County Response - RFP Bidder Question.pdf

COUNTYWIDE BEE-LINE PARATRANSIT TRADITIONAL SERVICE

& TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENTS

WESTCHESTER COUNTY OF

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION

WRITTEN RESPONSE TO PROPOSER QUESTIONS

Questions 1: Can the County provide the current weekday, Saturday, and Sunday Peak Vehicle Requirement

(PVR), including the maximum number of vehicles simultaneously in revenue service?

Response 1: Weekday: 69 Saturday: 31 Sunday:20

VOMS – Weekday: 86 Saturday: 40 Sunday: 26

Question 2: Can the County provide the average daily number of:

Response 2: scheduled trips – Weekday: 41,196 Sat: 3,185 Sun: 2,226 completed trips – Weekday: 26,127 Sat: 1,766 Sun: 1,093 subscription trips - 5,548 per month same-day changes – Not tracked cancellations – Weekday: 13,145 Sat: 1,332 Sun: 1,072 no-shows – Weekday: 923 Sat: 86 Sun: 63

Question 3: Can the County provide the current distribution of trips by mobility type, including:

Response 3: Average Monthly Totals:

Ambulatory : 16,851 Wheelchair: 3,319 Scooter: 143

PCA: 6,113

Companion: 331

Question 4: What percentage of trips require:

• Origin-to-Destination assistance

• Door-through-door assistance

• Lift/ramp usage

Response 4: These categories are not tracked.

Question 5: Can the County provide the current vehicle deployment by vehicle type (E-350, E-450, Voyager, Transit Connect, etc.)

Response 5: We do track this data.

Question 6: Can the County provide trip demand by hour of day and by day of week for a typical operating week?

Response 6: Please see graph below.

Question 7: Can the County provide average passenger ride times and average vehicle productivity (passengers per revenue hour) by zone?

Response 7:

Average Ride Time and Distance

Pass Ride Time 39.01 38.55 37.83 Vehicle:

Pass Per Hour 1.53 1.52 1.48 Pass Per Mile 12.13 12.03 11.86

Question 8: Are there recurring operational challenges, such as high-demand geographic areas, difficult trip patterns, or workforce shortages, that the successful proposer should specifically address in its technical approach?

Response 8: Yes, our rush hour AM/PM peaks are extremely challenging.

Question 9: Although the County provides the fleet, are any vehicle replacements planned during the initial five-year contract term?

Response 9: Yes, the County replaces the paratransit fleets as need on an ongoing basis. Please see question 78 for additional information

Question 10: Can the County provide:

• vehicle age profile

• average mileage

• expected replacement schedule

• vehicles currently out of service?

Response 10:

• vehicle age profile: Average 6 yrs old

• average mileage: 178,760

• expected replacement schedule – please see response to question 9.

• vehicles currently out of service: 3

Question 11: What is the historical fleet availability percentage?

Response 11: This question is unclear. The paratransit fleet is 100% dedicated to the provision of paratransit service.

Question 12: What percentage of maintenance is currently performed:

• in-house

• outsourced?

Response 12: The vendor is responsible for all repairs and maintenance of County Paratransit vehicles as will be the successful bidder for the new contract. The County does not keep data on the percentage of in-house or outsourced repairs.

Question 13: Are maintenance records for all County-owned vehicles available electronically for transition?

Response 13: The vendor is responsible for all repairs and maintenance of County Paratransit vehicles as will be the successful bidder for the new contract. The County does not have these records, as we do not directly maintain the paratransit vehicles.

Question 14: Are there plans to introduce electric or low-emission vehicles into the County-owned fleet?

Response 14: The County already has electric vehicles and low-emission vehicles in the paratrtansit fleet, these vehicles would be the Toyota Hybrid RAV4s.

Question 15: Who is the current traditional paratransit service provider? When did the current contract begin?

Response 15: WeDriveU is the current paratransit service provider along with our smaller vendor known as ActNow, which operates the County’s car service. Current contract began on January 1 2022. ActNow’s contracts were just renewed for another five-year period in January 2025.

Question 16: Beyond contract renewal, are there specific operational, customer service, or technology objectives that the County seeks to achieve through this procurement?

Response 16: All County objectives for this paratransit service procurement can be found in the RFP.

Question 17: Can the County provide current contractor performance statistics, including: Please find the data for 2025

• On-time performance

• Missed trips

• Complaints

• Accidents

• No-show rate

Response 17:

• On-time performance – 82.42%

• Missed trips – 0%

• Complaints: N/A

• Accidents: N/A

• No-show rate – 4.67%

Question 18: What operational improvements would the County most like to see under the new contract?

