TfGM awards franchising second tranche home-to-school contracts

First Manchester and Go North West have been awarded the home-to-school service contracts that form part of the second tranche of bus franchising in Greater Manchester. They involve routes in Bury, Manchester, Oldham, and Rochdale.

Six contracts go to First and three to Go North West. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is yet to confirm how many vehicles will be needed, although it says that there will be no change from current requirements. An assessment of franchising in 2019 stated that the total PVR of all contracted home-to-school services in the conurbation is around 300.

11 schools are in scope of the second tranche awards, which will begin on 25 March 2024 as part of the rollout of that phase of reregulation.

TfGM Bus Franchising Director Anne Marie Purcell says that “there continues to be a high level of interest in the Bee Network contracts, and we saw a strong response from operators to run school bus services.” First Manchester and Go North West each made “extremely strong submissions,” she adds.

Under the two tranches of franchising for which winning bidders have either commenced work or been announced, only five operators are represented: First Manchester, Go North West, Rotala, Stagecoach Manchester, and Vision Bus.

Vision is the sole SME represented in existing awards across both tranches. The Blackrod firm gained six home-to-school franchise contracts from the first round of reregulation.

According to a paper published by TfGM in September 2019, in March of that year there were 41 SME operators active in the Greater Manchester commercial and supported bus market, accounting for around 7% of all mileage.

Earlier this year one former SME bus operator in the conurbation claimed that no businesses of that size featuring in the award of local service contracts in the first round of franchising had led to uncertainty around the future among those undertakings and some drivers to move elsewhere, amplifying those problems.

First Bus Managing Director of Manchester, Midlands and South Yorkshire Zoe Hands says that the business is “delighted to be awarded these franchise contracts for school services in Greater Manchester.” First was earlier awarded two small local service contracts in Rochdale as part of the same phase of rollout.

Go North West Managing Director Nigel Featham adds that the operator – which already runs both large local service contracts in the first phase of franchising – “looks forward to working closely with TfGM to deliver ‘best of class’ school bus transport.”