More and more tenders are coming under pressure because there are no more tenderers who want or can meet the requirements. Similarly, the tender for WMO transport for Den Helder has failed. No taxi company has registered for the new contract, which is to take effect on 1 January 2020.
Citizens can use special transport under the Social Support Act (Wmo). There are differences in implementation and carrier per municipality. There are standards in the market and statutory rates that municipalities and transport operators are bound to, but quality requirements in the tendering process of the municipalities are quite different.
Den Helder misinformed by external agency
Companies interested in transport have been able to register in recent weeks, but no one has done so. It seems that the municipality wants to sit in the first rank for a dime, because the taxi companies could only register if they would charge a maximum of 1,50 euros per kilometer for the transport and call-out costs could not be charged.
"We will ask the current taxi companies for whom it is possible to extend the current contract by two months, so that the residents who are eligible for the WMO taxi transport will not have any problems," said alderman Tjitske Biersteker.
The alderman left Monday afternoon in the radio program "Noordkop region Current“Know that the mentioned price of 1,50 per kilometer does not just come out of the blue and that they were well informed in advance by 'market experts'.
This while both the start rate and the kilometer rate for street taxi were charged by the Ministry recorded and calculating to a group transport rate for WMO transport is then not that difficult. When you know the minimum rate that a taxi driver has to earn to be profitable for the company, calculating the WMO rate is no higher math.
“An external agency was called in to investigate the amount for which the transport should be possible and this came out. Incidentally, it takes some time with a new tendering procedure, so it is unfortunately not possible to conclude a new contract as of 1 January 2020. "
Apart from a much too low kilometer price, Den Helder also demands a TX quality mark and at the moment only Taxi Hilverink has this, but 'smart' has not registered either.
New tender
The municipality stated in a response that it has been established that unfortunately no registrations have been received on the WMO taxi transport quotation request.
“This means that we have to carry out the tender again. Prior to this, we first consulted a representative of the transport companies to find out the reasons why they did not tender for this tender, ”said spokeswoman Florentine de Maar.
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