Veolia Awarded Sprinter Contract Extension

Jan. 3, 2012
99 Percent On-Time Performance and Commitment to Safety Rationale for Award

Veolia Transportation, a leader in transportation management services in North America, was recently awarded a two-year contract extension for operations and maintenance of the North Country Transit District (Calif.) Sprinter service. Sprinter, the light rail transit operation, is one of three multimodal services the North County Transit District provides commuters to travel safely and efficiently throughout the county.

The two-year contract extension, approved during the Nov. 17, 2011 board of directors meeting of the North County Transit District (NCTD), calls for Veolia Transportation to manage the Sprinter service through December 2014 with an additional 18-month extension — with the Board’s discretion — through June 30, 2016.  The original contract with Veolia was approved by the NCTD in April 2006.

The NCTD Sprinter route covers 22 miles from Oceanside to Escondido with 15 station stops for passengers and is part of San Diego’s regional transportation network. NCTD moves more than 12 million passengers annually by providing public transportation for North San Diego County

“Veolia Transportation welcomes the opportunity to continue its service to the NCTD and to provide safe, efficient and environmentally-friendly Sprinter transportation services to the community,” stated Richard Dahl, general manager, Veolia Transportation.

The NCTD board and staff praised Veolia for its commitment to assisting the district battle financial challenges while providing commuters with outstanding service, near perfect on-time performance, and record ridership. Last month’s NCTD’s Board minutes noted key achievements during the first four years Sprinter operations that reflect Veolia’s commitment to service:

  • On Time Performance — Service on-time performance percentage averaged over 99%.
  • Customer Satisfaction — Quality of the service is high, and Sprinter riders are very satisfied: fewer than 4 complaints per 100,000 passengers.
  • Efficient Fiscal Operations — Fare recovery ratio has increased steadily over the last three years and now stands at 18.3 percent.
  • Growing Ridership — Record-breaking ridership has occurred in recent months, with averages of over 10,000 passengers per weekday. FY 11 had a new high in annual ridership of 2,219,825.
  • Weekend Service — Sprinter has established successful Friday and Saturday night service.

“Sprinter service is a win for passengers, the community and the region,” Dahl commented, “and Veolia will maintain its commitment to safety and service in the years ahead.”