Response 18: The County would like to see improved on-time performance, increase productivity, improve routing, complaint module and reduce on vehicle times.

Question 19: Can the County identify any operational performance areas that it considers opportunities for improvement under the new contract?

Response 19: The County would like to see improved on-time performance, productivity, and reduce on vehicle times.

Question 20: Does the County have target goals for reducing passenger wait times, increasing productivity (passengers per hour), or improving on-time performance?

Response 20: County would like see the following improvements”

- On time performance above 90%.

- Increase in productivity per hour and per mile

- Reduction of where’s my vehicle complaints

- Improved routing

- Complaint module

Question 21: Is the County expecting a complete replacement of the current Ecolane system, or will portions of the existing environment remain operational?

Response 21: The County is looking for a complete replacement.

Question 22: Can the County provide an inventory of all current system integrations, including:

• AVL

• MDT

• IVR

• Telephone

• GIS

• Fare systems

• Reporting

• CAD/AVL

• County ERP

Response 22:

• AVL – being utilized

• MDT – being utilized

• IVR – being utilized

• Telephone – being utilized

• GIS – being utilized

• Fare systems – not currently in use

• Reporting– being utilized

• CAD/AVL– being utilized

• County ERP

• Ecolane Paratransit scheduling software

Question 23: How many:

• registered riders

• active riders

• historical trip records must be migrated?

Response 23:

• registered riders - 8895

• active riders - 4621

• historical trip records must be migrated? Yes

Question 24: How many dispatchers, schedulers, supervisors, customer service, and administrative users currently access the software?

Westchester County Staff

a. Reservation agents

b. Eligibility Coordinator

c. Westchester County Office staff

d. Westchester County Admin

Response 24:

Westchester County Staff Reservation agents – 6 Eligibility Coordinator – 1 Westchester County Office staff – 4 Westchester County Admin – 2

Question 25: Are there any third-party systems that must remain integrated after implementation?

Response 25: No, not at this time.

Question 26: Are proposers expected to replace all existing onboard hardware (MDTs, tablets, GPS devices, mobile printers, etc.), or may existing hardware be reused if compatible with the proposed solution?

Response 26: It is expected that all current hardware will be compatible with current hardware.

Question 27: Does the County expect proposers to provide mobile applications for riders and drivers, or will existing applications continue to be used until transition is complete?

Response 27: The existing applications will continued to be used until the full transition.

Question 28: Will historical reporting data be required to remain accessible within the new platform after migration, or is archival access acceptable?

Response 28: The County is requiring to have historical reporting data be accessible within the new platform.

Question 29: Does the County anticipate implementing additional mobility services (e.g., volunteer transportation, NEMT coordination, fixed-route integration, Mobility-as-a-Service) during the contract term that should be considered when proposing the technology platform?

Response 29: The County plans to go out to bid a on a microtransit pilot program. Whether it will need to be integrated with the new technology platform is to be determined.

Question 30: Does the County anticipate expanding microtransit, mobility-on-demand, or flexible transit services during the contract term?

Response 30: The County plans to go out to bid a on a microtransit pilot program.

Question 31: Is interoperability with neighboring transit agencies or regional mobility platforms a future objective?

Response 31: Yes.

Question 32: Does the County have interest in AI-enabled capabilities such as predictive demand forecasting, automated schedule optimization, intelligent trip matching, or AI-assisted customer communications as part of the proposed technology solution?

Response 32: Yes.

Question 33: Can the County provide the current staffing levels for:

• Dispatchers

• Schedulers

• Customer Service Representatives

• Supervisors

Response 33:

• Dispatchers: N/A

• Schedulers: N/A

• Customer Service Representatives: 6

• Supervisors: 2

Question 34: Approximately what percentage of trips are subscription trips versus demand-response trips?

Response 34: 28.45% (2025)

Question 35: How frequently are schedules manually modified after optimization?

Response 35: Daily

Question 36: Are dispatchers currently centralized in one operations center or distributed across multiple facilities?

Response 36: Currently centralized.

Question 37: What reporting or business intelligence capabilities are currently lacking in the existing system?

Response 37:

- Ability to create customize reports using sql.

- KPI analysis

- Operational analysis

- Historical analysis

Question 38: Can the County provide complaint categories and annual complaint volumes for the past three years?

