AN ambitious transport scheme to serve communities ignored by existing bus routes could be introduced in the region if a government transport grant is approved.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority is putting together a bid for government funding to introduce a new type of public transport in the area.

It would involve a fleet of small buses that would be able to travel down streets that are not currently accessible to existing buses.

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A phone app that uses voice activated software would allow people to book to be picked up and dropped off closer to their homes that possible in the existing system.

The proposals will be discussed by the Authority’s Transport Committee on Friday.

Mass transit plan linking West Yorkshire towns and cities could feature stops every kilometre of route

It would be funded through a bid to the Department of Transport’s Future Mobility Zone Fund, a £90 million pot of cash that funds innovative transport schemes across the country.

A report going before the committee says: “We will test this in communities who would normally be left out of commercial operations to understand how they could become viable.

“New community hubs will provide ebikes, car club vehicles and smaller responsive bus services to complement the existing bus and rail networks.

“We will examine how more people can be encouraged to use transport services by reducing the cost of travel through mobility credits and by ensuring they can access the best fares even if they don’t have a bank account.

“With a diverse economic geography we are well placed to test this at scale and monitor the outcomes for different communities.”

It says the scheme will boost productivity by “providing links between employment centres and communities which are currently not well connected to these opportunities and enabling better management of congestion.”

The authority will find out if its funding bid has been successful later this month or early October.

Much of the report that will go before the committee is exempt from public view, with the Authority saying it “contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person. Disclosing the information as publication could prejudice current and future negotiations.”

However the public part of the report does reveal that the Authority has been in contact with “suppliers and technology solution providers” to try and develop the plan. Details of the bid will also be discussed with leaders of the local councils in the West Yorkshire area.

The committee meets at Wellington House in Leeds at 11am on Friday.