Road Based Passenger Transport Services

The DPS comprises two lots:

Lot 1: traditional bus services with set routes and timetables.

Lot 2 : covers demand responsive transport and other non-typical bus provision.

Note: The DPS excludes the provision of home to school transport for pupils with special transport requirements, e.g. wheelchair and/or passenger assistant.

The Council has a duty under the 1985 Transport Act 'to secure the provision of such public passenger transport services as the council consider it appropriate to secure to meet any public transport requirements ... which would not in its view be met apart from any action taken by it for that purpose.'

The agreement will provide the structure to procure routes, the Bus Strategy developed during 2020 defines what the Council deems appropriate under the Act, and the call offs under this framework will procure those routes, ensuring by the appropriate qualitative criteria that any route details put forward by operators fulfil the requirements defined in the Strategy.

As of June 2022 the Council provides 9 subsidised public bus services operating Mon-Sat with three of these services also operating late into the evening and on Sundays. The Council also contributes to a route procured by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

The procurement process will be run in accordance with the following programme:

First Mini Tenders released from: 28.11.2022

DPS end date: 30.11.2037