Private Hire Transport Services DPS
Framework Description
Nottingham City Council's Private Hire Transport Services DPS is an open purchasing system for taxi, minibus, coach and bus services. It has six lots, from planned taxi routes and ad-hoc taxis through to buses with 52 or more seats, with no cap on the number of suppliers per lot. It was advertised on Find a Tender as notice 014374-2024 and runs until 7 June 2034.
Context & Use Case
The council uses the DPS to buy passenger transport by service pattern and vehicle size. Planned taxi routes cover regular trips at fixed times, while the ad-hoc lot handles one-off or irregular trips. The seat-band lots, two of which include specially adapted vehicles, cover group transport up to full-size buses. Each contract is competed among the operators admitted to the relevant lot.
Scope of Services
Lot 1: Planned Taxi Routes Lot 2: Ad-hoc Taxis Lot 3: Vehicles up to 8 Seats (including specially adapted) Lot 4: Vehicles with 9 to 16 Seats (including specially adapted) Lot 5: Vehicles with 17 to 51 Seats Lot 6: Buses with 52 Seats and Above
Lots
Lot 1 - Planned Taxi Routes; Lot 2 - Ad-hoc Taxis; Lot 3 - Vehicles up to 8 Seats (including specially adapted); Lot 4 - Vehicles with 9 to 16 Seats (including specially adapted); Lot 5 - Vehicles with 17 to 51 Seats; Lot 6 - Buses with 52 Seats and Above
Who Can Apply
Taxi and private hire firms, minibus operators and coach companies of any size. As a live DPS, it accepts applications at any point while open, and operators can apply for as many lots as their fleet supports. Firms with wheelchair-accessible or adapted vehicles are a natural fit for lots 3 and 4.
Buyer Benefits
Admitted operators are already vetted, so the council can compete a route or trip and award quickly. With no limit on suppliers per lot, the pool keeps growing, which helps the council cover new routes, adapted-vehicle needs and short-notice trips at competitive prices.
Next Steps
Open Find a Tender notice 014374-2024 and download the selection documents. Decide which lots match your vehicles, licences and drivers, then submit your application. Once admitted, watch for competitions closely, as each route or job is competed among admitted operators. The system runs for years yet, but operators admitted sooner see more competitions.
How Athena Can Help
Getting admitted is the first hurdle. Athena can pick the lots that suit your fleet, answer the selection questions and compliance-check the submission before it goes in, through our DPS application support.
Once you are on, route competitions often turn on price and reliability. Our bid management team can sharpen your pricing models and build reusable response templates so you can reply quickly, and our public sector tendering advice helps you judge which competitions are worth pursuing.
