Weaver Network: Progress in West Yorkshire – But Safety Transparency Must Be Locked In

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has now confirmed that its future franchised bus network will be known as Weaver.

This is a significant step forward. Naming a network signals intent, confidence, and momentum behind bringing buses into public control. It also creates an opportunity to do things properly from the outset — particularly when it comes to safety transparency and accountability.

That is why I have now submitted a further Freedom of Information request to West Yorkshire Combined Authority, specifically focused on how bus safety data will be governed, reported, and published under the Weaver network.

Why this FOI matters

Across England, combined authorities are rapidly moving toward “London-style” bus franchising. However, one critical lesson from London is often overlooked:

Transparency around bus safety performance was not automatic — it had to be fought for.

Transport for London has published quarterly bus safety data since 2014 only after sustained pressure from campaigners and unions. That transparency has driven real improvements and saved lives.

The danger elsewhere is that franchising is introduced without embedding the same safety transparency by default.

Weaver must not repeat that mistake.

What my FOI to WYCA asks

The additional FOI I’ve submitted seeks clarity on:

Whether safety performance data (collisions, injuries, near misses, assaults, fatalities) will be:

routinely collected;

reported to WYCA; and

published publicly under Weaver.

How safety data will be governed:

which boards or programme groups oversee it;

how risks are escalated;

and who is accountable for action.

Whether safety KPIs will form part of franchising contracts.

How frequently safety data will be reviewed and disclosed.

Whether trade unions and the public will be consulted on safety reporting.

Importantly, this FOI does not request raw incident data. It focuses on governance, oversight, and transparency arrangements — the architecture that determines whether safety is treated seriously.

Why West Yorkshire matters nationally

WYCA has already made encouraging statements, confirming that:

safety management plans will form part of bid evaluations;

operators will be contractually required to report safety metrics; and

there is “no reason why critical measures are not reported upon.”

That puts West Yorkshire ahead of several other regions.

By formalising these commitments through Weaver, WYCA has a chance to set a national benchmark — showing that public control and public accountability go hand in hand.

Learning from elsewhere

My ongoing FOI work across England shows a clear pattern:

Some authorities are open and constructive.

Others retreat behind vague phrases like “best practice where feasible”.

In some cases, authorities have even attempted to withhold safety-governance information on spurious “commercial sensitivity” grounds.

That inconsistency is exactly why early, clear commitments matter.

If Weaver gets this right now, it avoids years of dispute later.

What happens next

Once WYCA responds to this FOI, I will:

publish a summary of the response;

compare it with other regions’ approaches; 

and continue pressing for mandatory, routine publication of bus safety performance data across England.

Franchising should not simply change who holds the contracts.

It should raise standards — and safety transparency must be non-negotiable.

Lee Odams

Bus Driver (19 years’ experience)

RMT Branch Secretary – Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire

Secretary – RMT National Industrial Organising Conference of Bus Workers