Demand Responsive Transport Service for the City of Derby

In response to the National Bus Strategy launched by the government in March 2021, Derby City Council submitted a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) which included a proposal to pilot Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) to serve part of the city, which, if successful would be rolled out to other areas of the city. The project is a key deliverable in the Governments ambition to grow bus usage and to deliver better bus services. The project will also contribute towards National and Local Decarbonising Plans to achieve zero emissions fleet vehicles. The main aim of the DRT service is to support the local bus network by offering more service flexibility to parts of the city not directly served by the high frequency services available on the main corridors. Another key aim will be to offer seamless journey opportunities linking major destinations (eg hospital, major employers) with areas that are currently not directly accessible or require a number of connections. The service will be procured through two separate lots - one covering the service operation and the other technological provision. The project delivery target for the service commencing is end of March 2023 with a potential extension to the service commencing end of March 2024. This is subject to an agreement from the awarding grant authority, The Department for Transport. Should the Council decide to progress with a formal procurement process a Contract Notice will be published. Following publication of the Contract Notice, the Invitation to tender documents will be available via https://www.eastmidstenders.org. Please note that the date given at II.3. Estimated date of publication of contract notice is for indicative purposes only.