First Manchester

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(08/09/2012 13:57)P528LND Wrote:  

(08/09/2012 10:31)66905 Wrote:  60183 on the 533 - looks like First have won the tender to operate the service after de-registering it commercially.

John Eclipse Urban
66905

I've just explained this to my partner and he had the same idea as me.

This is pathetic, First de-register a service so that TfGM pick it up and then First take on the tender - which means First have further funding for the running of the service.

Now I may be wrong but this is the perfect example of swindling money out of the government. That's silly. They definitely shouldn't have been allowed to run the tender since they showed no interest in the route before funding.

The rules on tenders are very strict though as at the end of the day it's taxpayers money which is funding these subsidised services.
The local authority (TFGM in this case) must award the contract to the cheapest tender, regardless of whether they ran it commercially up until a week ago.
It might not be a tender, First may run it with a dominimus payment ( not sure on spelling) where they continue to run the service but receive a subsidy each month towards drivers wages etc.