The contract to operate the Buzza Bus service on St. Mary’s is about to be retendered.
The current service contract is operated by Age UK on behalf of the Local Authority. The bright blue electric minibus has been providing subsidised travel six days a week for the over 60s and the disabled since 2010.
‘We currently have a very successful dial-a-ride operation in Scilly which has made a really positive impact on many local people’s lives here,’ said the Council’s community services chairman Richard McCarthy . ‘The fact that it makes some 900 passenger journeys a month speaks volumes about how much this provision is valued on the islands.’
The invitation to tender will be open to individuals or businesses on or off the islands. Full details of the contract and the tender process can be found on the Council’s website: http://www.scilly.gov.uk/business/contracts
Buzza Bus, which boasts a wheelchair ramp, was born out of the last Government’s investment in a concessionary fares scheme which also enabled the Council to develop a parallel scheme for off-island boat services.