ENVIRONMENT has been told to think again over renewing its multi-million pound bus contract.
It suffered a defeat in the States yesterday over plans to employ more consultants to review the service in readiness for going out to open tender for a new contract to start in 2012.
Deputies criticised the planned expenditure, following a suggestion that it could have cost up to £100,000, because they believed the department should be capable of doing the job itself.
Members also suggested that everyone was already well aware of the problems that existed with the bus service.
After the debate, Environment minister Peter Sirett said the department would have to work around the decision.
‘I’m disappointed because our proposal was the way we should be going,’ said Deputy Sirett.
‘This area has been identified by [consultants] Tribal as a suitable case to work on from a value-for-money point of view. I believe States members have been short-sighted going against the advice.’
The department wanted consultants to investigate issues including service frequency, changing the type of bus, and the terms of the contract, which some argued was too generous to current holders Island Coachways.
‘We are going to have to do something,’ said Deputy Sirett.
‘We have just over two years then the whole question will have to be renegotiated, so we will have to work on how we do it.’
He added that to do the investigation properly would cost money.
After facing sustained criticism during the debate for wanting to use more consultants, Deputy Sirett told members the department did not have the expertise to do the detailed work involved.
Environment was also under fire for its failure to introduce a comprehensive free school bus service as directed by the States.
Lack of storage for its fleet has been blamed after the site it used behind the tram sheds was sold in 2006 to the States-funded Guernsey Housing Association to building accommodation.
The department turned down the chance to buy it because of a lack of money.
Environment also faced criticism on different fronts about its road transport strategy, with some again talking about the need to introduce paid parking to help ease congestion.
Article posted on 26th November, 2009 - 2.30pm
5 Article Comments
Bring back the Roadrunners. Enough said.
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The right outcome. Sirett and his board wouldn’t know an integrated transport strategy if one came around the corner and crashed into them. This is a road crash of a department that totally lost the bottle when it had the opportunity to put the central plank of an integrated strategy into place: ie paid parking. This should be seen as a vote of no confidence in the environment department and the whole lot of them should go, together with the expensive and totally unnecessary UK consultants they were about to saddle us with. They’ve failed their ‘L’ test and they shouldn’t be given another chance.
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How many years has a bus service been running in Guernsey – any how many times does such a service need to be reviewed, changed and changed back again? Why is it that every few years, firms, institutions and industries feel the need to review everything at great cost only for the same level of service or worse to then be put in place?
In an industry such as travel, only additional services need to be thought out and there should be no need to review existing ones. Replacing the types of buses is not needed if they are all in proper working order and do the job, which they appear to be and have done all these years.
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Sirett has to be the most unsuitable candidate for a politician ever to have ungraced the States.
What’s he done?
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WALK problem solved.
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