1. Can you provide email and/or letter communications with Wrightbus during the time they entered to administration (September 2019) and after the takeover by Bamford Bus Company. 2. Can you provide a list of current projects and schemes contracted to Wrightbus and Bamford Bus Company? 3. Can you provide more details and purpose about the current projects contracted to Wrightbus and Bamford Bus Company? 4. What are TfL proposals and future plans with Bamford Bus Company to make improvements with the London Bus fleet (including the New Routemaster project)?

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TfL Ref: FOI-2681-1920

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 3 December 2019.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm we do hold the information you require. You asked:

1. Can you provide email and/or letter communications with Wrightbus during the time they entered to administration (September 2019) and after the takeover by Bamford Bus Company.

We cannot share this information while it remains part of our commercial negotiations with Bamford Bus Company and any other related parties. In this instance the exemption at section 43(2) of the FOI Act has been applied to this information as disclosure would be likely to prejudice our commercial interests, as well as Bamford Bus Company’s. There is a risk Bamford Bus Company may try to reduce the scope of the work currently being considered for the same price or increase their price for the same scope of work, and we need a detailed and costed programme from them to understand its proposals and be able to negotiate potential options. Prejudice would be likely to occur when we go out to tender for this and similar services in the future, as it would impair our negotiating position with other third parties and how much we are prepared to pay, if we don’t go ahead with Bamford Bus Company’s proposal. Disclosing this information could also be prejudicial to the bus company’s ability to compete for tendering opportunities with TfL and other companies in the future, as their competitive edge would inevitably be prejudiced by disclosure of their commercial proposals.

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. TfL recognises the need for openness and transparency by public authorities but in this instance the public interest in ensuring that TfL is able to obtain the best value for public money outweighs the general public interest in increasing transparency of our processes.

1. Can you provide a list of current projects and schemes contracted to Wrightbus and Bamford Bus Company?

The projects and initiatives planned with Wrightbus include the purchase of 20 new hydrogen fuel-cell buses to assist us with fleet emissions reduction and the potential conversion of more New Routemaster buses to front-door boarding to reduce fare evasion and provide more consistency to boarding and alighting across the bus network. We do not have contract arrangements with Bamford Bus Company and are currently in commerical discussions with the new owners to see if we can take these activities forward.

1. Can you provide more details and purpose about the current projects contracted to Wrightbus and Bamford Bus Company?

See answers to questions 1 and 2.

1. What are TfL proposals and future plans with Bamford Bus Company to make improvements with the London Bus fleet (including the New Routemaster project)?

We are keen that Bamford Bus Company understands our future needs. We have had initial engagement with them over our plans as well as commercial discussions related to the two specific projects mentioned above. There are no plans to extend the diesel-hybrid New Routemaster fleet. Any future procurement will be subject to the usual competitive procurement processes. 

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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