THE PROVISION OF THE PARK AND RIDE BUS SERVICE IN WINCHESTER

Tender description

Winchester City Council (“The Council”) invites suitable organisations to tender for a Park and Ride (P&R) Service in Winchester. The provision for a network of Park and Ride (P&R) sites surrounding Winchester was first adopted and developed by both Winchester City Council and Hampshire County Council in the early nineties. The current eight-year contract is due to expire April 2024. The council has declared a Climate Emergency and addressing the climate crisis and reaching carbon neutrality is one of the city council’s overarching priorities. To support, the council are seeking a service using vehicles which operate on hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel (HVO) contributing significantly to reducing CO2 emissions in Winchester. It is anticipated that the use of HVO fuel is an interim step on its transition to a Zero Emission P&R operation. The service operates Mondays (0625 – 1930) to Saturdays (0700 – 1930), except Bank and Public Holidays. An enhanced timetable of operation is also required to cover the five-week pre-Christmas shopping period. The service has been successful in accommodating large numbers of commuter vehicles, which would otherwise exacerbate peak hour congestion in the city and more recently facilitating the development of Winchester’s shopping and visitor experience, along with special events such as the Christmas Market.