Integrated Micromobility Service (IMS)

We invite interested suppliers to complete the questionnaire linked below. This also provides further information about the e-cargo bike service.

forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx ↗

Please complete your response no later than midday 11th November 2022.

The West of England Combined Authority Future Transport Zone (FTZ) is a £28m innovation programme improving the integration of public transport across the West of England. This notice relates to a specific project in the programme: rental e-scooters, e-bikes and e-cargo bikes. These are collectively referred as “Integrated Micromobility” and will be delivered under an “Integrated Micromobility Service” (IMS) concession agreement.

The contract will be a concession arrangement to operate an IMS in the West of England Combined Authority area. The contract proposed is an income contract to the West of England Combined Authority; it is not a spending contract.

The West of England Combined Authority is seeking to appoint a single operator, or joint venture, to operate the IMS. The IMS will include the existing and successful e-scooter service which has been running since October 2020 (and is part of the national e-scooter trial coordinated by the Department for Transport). Additionally, the IMS will include rental e-bikes and e-cargo bikes. The contract will support the transition of the IMS to an established and sustainable transport service, embedded within the wider regional transport system.

This will be a new services concession agreement with an IMS provider, who will take full responsibility for the implementation and operation of the service from June 2023 up until June 2025, with the possibility to extend beyond this for two 1-year periods. We would be looking to mobilise the e-cargo bike trial in Spring 2023 for an initial period of 12 months.

The key objectives of the IMS are:

• Access: Increase people’s access to an e-bike, e-scooter or e-cargo bike, especially those not able to own one themselves.
• Travel: Broaden people’s travel potential to and from home, jobs, education, leisure, services and moving goods.
• Efficiency: Improve efficiency and convenience for people’s journeys across the network.
• Options: Widen journey options for people, especially options away from private car.

Affordability: Maintain an affordable public transport service, especially for those on lower levels of income and limited capital.

The IMS scope is anticipated to be defined in two parts: (1) Core Service and (2) Potential Extended Service.

Core Service

• E-scooter coverage: similar coverage to the existing e-scooter operation with ~4,000 e-scooters
• E-bike coverage: slightly wider than the e-scooter coverage linking Bristol and Bath and including some peri-urban areas. ~1,000 e-bikes.
• E-cargo bike coverage: Within the core e-bike trial area. Initially ~20 e-cargo bikes (provided by the Combined Authority) operating from ~10 “back to base” hubs.

Potential Expanded Service Coverage

• Opportunity to expand the IMS to the wider region, following demonstrable successful delivery of the Core Service.
• The extended coverage and operation will be defined by mutual agreement.