(13 Nov 2020, 9:43 pm)Dan wrote The counter argument is that without the extra BSOG payments, an operator may decide that these journeys are not commercially viable (regardless of Andreos1’s previous comments about the daytime operation making enough profit to cover the evening operation - that is their decision to make). It’s an incentive which the government has created to encourage operators to buy and run more buses of this type, so this is what they are doing.

This enhanced payment could make or break the service, and, on work which is already operated under contract to the local authority, offer better value for money to the tenderer, where operators may be able to reduce their tender price taking into consideration the enhanced BSOG payments they will get instead.

It is surely better that an operator runs a service commercially, with an enhanced BSOG payment, than it being operated under contract to the local authority, where the full costs of operating the service are covered in the tender price?

Clearly all of this is not as important in the current climate... and changes are being made to schedules in far less time than normal, so the usual considerations may not be as easy to work with.


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Another thing to add to your point, Dan: who, in all honesty, is going to notice the brand used on a route when its pitch black outside, particularly at this time of the year when it gets dark at 3/4 o'clock? If you are allocating the StreetLites with hybrid systems in order to receive BSOG payments, then use it to your full advantage is what I say. I'm no expert in financial things but if these BSOG payments are government initiatives, then I would definitely use vehicles that qualify for them as much as possible!