VCS Coach Management System

Description

Victoria Coach Station Limited (VCSL) is a subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL). The primary role of the company is to provide coach departure and arrivals facilities for commercial coach operators and coach passengers travelling to UK, Europe alongside other domestic tourist services. Victoria Coach Station (VCS) is the main coach hub within London, with additional locations across London that see coach departure and arrival activity. The service includes providing arrival and departure information to passengers alongside ticket sales and luggage storage facilities. It is also charged with the provision of a safe and comfortable environment for Coach Operator staffing teams, coach passengers and members of the public using its facilities. The station also provides an accessible coach service for passengers requiring additional help and assistance accessing services. The coaches management team based at Victoria Coach Station collaborate with the coach industry operators and receive their departure and arrivals schedules, combining those schedules into one main schedule that details the day to day service activity through the station. VCS derives its revenue from charging Coach Operators for using its services, with tariffs varying depending on service required and additional factors, These tariffs are used to drive income and value for TfL. It operates a 24-hour operation every day of the year, from a split site setup of approx. 3.3acres. VCS currently manages service that run throughout UK and Europe including domestic tour operations through 16 main coach operators. It is the largest coach station facility in Europe, servicing approximately; - 220,000 coach departures & 220,000 coach arrivals - Circa 20m passenger throughout Lot 1: Victoria Coach Station (VCS) are seeking to replace the current system that operates the service booking, coach operator schedule planning, invoicing and customer information display system that is in place. The new solution is required to support the aspirations of coach operations strategic delivery plans (made up of the Operations / Customer and Revenue roadmaps) TfL also seeks to exploit advancements in technology that also generate efficiencies whilst maintaining service quality. It is hoped a new solution will improve operational efficiencies when managing departure and arrival schedules within VCS in addition to a system that continues to satisfy business management and customer needs. TfL wishes to engage with the market to help shape how it might define, procure and contract for a new solution, as well as the maintenance and enhancement of a new solution, through assessing current market capabilities and appetite for the different elements of service identified in the high-level requirement capture outlined below: • Schedule Management: Management of repeated and ad hoc scheduled services from multiple sources with different scheduling solutions • Invoice Management: Ability to generate electronic invoices based on services rendered such as contract records, tariffs and time spent on TfL Property. • Tariffs and dynamic charging models: Dynamic charging factoring in Demand levels and associated Business Rules • Reporting Tools: Integration with inhouse reporting suites • Route Service Updates: Integration with 3rd party operators' APIs to capture real time updates on estimated vehicle arrival times etc. • Customer Information Displays Automatically update displays on TFL network integration • Station Access Management (vehicle entry/exit) Ability to automatically capture the date, time and identity of vehicles entering, exiting and traversing the designated vehicle movement areas (VMA) • Coach Gate/Platform Management: Tactical management of gates and platforms to align to schedules and business rules. Automated business rules for gate management. • Vehicle Information Management: Asset management records for Vehicle details - Type, Sizes, Emissions etc • Hardware support: Management and Support of existing hardware such as Display screens Interested parties are asked to express their interest to the Commercial Team via email (CoachManagementSystemCommercial@TfL.gov.uk) by no later than 12:00 midday 30th August 2024. Expressions of interest should include the party's full company name and key contact details (e-mail and phone number) of maximum two representatives. Parties that express an interest will be invited to an open day (week commencing 2nd September 2024).