Rail Replacement Service - Bus and Coach Operators- Release 2
- Buyer
- Transport for Wales Rail Limited (Utility Buyer)
- Value
- £81,008,616
- Closes
- 27 October 2026
- Where
- Pontypridd, the East Midlands
- Type
- Sets up a framework (suppliers apply to join)
In plain English
Transport for Wales is looking for bus and coach operators to provide rail replacement services across Wales and the Welsh border. They need operators to cover emergency services (at short notice), pre-planned services (2 weeks plus), and ad-hoc travel as required. This is a framework agreement for up to 8 years.
What the buyer wants
• Provide buses and coaches to replace rail services when trains are cancelled, delayed, or undergoing maintenance, ranging from emergency call-outs (within 48 hours) to planned long-term replacements • Be ready to deploy vehicles and drivers across Wales and England border routes at short notice • Accept ad-hoc commissions for travel services alongside scheduled contracted duties
Lots
- Part 1 Lot 1: Emergency (up to 48 hours)
- Parts 2 & 3 Lot 2: Pre-Planned
- Part 4 Lot 3: Mini-Competition (over 14 days)
Likely requirements
Our reading of the notice. Always check the tender documents.
This contract is only open to licensed bus and coach operators with the infrastructure to deploy vehicles rapidly across Wales: sole traders, electricians, cleaners and most small trades cannot bid. You must hold an O-licence and operate a fleet.
How to bid
This is a framework: the buyer picks a set of suppliers now and awards work to them over several years. If you are not on it when it is awarded, you usually cannot win work from it until it is re-tendered, so this is the window to bid.
More open tenders from Transport for Wales Rail Limited (Utility Buyer)
- Canton Depot Flooring Works, Transport for Wales Rail Limited (Utility Buyer), £333,333, closes 3 November 2026
Check whether your business could win this, free
Get a plain-English bid plan for this tender with the bid coach