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Taxi Management Services

SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY LIMITED

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

ContractAmendment

16 Sep 2026 at 13:52

UK10 - Contract Change Notice
Award

30 Apr 2026 at 14:04

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

20 Mar 2026 at 15:49

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

20 Mar 2026 at 15:36

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

South Western Railway Limited procured fully managed taxi management services to support traincrew diagrams, keep services running on time and provide customer transport during train disruption. The requirement covers around 5,000 taxi journeys per period: approximately two-thirds are planned journeys linked to daily traincrew diagrams, with the remainder comprising one-off journeys for engineering works and special events, plus same-day emergency transport when train services are disrupted. Services include booking and managing taxis, passenger transport with drivers and coordination of planned, ad-hoc and emergency requirements across the South Western Railway network. The procurement is for services in the United Kingdom and sits within the utilities regime.

This procurement is complete and was awarded through a direct award to First Travel Solutions Limited, using the repeat or additional services route. The award date was 20 March 2026 and the contract was signed on 1 April 2026. The award and contract value is £2,400,000 excluding VAT (£2,880,000 including VAT). The initial award period ran from 1 April to 30 September 2026, with an extension option taking it to 31 December 2026; the recorded contract period is 1 October to 31 December 2026. The extension was agreed by mutual consent because replacement industry solutions were not ready. Evaluation centred on the service specification and supplier obligations, with performance measures covering bookings, journey tracking, response handling, safety, complaints, invoices, accessibility and sustainability.

This award indicates demand for a transport operator or managed taxi provider able to coordinate high volumes of planned journeys alongside unpredictable emergency and ad-hoc work for a rail operator. A credible competitor would need resilient booking and dispatch arrangements, access to sufficient licensed vehicles and drivers, and the capacity to respond quickly when services are disrupted. The requirement also points to the importance of electronic journey tracking, call answering, booking confirmations and reliable invoice administration. Suppliers should be able to onboard and audit their taxi network, monitor supplier and train-service performance, manage accidents, incidents and complaints, and demonstrate effective arrangements for accessibility, including DDA-related bookings, and sustainability. The buyer’s use of measurable service performance indicators shows that operational control and auditable delivery are central to the requirement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Taxi Management Services

Notice Description

SWR require around 5,000 taxis per period to facilitate the traincrew diagrams and run the service on time. The Taxis required covers around 2/3 diagrammed and the rest are ad-hoc or emergency. There are planned taxis which run every day, one-off taxis are also required during engineering / special events, and also emergency taxis on the day if there is disruption to the train service. The provision of these fully managed Services must be delivered in accordance with the specification and Supplier's obligations.

Procurement Information

Additional or repeat goods, services or works - extension or partial replacement First Travel Solutions Limited (FTS) is the contracting authority's incumbent provider of Taxi Management Services across the SWR network. The service was previously delivered under a framework agreement, which expired on 31 December 2025, after which SWRL maintained continuity through an interim arrangement. Following SWR's transfer to public ownership, SWRL was required to enter into its own contractual arrangements and could not continue to rely on the group framework contract previously in place. A short term direct award is therefore required with the incumbent supplier to ensure continuity of this safety critical service, which supports traincrew movements, customer transport during disruption, and the safe operation of the railway. This interim arrangement will cover the period from 1 April 2026 to 30 September 2026, with an optional extension of up to 3 months, after which the service will transition to a contract awarded through the forthcoming DfTO Dynamic Market for transportation.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0670a4
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/087776-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK10 - Contract Change Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60120000 - Taxi services

60130000 - Special-purpose road passenger-transport services

60140000 - Non-scheduled passenger transport

60170000 - Hire of passenger transport vehicles with driver

60200000 - Railway transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£2,400,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£2,400,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
20 Mar 20266 months ago
Contract Period
1 Oct 2026 - 31 Dec 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY LIMITED
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SE1 9LQ
Postcode Area
South East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI44 Lewisham and Southwark
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Southwark
Electoral Ward
Borough & Bankside
Westminster Constituency
Bermondsey and Old Southwark

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

First Travel Solutions Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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