Reservations on tenders
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DESPITE supporting the introduction of tendering for local bus services that require subsidy, the Bus and Coach Council has voiced severe reservations on the future of such services.
The doubts were raised in its official response to the Department of Transport consultative paper, "Tendering for Local Authority Subsidised Bus Services".
It believes that complete deregulation will prove counterproductive to an efficient and effective tendering system and that the proposals in the Buses White Paper will create instability of subsidised services.
This instability will be a real possibility as operators react within the terms of their contracts, says BCC, which suggests that subsequent competition on subsidised services will lead to raising fares, reducing services or withdrawing from routes entirely.
For operators, BCC says the proposals will allow no firm base from which to plan manpower and vehicle utilisation when considering a tender list.
BCC suggests that the local authority will be unable to en'sure that service specification for a subsidised route will continue to be operated in the face of subsequent competition. It would like its district councils to have powers to support unremunerative but socially necessary services as well as Shire County, Metropolitan County and Regional Councils.
The BCC would also like the retention of Notices and Proceedings to allow local authorities and operators to have access to information they require.