sr-022211-3dCity Council Meeting: February 22, 2011
Agenda Item: ~ `[~
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Stephanie Negriff, Director of Transit Services
Subject: Extension of Dial-a-Ride Agreement
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to extend the
existing contract with MV Transportation, Inc. for three months through June 30, 2011.
The amounf for the three month extension would not exceed $160,000. The sum of the
current three-year contract and the three-month extension would be $2,044,118.
Executive Summary
Staff recommends extending the current agreement with MV Transportation, Inc. for
three months at a cost not to exceed $160,000. The sum of the current three-year
contract and the three-month extension would be $2,044,118. The extension allows for
examination of provisions in the scope of work that currently allow the City, at any time,
to change the hours of service and the service area. The three month extension will also
put a future three-year agreement on a fiscal year cycle.
Background
MV Transportation, Inc. was awarded the contract for Santa Monica Dial-a-Ride, the
City's supplemental paratransit service, on March 25, 2008 following a formal bid
process. The total contract amount for the current three-year term is $1,884,118. MV
operates and maintains the vehicles, takes trip reservations over the phone, dispatches
vehicles to pick up clients and conducts on-going safety and customer service training
for their Santa Monica staff. The current contract expires March 31, 2011.
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Discussion
The Community and Cultural Services' Human Services Division requested that the
process for issuing a Notice Inviting Bids for Santa Monica Dial-a-Ride service be
postponed to consider recommendations by the Disabilities Commission and the
Commission for the Senior Community to reevaluate community needs in terms of
hours of service, the service area and the number of service vehicles available. The
current scope of work allows the City adequate opportunity to require the contractor to
provide expanded service hours, to more areas outside the City at any time during the
term of the agreement.
However, the request by the Commissions to increase the number of vehicles in service
at peak periods would be dependent on funding availability. The six vehicles that
currently comprise the fleet were financed by a capital grant from Los Angeles County
Metro to Big Blue Bus in 2007. This funding source is not .available because of
budgetary constraints. If funding conditions improve, an increase in the fleet could be
pursued during the new three-year contract period beginning in FY 2011-2012. A
vehicle acquisition process would take at least one year to complete and is therefore not
a consideration for the recommended extension of the current contract through June 30,
2011.
MV Transportation, Inc. would operate the Dial-a-Ride for an extension period of three
months at the current rate of $65.73 per vehicle service hour. MV has been delivering
this transportation service according to the contract and the general expectations of the
residents with minimal complaints from riders since April 1, 2008.
Santa Monica Dial-a-Ride would continue to offer the "door through door" option
whereby any rider can request an attendant to provide physical support and guidance
between a building interior and the vehicle, at both the pick-up and drop-off points of the
trip. The attendant can also help riders navigate complex layouts of medical facilities.
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The attendant program started in started October 2009 and has since provided 185
trips. Staffing is provided by WISE and Healthy Ageing under contract with the City.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The estimated cost of MV's three-month extension is $160,000. This amount is $10,000
more than was spent for the service during the same quarter of the previous year and
allows for meeting a potential increase in trip demand of up to seven percent to a total
of 2,432 vehicle service hours over the three-month period. Funds are available in the
FY 2010-11 budget in Account Number 41603.55501 B.
Prepared by: Paul Casey, Senior Transit Programs Analyst
Approved:
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t anie Negriff
Di~ye for of Transit Services
Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager
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Reference Amended
Contract No. 8902 (CCS)