Dear Mr. Kennedy,

Thank you for your e-mail dated 4th March 2009 in which you requested, the pricing for mileages, waiting times and minimum charges within the schedule of rates for the contracts relating to passenger transport for minibuses. These would be within the framework of contracts awarded under the recently adopted procurement system. These contracts relate to passenger transport supplied by the Borough for schools, day centres and special needs centres.

Your request was received on 4th March 2009 and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The Council has a duty to respond promptly or no later than 20 working days, which in this case is 1st April 2009. However, as in this case, if a qualified exemption applies to the information and the public interest test is engaged, the Act allows the time for the response to be longer than 20 days, and the information must be supplied within what is considered a 'reasonable' time scale considering the circumstances of the case.

We are considering the information under the following exemptions:

Section 43 Commercial Interests.

We estimate it will take a further 14 days before we can come to a decision on where the public interest lies.

If you have any queries about this matter please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in all future communications.


Yours Sincerely,

Ceri Stephens
Performance Officer
Environment & Regeneration
Swindon Borough Council
Tel: 01793 466220
e-mail: [email address]

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