Prior information notice concerning the public service concession for the operation of the urban transport network

The Béziers Méditerranée Agglomeration Community in France from Europe region has released this tender for The contract covers the operation of the urban public transport network of the Béziers Méditerranée Agglomeration Community, within the territorial jurisdiction of its 17 member municipalities. The service to be operated represents approximately 2,800,000 kilometers produced annually, provided by a fleet of 73 vehicles: - 39 standard CNG buses; - 13 standard hydrogen buses; - 6 electric minibuses; - 12 diesel midibuses; - 3 diesel minibuses. Ridership is approximately 4,500,000 trips per year. In addition to operating the regular service and the associated on-demand transport services, the concessionaire will be entrusted with the following missions: - Management of multimodal transport hubs: the concessionaire will manage the main hubs, namely the De Gaulle bus station and the SNCF bus station, as well as the secondary hubs of Mercorent, Mazeran, and Gausselet. - Operation of real-time passenger information systems: the concessionaire will be responsible for operating the real-time passenger information systems, including the production and dissemination of information to users. - Electric bicycle rental service: the concessionaire will manage the medium- and long-term electric bicycle rental service. The competent authority will provide the concessionaire with the following operating resources, without the concessionaire having to bear the investment: - the operating depot, including the CNG refueling station; - the two retail shops, located at the SNCF bus station and the De Gaulle bus station, as well as the shop dedicated to the bicycle rental service; - the rolling stock, the acquisition of which is currently the responsibility of the competent authority – hydrogen buses, electric minibuses, and vehicles from the existing fleet. For hydrogen refueling, the competent authority has secured, within the framework of broader regional hydrogen projects, the opening by a third-party operator of a refueling station located outside the depot, at the head of the dedicated public transport line. The concessionaire will have guaranteed access to this station and will be able to refuel its hydrogen vehicles there without any investment on its part. If the concession is awarded by the Agglomeration Community, the concessionaire will be entrusted with the operation of road transport services in accordance with the principles of continuity of public service and equal treatment of users, as well as with the obligations that will be defined in the Tender Documents. The concessionaire may also be entrusted with the operation of related services connected to the transport service. with tender notice no. 694476-2026 published on 08 Oct 2026. The tender is due to expire on 06 Jan 2027. This tender is sourced from TED Europa and is eligible for suppliers interested in Transport services (excl. Waste transport), Road transport services, Public transport services by railways, Bus station services. Interested bidders can obtain further information including complete bid documents or ways to participate by registering on Tender Impulse and referencing via Tender Impulse ID 15354588.