---
title: "Bus Grant Fares & Ticketing - Fare Cap 2026 - First Bus"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-067c22"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067c22"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067c22.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067c22.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "THE WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY"
published: "2026-04-02"
---

# Bus Grant Fares & Ticketing - Fare Cap 2026 - First Bus

Buyer: THE WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-067c22

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067c22)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067c22.json)

## Summary

The West of England Combined Authority has completed a direct award procurement process titled "Bus Grant Fares & Ticketing - Fare Cap 2026 - First Bus." This contract supports bus fare caps in the West of England, including a £1 Child Fare Cap and a £7 Adult Multi-Operator Day Ticket. The procurement falls under the service category of public road transport services and will be held in Bristol, United Kingdom (region UKK11). The award, pending since 2 April 2026, recognises FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND LIMITED as the supplier. The contract period begins on 17 April 2026 and ends on 30 September 2026, with a standstill period concluding on 15 April 2026.

This tender provides opportunities to engage in the public transport sector, notably for businesses involved in road transport services. Given the procurement method of direct award due to exclusive rights and intellectual property, companies with strategic partnerships or holding similar exclusive operational rights in transport services might explore growth through collaboration or similar tender opportunities. Large-scale enterprises with expansive logistical capabilities could potentially offer support services or seek collaboration in the efficient running of these fare-capped services, driving business growth through public sector contracts.

## Notice

This contract supports the bus fare caps in place in the West of England including the PS1 Child Fare Cap and the PS7 Adult Multi-Operator Day Ticket.

### Procurement Information

Single supplier - intellectual property or exclusive rights The Procurement Act 2023 (the Act) permits direct awards to be made in certain circumstances. The relevant justification is contained in Paragraph 5 of Schedule 5 of the Act which states: "The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract- (a) due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. Each of the bus operators has been awarded competitively tendered bus routes which they have exclusive rights to operate so that both limbs (a) and (b) are satisfied.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031059-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 25 Mar 2026 |
| Contract period | 16 Apr 2026 - 30 Sep 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £657,457 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | THE WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Post town | Bristol |
| Postcode | BS1 6AL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England |
| ITL 3 | TLK51 Bristol, City of |
| Local authority | Bristol, City of |
| Electoral ward | Central |
| Westminster constituency | Bristol Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 60112000 - Public road transport services

## Release History

- 2 Apr 2026 at 14:37 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031059-2026
- 2 Apr 2026 at 14:34 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031053-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031059-2026
  2nd April 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031053-2026
  2nd April 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00025088/officers
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/about-us/contact-us/

## 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-h6vhtk-067c22. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067c22.json.