Manchester Community Transport

[knutstransport]

RE: Manchester Community Transport

(15/04/2020 11:56)Mayneway Wrote:  The tender has gone out and been won by another operator as drivers currently working the 391/392 were told they had to TUPE over. CEC/TSS have reviewed passenger numbers over the last 3 weeks and decided to suspend the service but once it’s all over it will pass to the operator and will continue as normal.

I can completly understand why they have took the decision to suspend it as the contract has to be paid in full to the operator even if it’s running on a skeleton timetable, so CEC/TSS have thought it’s better to save money than to pay an operator NOT to run all the services there paying them to run.

Why would that be the case? The contract is likely written on the basis that running x journeys Mon-Fri and y journeys on Sat for a period of z years incurs a subsidy of w.

CEC contracts usually have clauses in them about if passenger numbers are lower/higher than expected. If it's lower then the council and operator consult about the next steps - which could be service reduction, using smaller vehicles, higher subsidy or early termination of the contract, if it's higher then the operator may be required to use the extra revenue taken to fund the use of larger vehicles. If that clause has been activated already and it's been agreed between the operator and the council that x and y will be lower, then w may also change.

If on the other hand you're suggesting the operator hasn't agreed to any change then they have to run all the journeys they are contracted to provide. If you're suggesting CEC are breaching their contract then the operator should only get damages for costs incurred - probably just any vehicle leasing/maintenance costs for a month (given the government would pick up the tab for putting any drivers on furlough.)