(25 Feb 2022, 6:22 pm)Adrian wrote Agree its a step in the right direction, but still feels a bit lopsided towards cost.

Also a step in the right direction that it's a multi-year contract.

Agreed - it's understandable given budget pressures that multi-year contracts can't always be offered, but it could incentivise operators to offer a better value price to Nexus.

Clearly some independents will have to upgrade their ticket machines too, which will come at a cost, and if this can be paid for over the cost of a two-year contract, it will offer some better value to Nexus.

(25 Feb 2022, 6:23 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Is Euro 5 an improvement for these kind of services or are they always this kind of level?  Will it rule out some of the independents decker fleets for example?

Most double-deck buses on Nexus Miscellaneous Workings (from all operators) are Euro 4, and most single-deck buses are already Euro 5.

The fact that the minimum requirement is still Euro 4, but Euro 5 is incentivised, means no independent operators are ruled out. Some smaller operators, such as A-line Coaches, already have a full fleet of Euro 5 buses. This allows them to be better equipped to win some of these contracts (with a 10% quality weighting), acknowleding their previous fleet investments. A huge step in the right direction.

Stagecoach usually allocate Euro 5 double-decks to their Nexus Miscellaneous Workings, which puts them at an advantage to possibly win more. I believe all of JH Coaches and Gateshead Central Taxis' double-decks are Euro 4, whilst Go North East has a mix of both.