Response 38: The County does not track this data.

Question 39: What languages, other than English, are routinely required for customer communications?

Response 39: Spanish.

Question 40: Does the County anticipate expanding self-service capabilities such as mobile apps, web booking, automated notifications, or real-time trip tracking?

Response 40: The County already offers these features with our current technology platforms.

Question 41: Is there an expected overlap period between the incumbent contractor and the successful proposer?

Response 41: No.

Question 42: Will the County facilitate knowledge transfer from the incumbent regarding:

• scheduling

• operations

• maintenance

• software configuration

Response 42: Yes.

Question 43: Can proposers assume access to current operating procedures, SOPs, training manuals, and maintenance manuals during implementation?

Response 43: County policy, yes. Current vendor SOP, TBD.

Question 44: Will the County provide access to the incumbent's system configuration, business rules, and scheduling parameters to facilitate implementation?

Response 44: Current software is being hosted, so system config may not be available.

Question 45: Will the successful proposer be permitted to conduct parallel testing with the incumbent system prior to Go-Live?

Response 45: Yes.

Question 46: Does the County have any key implementation milestones or desired go-live phases beyond those identified in the RFP?

Response 46: This will be determine once the RFP awarded and the transition to the new scheduling software begins.

Question 47: Can the County provide an estimate of the size and composition of the existing Ecolane database, including rider records, trip history, attachments, GIS data, and other information expected to be migrated?

Response 47: No

Question 48: Can the County provide projected annual ridership assumptions used for budgeting during the initial contract term?

Response 48: Please see ridership posted in the RFP.

Question 49: Can the County clarify whether provider-owned vehicles may be used proactively with County approval, or only when specifically requested by the County?

Response 49: Only when requested by the County

Question 50: Are there any anticipated service expansions, geographic expansions, or ridership growth initiatives planned during the contract term?

Response 50: Not at this time. Ridership has historically grown 3% - 6% on per year average.

Question 51: Can the County clarify whether the projected annual ridership included in the RFP assumes any future service expansion or reflects current operating conditions only?

Response 51: Reflects current operating conditions only.

Question 52: Can the County identify which contractual performance measures (e.g., on-time performance, missed trips, complaint rate, call center responsiveness, and customer satisfaction) will receive the greatest emphasis during contract administration and ongoing performance evaluations?

Response 52: On-time performance, missed trips and customer service tend to be the measurements with the most focus placed on them since they are the most customer impactful.

Question 53: Beyond the published evaluation criteria, are there operational approaches, implementation strategies, technology capabilities, or value-added services that the County considers particularly important when evaluating proposals?

Response 53: No.

Question 54: Will proposers have an opportunity to conduct software demonstrations, interviews, or oral presentations after proposal submission?

Response 54: No.

Question 55: Page 3, Section I, VI. Due Date for Proposals - Number of Copies Required: To promote sustainability efforts and mitigate potential delivery challenges, would the County permit bidders to submit proposals via email only - in lieu of mailing hard copies?

Response 55: No.

Question 56: Page 3, Section I, VI. Due Date for Proposals - Number of Copies Required: Please clarify what proposers are to submit for, "RFP Policies and Procedures/Legal Representations & Understandings," which is included at the end of the list of required submission copies.

Response 56: "RFP Policies and Procedures/Legal Representations & Understandings," is a typo, please ignore.

Question 57: Page 12, Section I, XV. Public Disclosure of Proposal Contents: The notice called out in this section says it is required to be placed in front of the proposal. Should that be part of the cover letter or where should that be inserted?

Response 57: Place this notice in front of the cover letter.

Question 58: Page 18, Section I, XXX. Proposers Certification: This form states, "You Must Complete the Applicable Acknowledgement and Certificate of Authority Document(s), Which Are on the Pages Following This Page." However, there are no such documents provided after the form. Please clarify.

Response 58: These documents will be found in Section VIII Required Forms.

Question 59: Pages 20 and 23, Section II Car Service Responsibilities: Please define all responsibilities the successful Traditional Service contractor will perform for the separately contracted Car Service, including reservations, cancellations, trip-status calls, complaints, dispatch coordination, data entry, customer notification, scheduling support and reporting. Please provide current Car Service trip and call volumes that will be handled by the Traditional Service contractor.

Response 59: The County does not track the call volume per service provider. The proposer’s only responsibilities to the Car Service is to handle the reservation of passenger trips for the entire system when the County offices are closed.

