Supporting West Yorkshire Combined Authority's bus franchising brand transition

West Yorkshire Combined Authority had developed The Weaver Network, the new integrated transport brand for bus franchising. What it didn't have was a clear plan for how that brand would be rolled out across a live transport network.

Unlike a traditional rebrand, bus franchising brand transition affects every customer and operational touchpoint, from fleet, ticketing and wayfinding through to digital channels, passenger communications and staff experience.

BrandXYZ was appointed to provide an end-to-end bus franchising brand implementation strategy, creating a transition plan aligned to key franchising milestones and establishing the governance needed to deliver it successfully.

As a specialist bus franchising programme delivery partner, we brought first-hand experience of delivering transport brand transition from inside local authorities and combined authorities.

What we did:

• Mapped customer “moments of truth” where passengers would first see, feel and trust the new franchised bus network brand.
• Built a phased brand transition plan aligned to the wider bus franchising programme milestones across more than 60 products, services, modes and infrastructure assets
• Identified dependencies between the integrated transport platform, app, website, ticketing, contact centre, customer communications and physical network experience.
• Developed decision-making criteria based on brand alignment, budget, customer experience and deliverability.
• Surfaced risks around fleet, stops, shelters, travel centres, signage, wayfinding, staff touchpoints, resource and supplier readiness.
• Supporting stakeholder engagement across departments so delivery teams understood their role in the transition.

We also went beyond the original brief, designing a governance pathway for brand decisions that helped senior leaders make faster, clearer decisions without creating additional boards or layers of process.  

BrandXYZ transformed an under-defined rebranding exercise into a practical bus franchising transition and implementation programme.

The work provided:

• A clear roadmap for delivering The Weaver Network across fleet, infrastructure, ticketing, digital platforms and customer communications.
• Defined customer moments of truth to support future communications campaigns and stakeholder engagement activity in line with mayoral policy announcements and wider Cap Ex and Op Ex project delivery requirements
• A governance framework for brand decision-making across the franchising programme.
• Greater organisational confidence, increasing understanding of the programme from 2.5/5 to 4.5/5.

Most importantly, West Yorkshire Combined Authority gained a deliverable plan for turning brand strategy into a real-world passenger experience.