Sunday 8th March 2026
Unsurprisingly my take on the strange goings on experienced as a passenger in Chelmsford on Friday drew a record number of comments to yesterday’s blog and in case readers don’t have the time to read through them all, here’s one from someone who contacted me with extensive knowledge of the background, explaining there’s more to it than meets the eye when reading the public pronouncements from Central Connect and observing the shenanigans out on the ground as a member of the public….
“Prior to tenders originally being issued – probably spring or early summer last year – all operators were sent the passenger data and asked if they saw the service as a commercial proposition. It must be presumed no operator said yes, as the (complex, lengthy and rigorous) tender process then began, with two stages, and incorporating both price and quality weightings.
The tenders are gross cost – so revenue falls to Essex County Council (ECC). There were two bidders (publicly available information) – First and Stephensons, and the former was announced as successful. I recollect this was around December 2025, as the whole process had inevitably run late.
It is understood that Central Connect (Transport Made Simple – TMS) did not meet the submission deadline, and subsequently asked for a late entry to be accepted, which understandably (in the interests of fair competition) was denied. It was only at this point TMS announced they planned to continue operating one (of the two) routes commercially.
This rather smacks of desperation, and had the intention been notified prior to the tender process, it would I suspect have been accepted. Given all the work put in by bidding operators and ECC, and the fact the award had been made, it is unsurprising that ECC decided to continue as planned. The council’s standard tender documents do make clear that commercial propositions especially at a late stage will not necessarily result in the tender being withdrawn.The whole process does not reflect well on TMS, given ECC must be their biggest single customer. And as mentioned, this is not the first major falling out between the two parties. It is true that TMS quality on Chelmsford P&R was good. But so was First for the previous contract terms. Though a high profile route, it is relatively easy to operate, and popular with its dedicated rota of drivers.
It is hard to see the potential Park &Ride profits for TMS even uncontested are worth the hassle, particularly as the 4 year old buses could be usefully employed for fleet replacements at Hedingham/Chambers, and that they will no longer be able to base buses overnight at the P&R site as they had done previously (though never declared as an Operating Centre). This was specifically prohibited- for all bidders-in the latest tender process. I have no idea whether there is sufficient income for the bus fares to contribute towards the car park running costs, but it is theoretically possible.
The ability to use the passing (First) commercial services in the evenings was presumably part of First’s quality offering, and they had offered a similar facility when they operated the tender previously. Finally, my own observations and experience would suggest that TMS, whilst good in parts and (in the original business) with a modern fleet, are not always the ‘high quality’ operator that Roger suggests. Interior and exterior cleanliness variable, ditto reliability, internal audio-visual displays not yet fitted/working in many cases, minimal scope to deal with staff sickness/breakdowns, little local management. The latter is of course subjective, but is included primarily because I think the ‘TMS great, First bad’ impression that comes across in Roger’s piece is a little imbalanced.”
Always happy to strive for blogging balance, so many thanks for this contribution setting out pertinent background. It’ll be interesting to see how this situation develops in the coming weeks, or even days, not least to bring some sense for passengers baffled and bemused by what’s currently playing out on the road.
Roger French
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