The Central Midlands Transit (Comet) Board of Directors have voted to re-bid the fixed route and paratransit program contract, currently held by Transdev Services Inc. who oversee employing drivers, performing maintenance of the buses and other related services such as paratransit, security, landscaping, bus stop maintenance, mystery riding and IT, which are provided by a series of local minority and women owned businesses.
The contract was initially awarded in February of 2015 to help The Comet ramp up its services to the Midlands after receiving additional resources from the Richland County transportation penny tax. Initially a five-year contract, it allowed for five one-year extensions before it could be re-bid.
Over the last five years, the current service provider, Transdev, has worked with The Comet to increase services by 63 percent, increase the number of passengers by 35 percent and have added 350 stops in the Midlands along with more benches and shelters for riders.
The Comet Board of Directors appreciates Transdev’s contributions to the progress that has been made. The end of the five-year contract is here and both The Comet and Transdev have agreed it is in the best interest of both parties to put it up for bid. Both parties believe that a new Request for Proposal (RFP) can be developed to provide both greater efficiency and value to the citizens of the Midlands while being more effective and cost efficient for both The Comet and the contractor.
“Transdev has been a great partner to work with over the past five years,” said Chairman Ron Anderson. “Their expertise and support have helped advance public transportation in the Midlands and we certainly hope and expect Transdev will be one of the companies that bid on the new contract.”
Anderson has appointed a five-member committee of the board to work with John Andoh, executive director and CEO, and others to prepare the RFP.
The Comet’s goal is to have the RFP released by November 2019, have responses returned by December 2019 and to successfully identify a new contractor by February 2020.
“The Comet Board is excited about the advances The Comet is making across the region,” added Anderson. “We are looking forward to taking the next step in continuing to make mobility more accessible and convenient for everyone in the Midlands.”
