ore LRT routes o out to tender
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LONDON Regional Transport has announced details of the next three stages in its route tendering scheme.
Ten more routes to be put out to competitive tender immediately are routes 79a (Edgware to Alperton); 125 (Winchmore Hill to North Finchley); 127 (Tooting Broadway to Selsdon); 145 (Chingford to Dagenham); 179 (Chingford to Barking); 195 (Charville Lane Estate to Hanwell); 200 (Raynes Park to Streatham Hill); 268 (Golders Green to Finch Icy Road Station); 275 (Walthamstow to Barkingisde); and 283 (West Brompton to East Acton).
The tenders for most of the services, which are all one person-operated, will be invited on existing levels of service.
In some cases contractors will also be invited to put in alternative tenders to include service revisions such as higher frequencies. On routes 268 and 283 alternative proposals for operating a more frequent service with smaller vehicles are being invited.
The second and third stages in the scheme are expected in the autumn and involve putting out to tender all services operating beyond Greater London into Surrey and Hertfordshire.
The specification of these services will be determined by a review being carried out with the county councils.
All routes in the Orpington area of Kent are expected to be put out to tender as a package.
The package will follow a review of all services there and will involve consultation with the London Borough of Bromley and Kent County Council.
Routes operated by London Buses, London Country and independents Metrobus and Crystals will be included in the review and put out to tender in the resulting package which might use high-frequency of minibuses on some or all services.
According to David Bayliss, LRT's director of planning the first phase of tenders showed that revenue support savings of around 25 per cent are possible through the competitive tendering scheme.
Contractors on these routes are expected to start operating in July and August. The pace of competitive tendring is to be progressively accelerated during the next two years.
Mr Bayliss also said that LRT would be interested to hear from any operators wishing to take on any of the services on a commercial basis.
LRT expects the new arrangements for the second 10 routes to come into operation early next year with the cross-county border and Orpington networks operative by the spring.