Bus company questions council's net-zero ambitions

A bus company has questioned Brighton & Hove City Council after it ditched its electric buses in favour of a diesel fleet on its supported services for the next four years.

The council has confirmed it is awarding the contract to a rival company called Compass Travel Ltd, a decision which has angered The Big Lemon, which held the contract since 2017, operating on routes 16, 47 and 52.

The company said it had concerns over the bidding process and the council's net zero ambitions needed to be highlighted.

The council defended the process as "full and fair", adding it remained committed to net zero.

Tom Druitt, chief executive of The Big Lemon, said: "In this tender, the council has awarded maximum points for a vehicle solution that does not appear to comply with the requirements of the published tender documents."

Councillor Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport, parking and public realm, said: "We have carried out a full and fair procurement process to find an operator that is best able to match these requirements and have identified the winning bidder as Compass Travel Ltd.

"The successful operator will be deploying new buses fitted with Euro 6 technology designed to save fuel and significantly reduce emissions.

"This will provide confidence and consistency our city needs for cleaner air quality and low carbon emissions within a reliable service.

"The council also continues to support the transition to zero emissions vehicles and is allocating almost £3M of the government's Zebra2 grant fund, together with £550,000 from the council's own resources, to the transition to zero emissions fleets in Brighton and Hove."

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