Public transport across West Yorkshire to operate as 'Weaver Network'
Buses will operate under the new brand once they're brought back under public control in 2027
Public transport across West Yorkshire is to get a new name, with the Weaver Network brand being officially unveiled by local leaders earlier today.
Similar to Manchester's Bee Network, buses in the region will operate under the new name once they are brought back under public control in 2027.
The planned West Yorkshire tram system will also be part of the Weaver Network once its built.
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has had a role in designing the new branding, a nod to West Yorkshire's history of textile manufacturing.
The old Metro brand, introduced in the mid-1970s, is due to be retired.
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “For too long, our region has suffered from a disjointed, confusing, and increasingly hard to navigate public transport system.
“The Weaver Network is a fresh, modern identity for transport in West Yorkshire, reflecting our greater powers through devolution, as well as our ongoing work to bring buses back under public control and create a fully-integrated mass transit network.
“This will help us on our journey to creating a transport system that is easier to use, and demonstrates our ambition to create a better-connected region that works for all.”
Simon Armitage, national Poet Laureate and West Yorkshire resident, said: “I was pleased and proud to be part of a conversation about the naming of the future transport network - I’m West Yorkshire born and bred, a public transport user, a geography graduate and a poet - in many ways it was the perfect invitation.
“To me, The Weaver Network name symbolises the threads connecting people with places, shuttling to and fro, built on heritage and creating new ties and links.”