The Twin Cities Area Transportation Authority has extended its deadline for companies interested in managing Dial a Ride to submit their proposals.
Speaking to the TCATA Board of Trustees this week, Interim Director Todd Shurn said the goal was to have all proposals in by September 26. However, while TCATA heard from many interested firms, it encountered the need for a delay.
“We ended up with so many questions that we couldn’t answer them all by September the 5th as we promised,” Shurn said. “We ended up well over 100 questions.”
Shurn said TCATA is moving the deadline for submissions to October 3, next Friday. The goal now is to select a management firm by mid-November and to bring it on board next year. One possible benefit of hiring a management company to run Dial a Ride would be lower insurance costs.
Also this week, Shurn told trustees Dial a Ride is offering a new line making runs from and to Benton Harbor High School.
“So it’ll be convenient, it’ll be located in the circle. It’s those kinds of things that we want to do so that the community knows that we’re here, we’re an efficient way to get from where they are to where they want to go.”
Shurn said increasing ridership is a goal so that revenues can also rise, and this new line is one way to do that. Meanwhile, he said talks on the county level to establish a consolidated transportation service continue.
