottscoaches.co.uk
- http://www.transdevbus.co.uk
- https://www.diamondbuses.com/north-west/
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0/ocdsReleasePackages/ocds-h6vhtk-0589b9
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.squarepegbuses.co.uk/
- https://www.stagecoachbus.com/about/yorkshire
- https://www.tetleyscoaches.co.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f4a2. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f4a2.json.