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Local Bus Services

Wokingham Borough Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Tender

29 Jul 2026 at 09:14

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

15 Apr 2026 at 16:09

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

29 Apr 2025 at 13:55

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Wokingham Borough Council is procuring local bus services to improve access to local communities across the borough, connecting residents with town centres, local amenities, schools and key transport links where the existing network does not fully meet local needs. The requirement covers 21 services, representing approximately half of the borough’s registered local bus services. It includes local link town services in Woodley, Earley and Wokingham; services connecting Lower Earley, Woodley, Shinfield, Arborfield and Wokingham with Reading; enhancements to commercial services on the A33 and A4 corridors; the Winnersh Triangle Park and Ride; rural shopper services; and selected school services. Work is delivered across Wokingham, Reading, Twyford, Winnersh, Shinfield, Arborfield, Finchampstead, Wargrave, Stratfield Saye, Beech Hill and surrounding communities.

The procurement has reached tender: the council invited offers through an above-threshold open procedure. The tender comprises eight lots, covering existing services, new services, service enhancements, shopper services and school services. The estimated total value is £13,870,000 gross. Lots 1 to 7 have contract periods from 5 April 2027 to 4 April 2032, with a possible extension to 31 March 2035 for Lot 1; Lot 8 runs from 1 September 2027 to 31 July 2032. Expressions of interest must be submitted by 28 September 2026 at 16:00 UTC. The council expects to finalise its award decision by 2 November 2026. Each lot is evaluated on price, weighted at 70%, and quality and social value, weighted at 30%.

This opportunity suits established bus and public transport operators able to provide scheduled local services across multiple urban, rural, inter-town, park-and-ride and school routes. Suppliers should be able to operate existing supported services reliably while introducing new routes or enhancements where required. Relevant capability includes route planning, timetable delivery, passenger transport operations, fleet and driver management, and coordination across residential areas, town centres, schools and transport corridors. The lot structure allows operators to target particular geographical areas or service types, including shopper and school transport. Experience delivering registered local bus services and working with public-sector service requirements will be particularly relevant. The quality and social value element also favours bidders able to demonstrate wider community benefits alongside dependable day-to-day operations.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Local Bus Services

Notice Description

The Council is tendering a contract for Local Bus Services, for 21 bus services and bus links to improve access for local communities across the borough. These services are intended to connect residents to key local services where the existing local bus network does not fully meet local transport needs. The services are organised into Lots based on either: * the area in which the services operate; or * the type of service being provided. The tendered services represent approximately half of the registered local bus services in the borough. Many are a retender of existing supported services. However, some Lots include service enhancements, new services or amendments to existing services. The tender includes a range of service types, including: * local link town services connecting residential areas with local amenities; * enhancements to otherwise commercial services; * a small number of local shopper services serving more rural areas; and * selected school services.

Lot Information

Woodley / Earley: Existing Service 19a,19c

Lot A - Woodley / Earley: Existing Service 19a,19c

Wokingham Town Services: Existing Services 121, 122, 123, 124, 125/A/B

Lot B - Wokingham Town Services: Existing Services 121, 122, 123, 124, 125/A/B

A33 Corridor: Existing Service 600

Lot C - A33 Corridor: Existing Service 600

A4 Corridor: Existing Service 127/128/129

Lot D - A4 Corridor: Existing Service 127/128/129

Winnersh Triangle Park & Ride: Existing Service 500

Lot E - Winnersh Triangle Park and Ride: Existing Service 500

Other Services

LOT F, Service1: Lower Earley to Reading: Existing Service 19b LOT F, Service2: Lower Earley to Wokingham: New Service LOT F, Service3: Woodley to Wokingham: New Service LOT F, Service 4: Wokingham to Twyford: Existing Services, 128/129 LOT F, Service 5: Shinfield, Arborfield and; Wokingham: Existing Route 3

Shopper Services

LOT G, Service 1: Three Mile Cross to Wokingham & Winnersh: Existing Service 145 LOT G, Service 2: Upper Wargrave to Reading Town Centre: Existing Service 153 LOT G, Service3: Stratfield Saye, Beech Hill, Reading Town Centre: Existing Service 154

School Services

LOT H, Service1: (Whiteley Wood to) Lower Earley to The Forest, Emmbrook and Holt Schools: Existing Service: 202 LOT H, Service 2: Three Mile Cross, Lower Earley & Woodley to Bulmersh School: Existing Service: 983 LOT H, Service 3: Reading to Shinfield and Wokingham via Finchampstead Existing Service: 244

Planning Information

Wokingham Borough Council is looking to engage with the market to discuss a future opportunity relating to contracted transport services across the borough. The Council manages 21 registered local bus routes, which include local link services to Wokingham Town, services from Shinfield, Woodley and Earley to Reading Town, enhancements to services on key bus corridors, as well as three school time only services and a small number of once-a-week shopper services. The current bus contracts are in place until Spring 2027. The tenders will primarily be for registered local bus service; however, alternative options may also be considered for the school time only and once a week shopper service. The event is intended to have the format of an information session to present the Councils future plans for these services. The event will take place on Wednesday 20th May 10 – 11am virtually via MS Teams and will cover the following topics: - Scope of services to be procured - Overview of the Lots that will be included within the tender - What documents will require to be completed and submitted to bid for the tender - Overview of the evaluation approach - Timelines - How to submit a tender using WBC’s e-procurement solution - Questions If you are interested in discussing the above with us, please express interest via the messaging function of ProContract and provide the following details: - Company name - Point of contact - Names and email addresses for all attendees - Questions - We request that you submit any questions that you have ahead of the engagement so that these can be covered within the presentation.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05092e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071509-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

34121100 - Public-service buses

60112000 - Public road transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£13,870,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Aug 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Wokingham Borough Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WOKINGHAM
Postcode
RG40 1BN
Postcode Area
Reading
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ16 Berkshire West
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
Wokingham
Electoral Ward
Emmbrook
Westminster Constituency
Wokingham

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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