ALSA, ATM Milano and RATP among contenders for Piedmont’s €112m/year regional bus tender

Spanish operator ALSA, ATM Milano and RATP are set to compete for Piedmont’s €112 million-a-year regional bus services tender, as the qualification phase points to a crowded field of national and international contenders.

One of Italy’s largest regional public transport procurements (another major one is underway in Milan’s metropolitan area) is attracting competition from incumbent operators, major Italian transport groups and international players. The tender, launched by the PTA Agenzia della Mobilità Piemontese for bus services across Piemonte (Piedmont), the northwestern Italian region centred on Turin, covers approximately 56.1 million vehicle-kilometres annually with an estimated annual compensation of €112.4 million. As reported on Italian trade media and our sister platform Autobusweb, the procurement is structured into eight lots covering the Metropolitan, South-West, South-East and North-East transport basins.

As reported still by Autobusweb and local outlets, the newly qualified operators include Spain’s ALSA and Nex Continental alongside ATM Milano, Air Pullman, STAC, VITA, Autostradale and VCO Trasporti. These companies will compete alongside incumbent operators already entitled to participate in the tender, including GTT, Bus Company, Cavourese, Arriva and Chiesa.

Qualification phase completed for Piedmont tender

The applications submitted during the qualification phase will now undergo administrative verification before the competitive bidding stage.

Under Class A3, allowing participation across the entire procurement, the newly qualified applicants are ATM Milano, Air Pullman, STAC, ALSA and Nex Continental.

Under Class A2, allowing participation in up to three lots, the newly qualified operators are VITA, Autostradale and VCO Trasporti. Existing operators already qualified under this category include Gruppo Torinese Trasporti (GTT), Cavourese, Bus Company, Giachino, RATP Dev Italia and Busitalia.

Additional applications were submitted under Class A1, reserved for companies interested in a single lot. These applications came from operators already active in Piemonte, including Baranzelli, Gherra, Autolinee Valle Pesio, SAV, Pirazzi, ACTP, Bellando, Autolinee Nuova Benese and Linea Azzurra.

The participation of RATP has also been widely reported by Italian media as a confirmed element of the competitive field, reflecting the French group’s stated ambition to expand in the Italian public transport market.

In brief

• What does the Piemonte tender cover? The procurement covers local bus services across the Piedmont region through eight service contracts worth an estimated €112.4 million annually.
• Which operators have joined the competition? Newly qualified companies include ALSA, Nex Continental, ATM Milano, Air Pullman, STAC, VITA, Autostradale and VCO Trasporti, alongside incumbent operators already eligible to participate. Italian media report also RATP among the competitors.
• What happens next? Applications submitted during the qualification phase will undergo administrative verification before the tender proceeds to the competitive bidding stage.

Public transport tender in Piedmont is underway

The tender is divided into eight service contracts, with two lots assigned to each of Piemonte’s four regional transport basins.

Lots 1 and 2 cover the South-West Basin, serving the province of Cuneo with approximately 16.1 million vehicle-kilometres per year and estimated annual compensation of €31.9 million.

Lots 3 and 4 correspond to the South-East Basin, covering the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. Together they account for around 13.8 million vehicle-kilometres annually and approximately €28.6 million in yearly compensation.

Lots 5 and 6 cover the North-East Basin, serving the provinces of Biella, Vercelli, Novara and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola. Combined, they represent approximately 7.5 million vehicle-kilometres with annual compensation of around €14.1 million.

The Metropolitan Basin around Turin represents the largest share of the procurement. Lots 7 and 8 account for approximately 18.7 million vehicle-kilometres per year and an estimated €37.8 million in annual compensation, covering suburban and interurban services across the northern, western, southern and eastern areas of the Turin metropolitan area.

Overall, the procurement covers approximately 56.1 million vehicle-kilometres annually, making it one of the largest regional bus service tenders currently underway in Italy.