By
Rebecca Gibson |
The Swedish Transport Administration (STA) has created a new tender agreement for the ferry service to the island of Gotland, Gotlandstrafiken to generate greater competition in the procurement process of a suitable operator.
The tender contract for the Gotlandstrafiken service will start in February 2017 and run for ten years. The service will operate throughout the year, with two daily return journeys from Visby to Nynäshamn and one daily return from Visby to Oskarshamn.
Although the STA tender documents do not specify details of the service, they do indicate various minimum requirements including the basic frequency of service and a maximum crossing time, as well as requirements for a total passenger capacity.
The new documents facilitate a changed traffic structure, enabling a more flexible timetable which offers possibilities for same-day-returns with a stay of at least eight hours, as well as the option of an earlier evening arrival in Visby.
In order to ensure a maximum price guarantee for residents, trade and industry on Gotland, the agreement will be a service concession, allowing the operator to receive a fixed compensation from the state and retain ticket revenues.
“I believe that we will achieve better quality while simultaneously achieving a more environmentally-friendly service as well as lower costs, if the bidders have the opportunity to present traffic solutions which we can compare in the evaluation of tenders,” said Gunnar Malm, director general of the STA.
The existing agreement with Destination Gotland, which was to terminate at the end of 2015, has been extended with a short-term agreement for another two years.