REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS for Transit On-Demand Services
Background
The SRTA is the provider of public transportation – Fixed Route and ADA / Non-ADA Paratransit – services within the communities of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River, Freetown, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Somerset, Swansea, and Westport. The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) is extending Commuter Rail services to the cities of Fall River (Fall River Depot Station) and New Bedford (Church Street Station and Downtown New Bedford Station beginning sometime in 2024; the project is known as South Coast Rail (SCR) and SRTA is tasked with providing a local transit connection to the stations. The region has not had a rail connection to Boston in nearly five decades and this service is much anticipated. Because the service is new and the demand for local transit connections to the stations are unknown, SRTA intends to pilot micro-transit as a means of providing a publicly accessible transit connection to the stations that has the flexibility to respond to demands for service.
Notice Inviting Proposals
The SRTA is seeking proposals from qualified Proposers to provide professional transit on-demand services, referred herein as “micro-transit” for three pre-determined geographic regions served by the MBTA South Coast Rail stations in Fall River (Fall River Depot, 825 Davol St, Fall River, and New Bedford (Church Street Station, 387 Church St, New Bedford; Downtown New Bedford Station, 532 Acushnet Ave, New Bedford).
Proposers interested in receiving a copy of the solicitation package for this RFP, or for more information, should please contact procurement@srtabus.com.
The contract resulting from the successful proposal is subject to financial assistance between the SRTA, the U.S. Department of Transportation (Federal Transit Administration, FTA), and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The successful Proposer will be required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
As outlined in Section 7 (Procurement Schedule and Milestones), completed proposal submissions are due no later than 2:00PM (EST) on Friday, June 28, 2024. In addition to the procurement schedule, Proposers should review this RFP for specific submission requirements. Proposals received after said time or at any other place other than that stated in the RFP will not be considered. Proposals must be submitted consistent with all required documentation. Any proposal submitted on any other form will be considered non-responsive and will be rejected. The SRTA reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or any part of a particular proposal, should the Authority deem it in its best interest to do so.
The SRTA is committed to encouraging and supporting utilization of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) and small businesses. All businesses are encouraged to submit a proposal.
Scope of Services
The Contractor shall provide management and operational services of the SRTA’s SCR Connector micro-transit service within the specified service area in a highly efficient, customer responsive, cost-effective, and of the safest possible manner under the policies, standards, and procedures as established by the SRTA.
The Contractor shall ensure delivery of the highest quality services in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Delivery of quality service shall include general management oversight of the day-to-day transit operation including employment, supervision, management, and training of administrative, operations/supervisory, and maintenance staff, in addition to bus operators, dispatchers, technicians, and other service personnel. As such, the Contractor shall be responsible for associated labor relations.
The Contractor shall be responsible for providing, maintaining, repairing, and operating all transit equipment required to provide micro-transit services under the policies, standards, and procedures as established by the SRTA and consistent with best practices in the transit industry in general.
The Contractor shall follow the SRTA’s direction regarding public relations, promotions, analysis, and reports of financial, operational, and capital planning activities, and other matters pertaining to the services; clerical, statistical and bookkeeping services; and such other work as may be necessary to comply with the requirements contained herein.
The project will commence on or after the MBTA begins operations on the South Coast Rail Commuter Rail line; service is expected to start in the second half of 2024. The Commuter Rail schedule has not been published, however it is anticipated that at least three trains will depart hourly from each station in the morning and three trains will arrive hourly at each station in the afternoon. The exact times have not been made public however preliminary schedules suggest micro-transit services will be needed between 4:00 AM to 8:00 AM and between 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM; service will be needed Monday through Friday.
Three of the four MBTA stations in southeastern Massachusetts will be served by micro-transit, each with a service zone of approximately three-square miles. Maps of the service zones are included in Exhibit F. Micro-transit service is expected to be available approximately thirty-minutes before the first departure and approximately thirty-minutes after last arrival. A minimum of 1 vehicle is expected to serve each of the three zones; additional vehicles for any, or all, zones is at the discretion of the proposer. The total number of vehicles proposed for each zone should be identified in the proposal.
The contractor is expected to provide a “turn-key” solution through a single contract to include the following:
- Real-time dynamic service.
- Software application/platform necessary for scheduling, dispatch, user interface, data collection, and to the greatest extent possible be useable by persons with disabilities.
- Reporting and backend software.
- Vehicles needed to provide service. It is expected that a minimum of one vehicle per station will be needed. The contract should demonstrate an ability to scale service based on demand.
- Vehicle maintenance and storage
- Operators needed to provide service.
- Operations of service.
- Service plan for people without smartphones, internet access, or ability to pay without a credit card.
- Data sharing and ownership by the SRTA.
- A drug and alcohol testing program consistent with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 655.
Procurement Schedule and Milestones
The table below lists the dates for key milestones in the procurement process. Some of the dates shown are tentative and subject to change. Any changes to this defined schedule will be released via addendum. Please note that “COB” identifies Close of Business, which is defined as 4:00PM EST for this procurement. The successful proposer should be prepared to begin work immediately upon Notice to Proceed.
| Milestone | Date | Time |
| RFP Release | May 17, 2024 | COB |
| Pre-Proposal Meeting | June 11, 2024 | 2:00PM EST |
| Questions and Clarifications Submitted | June 14, 2024 | 2:00PM EST |
| Questions and Clarifications Responses | June 18, 2024 | COB |
| RFP Submission Due | June 28, 2024 | 2:00 PM EST |
| Interviews (if needed) | Week of July 15, 2024 | TBD |
| Notice of Award | July 26, 2024 | COB |