Go-Ahead Group has won a 15-year, £110 million contract with Kent County Council (KCC) to run the Fastrack bus rapid transit network on Thameside from November 2024. Talks are underway to deploy a fleet of 28 Irizar ie Tram battery-electric buses on those routes.
The service will be delivered by Go-Ahead London. Replacement of diesel buses operated by Arriva Kent Thameside under its existing Fastrack contract with battery-electrics is core to a successful bid by KCC to the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas fast-track mechanism. Opportunity charging via inverted pantograph is part of the operating model.
Arriva did not tender for the new Fastrack contract, which caused some surprise locally. Minutes of a meeting of Dartford Borough Council’s Joint Transportation Board held on 6 June show that “strong bids from three other national operators” were received. The award does not include the pending, standalone Dover Fastrack route.
Go-Ahead London became launch UK customer for the ie Tram in 2022 with an order for 20 to be deployed on Transport for London route 358. Those for Fastrack are slated to have leather seats, USB charging, wi-fi, braille-equipped buttons, luggage racks and real-time passenger information.
Over 2.5 million passengers use the Thameside Fastrack network per year and papers recently released by KCC show that those services are “now exceeding pre-COVID levels of patronage.”
28 standard-length vehicles for the Thameside Fastrack work were central to KCC’s invitation to tender to vehicle suppliers, issued in early 2022.
However, a slightly smaller number of articulated examples was presented as an option in that document. Double-deckers were ruled out by the local authority, which cited a desire to minimise stop dwell times.
The award represents further success for Go-Ahead in the contracted market and it follows Go North West’s success in securing both large franchises awarded as part of the first round of bus reregulation in Greater Manchester.
100 colleagues will join Go-Ahead when the Fastrack contract transfers. The group says its noted apprenticeship scheme will be deployed there. Chief Executive Christian Schreyer describes Fastrack as “a fantastic blueprint for the future of bus travel.”
Speaking about the award, KCC Fastrack Development Manager Shane Hymers says: “Fastrack is the jewel in the crown of Kent’s bus network, and our intention with this new contract was always to achieve the best possible outcome for our users, securing the highest quality service proposed to us.
“Following KCC’s successful bid for ZEBRA funding, we have been able to make this a reality. We are delighted to embark on this 15-year partnership with Go-Ahead and I cannot wait to see the next generation of Fastrack come to fruition in 2024.”