Question 60: Pages 20 and 35, Sections II and III Service Area Boundaries: Please identify the controlling geographic boundary between Zone N and Zone S. Section II, page 20 identifies Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, while Section III on page 35 identifies the Interstate 287 corridor. Please provide an authoritative service-area map and GIS boundary file showing all exclusive and shared municipalities, transfer locations, and the specific rules governing trips that cross the boundary.

Response 60: Service area boundaries can be found on the service area map located on page 64.

Question 61: Page 23, Section II Reservation and Booking Process: Please clarify the hours of operation the Contractor is responsible for providing reservations on Saturday, Sunday, operating holidays, and the days where the county is closed or closes early.

Response 61: On weekends or holidays where the County Reservations office will be closed, the contractor will be responsible for making reservations between the hours of 9:00am – 5:00pm and only for next day passenger trips.

Question 62: Page 23, Section II Reservation and Booking Process: Please provide a responsibility matrix identifying which party will handle each call type and transaction by day and hour, including reservations, cancellations, same-day requests, subscription changes, trip-status calls, complaints, commendations and customer-service inquiries. During County business hours, how will calls be distributed between County and contractor staff, and what response-time or call-answering standards will apply to the contractor.

Response 62:

Question 63: Pages 23 and 54-57, Reservation and Dispatch Operations: Please provide the following call statistics, by call function (reservations, where's my ride, etc.) by day of week if possible:

a. Call volume

b. Average speed to answer

c. Average handle time

Response 63: Annual Totals:

a. Call volume: 25,392

b. Average speed to answer: 00:57

c. Average handle time 2:06 d.Abandoned calls: 1,337

Question 64: Pages 23, 54-57 Staffing Levels and Workload Data: The RFP requires “sufficient” staff and minimum spans but gives no workload data from which to determine sufficient staffing. Please provide the incumbent’s current staffing by position and shift, including management, dispatchers, schedulers, W es tc he st e r C ou nt y

Re se rv at io n

Di sp at ch

Ve nd or

Su pe rv iso r

Co un ty

Su pe rv iso r

Westcheser CountyVendor Day Of Week Hour of OperationsHour of Operations ResposnsibleR

Approver A R S Mon - Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm Support S

R Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pm Inform I R Sunday 9:00am - 5:00pm Consult C

S R Sun - Sat Hours of Operations R S Sun - Sat 9:00am - 5:00pm Hours of Operations

R Sun - Sat Hours of Operations

R Mon - Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm R R Mon - Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm

R Mon - Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm R Mon - Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm

I I R Mon - Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm

R Sun - Sat Hours of Operations

R S,I S,I Sun - Sat 9:00am - 5:00pm Hours of Operations R S,I S,I Sun - Sat 9:00am - 5:00pm Hours of Operations

I I R,I S,I Sun - Sat 9:00am - 5:00pm Hours of Operations

Same-Day Requests Subscription Changes:

Trip Status Calls

Commplaints Commendations Customer Service

Customer Service Calls

Book Subscription

Where's My Ride Calls

Renew Subscription Status Cancel Subscription Book Subscription

Manage Group Subscriptions

Westchester County hours of operations 9:00am - 5:00pm.

ResponsibilityTask

Same Day Cancellations Advance Cancellations

Trip Booking Advance Reservation

Sat. Trip Booking Sun. Trip Booking Trip Cancellation:

reservationists/customer-service representatives, road supervisors, drivers, mechanics, parts personnel, cleaners/fuelers, trainers and administrative staff. Please also provide hourly call volumes, average handle time, abandoned-call rate, maximum queue time, complaint volume and trip-status-call volume by day of week and time of day.

Response 64: We do not have the current incumbent staffing levels. Please see available call information in Response 63.

Question 65: Page 24, Section II Contractor Billing: Please clarify if Ecolane has an IVA option to alert passengers the night before their trip.

Response 65: Yes

Question 66: Page 25, Section II Performance Measures: Please confirm that the reference to “Suburban” on page 25 should read “Provider” or “Operator” and that the performance requirements apply uniformly to the successful contractor.

Response 66: Yes, that would be correct.

Question 67: Pages 25-27, Section II Performance Measures: Please clarify if the contractor will be assessed a liquidated damage for all late trips or only those that fall below a certain on time performance. For example, if the on time performance goal Is 95%, a late trip liquidated damage is only applied to those trips that would fall below that 95% mark.

Response 67: Explanation as to when liquidated damages will be applied to trip being late or early can be found on page 25.

