The Coimbra City Council unanimously approved the opening of a public tender for the exploitation of two kiosks near the bus interface located under the IC2 viaduct, on Rua do Padrão. The space is mainly used by the Flixbus operator and the municipality intends to provide it with passenger support services in an area where road transport circulation has increased.
The two buildings have conditions to accommodate a cafeteria, public restrooms, a waiting room and wi-fi access, and may also include an outdoor area and terrace. The concession will last eight years, renewable for another two, with the municipality reserving the possibility of reclaiming the operation from the fifth year onwards through compensation.
In the award criteria, the range of offerings and services has a weight of 45%, followed by price with 35% and operating hours with 20%. The minimum monthly bidding value is 250 euros. Proposals that include greater commercial diversity, mobile device charging points, passenger information systems and better comfort conditions will be valued.
During the discussion, the Mayor, Ana Abrunhosa, mentioned that there is a planned housing project for the space currently occupied by the bus station used exclusively by Rede Expresso. The municipality will need to make a decision about that space, at a time when the future road interface planned for the intermodal station remains undefined, dependent on the process associated with the high-speed rail line.
