Tender process for pupils’ transportation at final stage
pupils
17 Nov 2022
/ 18:48
CORFU. Melita Andrioti: More than 60% of the routes will be covered. Increased interest from transportation service providers.
Last September's tender process for the pupil transportation project is in its final stage. The routes are currently being carried out with extensions of last school year's contracts until the final contractors are appointed at the latest until 31 December 2022.
The Ionian Islands Region's tender process is in progress for the transportation of about 3,000 primary and secondary pupils in Corfu.
The tender that was announced only on 6 September, just a few days before the schools started, is in its final stage and as Deputy Regional Governor for Social Welfare, Public Health and Employment Melita Andrioti told Enimerosi, more than 60% of the routes will be covered.
"The Tender Committee has asked some transportation service providers to submit missing supporting documents. The evaluation will follow and then the report will be sent to the Finance Committee. There are a number of people interested in taking the pupil's routes. However, those that end up unsuccessful will be tendered again with the same procedure," Mrs. Andrioti told Enimerosi, pointing out that the tender concerns the school year 2022-2023 and will be valid until 30 June.
Another month and a half
However, time is running out. The extension of the contracts given by an amendment last September, following the problem caused with pupils' transportation, will expire in a month and a half from now. Schools opened this year without school routes, which finally started gradually after about two weeks of classes through contract extensions with the old transportation service providers.
Public transportation service provider
Parents are following this issue and they are not hiding their anxiety about whether the tender process will be unsuccessful following the opening of the files. "There is a concern for when the files are opened, as experience has shown that there will be unsucessful routes. The position of the Union of Parents and Guardians Associations is that there should be a publicly owned and staffed transportation service provider for school routes and not follow the solution of tendering with private individuals. This will solve the issue once and for all," the Union of Parents and Guardians Associations President Leonidas Trantos told Enimerosi. He also added that if there are not enough school buses at the end, the compensation given by the Ionian Islands Region to parents for the children's transportation is very low and does not correspond to the current conditions.
The Ionian Islands Region's tender process is in progress for the transportation of about 3,000 primary and secondary pupils in Corfu.
The tender that was announced only on 6 September, just a few days before the schools started, is in its final stage and as Deputy Regional Governor for Social Welfare, Public Health and Employment Melita Andrioti told Enimerosi, more than 60% of the routes will be covered.
"The Tender Committee has asked some transportation service providers to submit missing supporting documents. The evaluation will follow and then the report will be sent to the Finance Committee. There are a number of people interested in taking the pupil's routes. However, those that end up unsuccessful will be tendered again with the same procedure," Mrs. Andrioti told Enimerosi, pointing out that the tender concerns the school year 2022-2023 and will be valid until 30 June.
Another month and a half
However, time is running out. The extension of the contracts given by an amendment last September, following the problem caused with pupils' transportation, will expire in a month and a half from now. Schools opened this year without school routes, which finally started gradually after about two weeks of classes through contract extensions with the old transportation service providers.
Public transportation service provider
Parents are following this issue and they are not hiding their anxiety about whether the tender process will be unsuccessful following the opening of the files. "There is a concern for when the files are opened, as experience has shown that there will be unsucessful routes. The position of the Union of Parents and Guardians Associations is that there should be a publicly owned and staffed transportation service provider for school routes and not follow the solution of tendering with private individuals. This will solve the issue once and for all," the Union of Parents and Guardians Associations President Leonidas Trantos told Enimerosi. He also added that if there are not enough school buses at the end, the compensation given by the Ionian Islands Region to parents for the children's transportation is very low and does not correspond to the current conditions.
