--- title: "Taxi and MPV (1-8 seats) Passenger Assistant - Taxi and MPV (1-8 seats) Passenger Assistant" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-458c4a19-9c03-4ee6-a600-532325d53bad" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-458c4a19-9c03-4ee6-a600-532325d53bad" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-458c4a19-9c03-4ee6-a600-532325d53bad.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-458c4a19-9c03-4ee6-a600-532325d53bad.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "East Sussex County Council" published: "2026-09-10" --- # Taxi and MPV (1-8 seats) Passenger Assistant - Taxi and MPV (1-8 seats) Passenger Assistant Buyer: East Sussex County Council Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-b5fd17-458c4a19-9c03-4ee6-a600-532325d53bad [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-458c4a19-9c03-4ee6-a600-532325d53bad) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-458c4a19-9c03-4ee6-a600-532325d53bad.json) ## Summary East Sussex County Council procured a passenger transport service using a taxi or multi-purpose vehicle with up to eight seats, including a passenger assistant. The route runs from TN22 3SP to Kings Academy, BN8 5RB, for school travel. The service operates Monday to Friday during the daily school timetable, from 08:45 to 15:20. This is a transport services requirement, covering the regular movement of a pupil or pupils between the stated origin and school destination. Delivery is in England, for East Sussex County Council, with the council based at County Hall in Lewes. The opportunity is identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, making it relevant to smaller passenger transport operators able to provide both vehicle and passenger-assistance capability. The procurement is complete and was awarded through a restricted procedure above the applicable threshold. The tender submission deadline was 4 September 2026 at 15:00, and the award was made on 9 September 2026. Southern Travel Solutions Ltd was selected for an award valued at £88,184. The awarded contract runs from 7 September 2026 to 31 July 2029. The underlying service period is the same, covering the weekday school transport arrangement throughout that term. The buyer is East Sussex County Council. The published outcome records one active award and does not identify separate lots. The requirement was treated as a services procurement, with the selection conducted through the restricted route rather than an open competition. This award shows a sustained requirement from East Sussex County Council for scheduled school passenger transport involving small vehicles and passenger assistants. A credible future competitor would need to operate taxi or MPV services with capacity for up to eight seats, provide reliable weekday school-time journeys, and support safe travel between a rural or local pickup point and a school destination. The passenger-assistant element means operators need suitable staff, dependable safeguarding arrangements and the ability to manage a consistent school routine, rather than providing ordinary ad hoc taxi journeys. The requirement is explicitly suitable for SMEs, so a smaller local operator with appropriate vehicles, trained passenger-assistance staff and the operational capacity to maintain a regular route would be well placed to compete when this type of council requirement next reaches the market. ## Notice Proposed Taxi Route: From: TN22 3SP To: Kings Academy, BN8 5RB Frequency: Monday-Friday Daily School Time: 08:45-15:20 This opportunity has been distributed on SProc.net ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/db0d4d64-8629-4d87-821b-b15323e741c9 | | Notice type | Award Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Selective | | Procurement method details | Restricted procedure (above threshold) | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Large | | All stages | Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 10 Sep 2026 | | Submission deadline | 4 Sep 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 9 Sep 2026 | | Contract period | 7 Sep 2026 - 31 Jul 2029 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | £88,184 | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | East Sussex County Council | | Locality | LEWES | | Postcode area | Brighton | | Postcode | BN7 1UE | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex | | ITL 3 | TLJ22 East Sussex CC | | Local authority | Lewes | | Electoral ward | Lewes Priory | | Westminster constituency | Lewes | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | Southern Travel Solutions Ltd | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ### Codes - 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ## Release History - 10 Sep 2026 at 09:55 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/db0d4d64-8629-4d87-821b-b15323e741c9 - 3 Sep 2026 at 14:22 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0047818b-a8d2-410e-a924-bd8f9ec544b3 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/db0d4d64-8629-4d87-821b-b15323e741c9 10th September 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.sproc.net ## Notice URLs - http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-458c4a19-9c03-4ee6-a600-532325d53bad. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-458c4a19-9c03-4ee6-a600-532325d53bad.json.