Local bus contracts at threat due to Council confusion - Bates

11.56.50am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 25th Apr 2007

Montgomeryshire Assembly Member Mick Bates has hit out at rumoured proposals to terminate the majority of bus travel contracts with local providers, in favour of a French company. Speaking ahead of a meeting called by the bus contractors to discuss the way Powys County Council is running the latest round of School Bus Tendering bids, Mick Bates AM said:

"I am deeply concerned at reports I have received about the way Powys County Council awarded the latest round of school bus contracts. The muddled process has left local bus companies confused.

"Although there is much confusion about what is actually going on, it seems that the heart of the problem is the Council's extraordinary inconsistency in terms of what they have said to bus operators. On the one hand, our local firms have worked hard to comply with new stricter regulations about things like bus accessibility for the disabled. But on the other hand the Council seem perfectly happy to farm out the contract to a provider who operates old buses and doesn't comply with these new regulations.

"I am very dismayed to hear that some firms acted to meet new environmental standards only to discover the Council now seems to regard this investment as unnecessary. If this is correct, the effect is to punish the very companies which have shown the greatest responsibility in terms of upgrading their bus fleets.

"Worse still, existing bus operators seem to have been given a tiny amount of time to appeal against this unsatisfactory change of course. 6 working days is NOT enough to put together an appeal. We cannot get to the point where local bus companies lose faith with the Council. I very much hope the meeting tonight will resolve some of the unanswered questions, and that some resolution and reassurance can be found."

ENDS