10 July 2012
The Department for Transport and Technical Services will be sending out a ‘letter of intent’ to HCT Group which officially confirms that their tender has been successful, prior to a contract being drawn up for signing.
The Minister for TTS said “I am very pleased with the offer from CT Plus Jersey. It includes new buses with comfortable seating, electronic smart ticketing and more passenger capacity on a network of bus services which is being delivered at a very competitive price.”
This official notification of tender acceptance will enable CT Plus Jersey to commence its preparations for taking over the operation of the service in 2013. Over the coming months the company will be ordering the new buses, discussing transfer opportunities with the workforce currently employed by Connex Transport Jersey and making all the necessary arrangements to enable a seamless transition of service from the current operator on 1 January 2013. Connex Transport Jersey will continue to operate the Island’s bus services until the end of this year.
The bus contract is worth a substantial amount of money and the tender process was a rigorous one that followed all the relevant guidelines. It started in spring 2010, with a project team including external industry specialists, set up to manage the process. It was overseen by a project board which included officers from other States Departments and the Minister was advised by a steering group of States colleagues. The first phase of the tendering process has been audited and the second stage audit is about to commence.
The Minister thanked all the operators who originally tendered for the contract for their time and interest and recognised Connex Transport Jersey for their commitment to Jersey over the last ten years.
The contract has been awarded for a 7 year period at just under £3.5m per annum. However, there has been a major change to the contract terms and the income from fares will go directly to the operator. This will give CT Plus Jersey the incentive to grow the service and make it more efficient. The States will receive 50% of any operating profit which is in excess of 3% of turnover for reinvestment in sustainable transport initiatives.
Also, as part of the organisation’s social enterprise approach, CT Plus Jersey aims to reinvest one-third of any profits made into local community transport services for people who find conventional transport difficult to use.
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