The Greensboro City Council is holding a virtual work session on the Greensboro Transit Agency (GTA) and parking beginning at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24.
The main purpose of the meeting according to Mayor Nancy Vaughan is to consider and discuss the contract to operate GTA which runs the buses in Greensboro.
The city currently contracts with Keolis to operate GTA, but that contract expires on June 30 of this year. The City Council is set to approve a new contract at its meeting on Tuesday, March 1. Vaughan said that she thought it was important for the City Council to have the opportunity to discuss the bids in detail before making the decision on March 1.
The Greensboro Department of Transportation (GDOT) received four “responsive proposals” following its Request for Proposals to operate GTA in Oct. 2021. The proposals considered were from Keolis (the current contractor), National Express, RATP Dev and Trans Dev (a former contractor).
GDOT is recommending that the city contract with RATP Dev, USA to begin operating the public transit system in Greensboro on July 1, 2022.
In the report to City Council, GDOT notes that RATP Dev received the top score from all reviewers, operates in 14 countries on four continents, has operations in North Carolina that include the City of Asheville and the City of Charlotte and has an average first year hourly wage of $28.97.
GTA also notes that RATP Dev has proposed a local management team with a combined 132 years of experience, has a robust training program, has experience with electric vehicles and perhaps most important to the City Council has an integrated Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise (MWBE) approach that subcontracts 15 positions in parts, administration and utility.
If the City Council follows the recommendation of GDOT and contracts with RATP Dev from March 1 to June 30 will be a transition period from Keolis to RATP Dev.
Since RATP Dev operates the transit system in Charlotte and Greensboro City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba was an assistant city manager in Charlotte before coming to Greensboro on Feb. 1, Jaiyeoba should be able to provide some incite on how RATP Dev actually operates a public transit system.
WOW! “ Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise (MWBE) approach that subcontracts 15 positions in parts, administration and utility.”
That’s part of the rationale for awarding a multi million dollar contract?
Ridiculous
Part. Just part. Don’t get bent out of shape. It was a plus, not the focus. Rate, experience, references and strategic vision alignment are typically the driv8ng criteria for vendor selections.
Of course, the City govt cannot run their own bus system, we know how well the govt functions.
The system will become more utilized, as more and more of us will be riding the bus, pushing our folding carts down the streets. Ice cream sales will plummet, as it will melt before we get home. It’s 1933 all over again.
Sounds like one hand is greasing the other to me. Really glad to hear about the mwbe that’s soooo important
I’m still angry over the fact they took the bus stop out from in front of Dolan Manor, forcing low income elderly resident to hike a half mile and cross Church St to catch the bus. I was told, by the city, the bus stop was taken out because “the new buses are too large to make the turns and run on residential streets. Granted, Golden Gate Dr is not Wendover Ave, but it’s certainly not a “residential” street with cars parked at the curb and children playing basketball in the street.
My big question is why are our buses so darn huge when I never see more than 4 or 5 rider? It makes absolutely no sense to have buses which are too big to go to where the riders are! It would make so much sense to have shorter and narrower (have you seen how wide these behemoths are) buses! You could even dress them up as cutesy trolly cars and market them as an attraction (think San Francisco cable cat).
I know I’m wasting my time in writing this, as nothing is going to change. As always, the poor, elderly and handicapped people, who depend on the bus system for transportation, will and do suffer.
Noted how you spelled “incite” rather than insight. Are you trying to incite trouble?