TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Yes, I know. I'm talking about long term, which I think was also the original question that sparked this debate.
I think the question, which we obviously don't know the answer to yet, is whether the MMCs at SPS will be required back in Cornwall long term. With the economics of local bus services now in tatters one way of achieving economies would be to use fully depreciated vehicles.
Given that the current arrangement is so lucrative it can't be the best value for money long term for EDF, who will at some stage want to formalise more permanent arrangements. But then that probably can't be done until we know how long social distancing will last. It could be for ever of course!
At the current time, it makes sense for SPS to have additional modern deckers to enable social distancing AND that FSW get an income (on top of their £900k dividend) and aren’t left with the burden of depreciation.
In the longer term, it’ll be interesting to see what SPS do and whether FSW will require their MMC back.