LA firm expected to run BlueGo bus system
By Kathryn Reed
The Tahoe Transportation District board at its special meeting June 17 is expected to award the operation of the BlueGo bus system to Tectrans Inc.
The 5-year-old Los Angeles-based company was one of six bidders to run the South Shore buses, which has routes into Carson City and the Carson Valley. Although it is a young company in some ways, it has changed names through the years and has employees who have been involved with transit for decades.
Interviews of the top three companies were June 9, with the committee recommending Tectrans.
“Tectrans, which has the highest combined score on the Understanding, Experience, Technical, and Proposal criteria had the best interview and also the lowest cost of the top three candidates,” according to the staff report.
Tectrans’ bid came in below the $2,902,633 the TTD board budgeted for transit operations for the 2011-12 fiscal year. The bid is $2,881,088.
The board is being asked at the 11:30am Friday meeting (128 Market St., Stateline) to approve a tentative contract with Tectrans, to have staff negotiate a final contract, and for the board to approve it July 8.
“They had the right balance of size, experience and corporate support to ensure this operation in Tahoe would not founder, but at same time had a really good feel for us as a small community,” said Angela Swanson, South Lake Tahoe’s rep to the TTD board.
Swanson also said Tectrans officials have had experience with Northstar-at-Tahoe’s bus operations, which was a bonus knowing the Tahoe area.
At the regular June 10 TTD board meeting it was agreed TRC would work month-to-month until another firm is hired.
TRC Consultants months ago said they would not be bidding on a long-term contract. TRC was originally hired by South Tahoe Area Transit Authority to run the buses after MV Transportation was fired by the now-bankrupt STATA board.
Tahoe needs a working transportation system and good things come in threes. Good for 1)the environment, 2)aesthetic for tourism, 3)addresses the needs of the riding public.We have been through many changes, you can hang all the fancy new equipment, cameras, bells and whistles on a bus that you want if the system doesn’t address #3 above-it ain’t gonna work-we need bus shelters, and affordable, user friendly transit. These lessons we should have learned form our former ‘Transit Administrator’. Finally,we have a Transit Administrator who is in touch with Tahoe, I can only hope that company #5 addresses these issues and that TTD develops this system with an eye on 2022 and the important roll transportation plays in the economic viability of the region.
If not, then only the names have been changed to protect “the innocent?”.
TJ’S TAXI ARE WAY MORE EFFECTIVE THAN ANYTHING South Tahoe Brain Child’s have ever had.
‘Affordability,on time,Fun”.