Question 68: Pages 25-26, Section II Performance Measures: Please provide a definitive table showing, separately for appointment/drop-off trips and pickup/return trips:

a. the scheduled time or window used as the starting point;

b. the on-time interval;

c. when the trip is recorded as late;

d. when liquidated damages begin; and

e. the applicable liquidated-damage tier.

Please reconcile the examples on pages 25–26 with the definition in Appendix E and the Driver Duties standard on page 50.

Response 68: Explanation as to when trip will be consider late and applicable for liquidated damages will be found on page 25.

Question 69: Pages 25 and 27, Section II Performance Measures/Operations Quality Liquidated Damages: Please confirm whether the Valid Complaint Frequency Rate threshold is three valid complaints per 1,000 trips or three valid complaints per 1,200 trips, and identify the measurement period and trip population used in the denominator.

Response 69: Per 1,200 complaints

Question 70: Pages 25 and 27, Section II Application of the VCFR liquidated damage: When the VCFR threshold is exceeded, is the $100 liquidated damage assessed once for the applicable reporting period, once for each complaint above the threshold, or by some other calculation? Please also confirm whether complaints are measured monthly, quarterly, annually, or on a rolling basis, and whether complaints involving County reservation staff, Car Service providers, or technology vendors are excluded from the Traditional Service contractor’s calculation.

Response 70:$100 liquidated damage assessed per occurrence after reaching the threshold and measured monthly. Complaints involving County staff, the Car Service provider, or technology vendors are excluded from the Traditional Service contractor’s calculation.

Question 71: Pages 25-27, Section II Performance Measures: What is the current level of complaints per 1,000 boardings for each of the service types provided? What is the average level of complaints per 1,000 boardings per year for each of the past three years?

Question 71: Currently we are not actively tracking complaints. This will be tracked in this new RFP.

Question 72: Pages 25-27, Section II Performance Measures: What is the current on time performance for each of the service types provided? What is the average on time performance per year for each of the three past years?

Response 72: 2025: 69% 2024: 68% 2023: 68%

Question 73: Pages 25-27, Section II Liquidated Damages: Please provide the amount of liquidated damages that were charged to the current contractor for each month over the past year, specified by category or type.

Response 73:

2025:

January February March April May June ($44,700.00) ($25,900.00) ($42,500.00) ($37,750.00) ($44,900.00) ($38,050.00) July August September October November December

($28,000.00) ($33,800.00) ($55,300.00) ($132,225.00) ($39,300.00) ($45,600.00)

Question 74: Page 27, Section II Operations Quality Liquidated Damages: Please explain how the County may modify performance standards by up to 30%, including whether thresholds may be tightened or relaxed, whether liquidated-damage amounts may also change, how frequently changes may occur, and whether an equitable price adjustment will be available when a modification materially increases staffing, fleet, technology, or operating costs.

Response 74: A price negotiation would occur if warranted.

Question 75: Page 27, Section II Operations Quality Liquidated Damages: Please clarify that OFPWD and DPW&T will consult with the Contractor in the event the performance standards are adjusted.

Response 75: Should changes to the schedule of liquidated damages need to change to assist in the improvement of paratransit service offered by the provider, there will discussions with said provider beforehand.

Question 76: Pages 27-28, Section II Fares: Please provide the number of fares collected by month for the prior 12 months.

Response 76:

January February March April May June 19,817 18,584 22,267 21,858 21,316 20,755 July August September October November December 20,937 20,127 22,731 24,441 20,692 20,619

Question 77: Page 36, Section III County-Owned Vehicles and Overview: What minimum County-furnished spare ratio will be maintained by vehicle type, and what is the maximum number of provider-owned vehicles proposers should assume may be required simultaneously? Please also identify the historical number of provider-owned vehicle days used during each of the past three years and the circumstances under which the County authorizes such use. “Expects” and “adequate” are not enforceable quantities, while proposers must submit a daily vehicle rate.

Response 77: The County has no spare ratio for paratransit vehicles. The County has never called upon provider-owned vehicles. The County seeks to know what daily rate would be should the need for the provider to use their own vehicles is called upon.

Question 78: Page 36, Section III County-Owned Vehicles: Please clarify the County's planned replacement schedule for the provided fleet. What are the life mile goals for each vehicle type?

Response 78: The County uses the FTA TERM Useful life cycles guidance when replacing vehicles. After vehicle age, the county will replace vehicles with excessive mileage/ware or unrepairable damage.

Replacement of vehicles.

Question 79: Page 36, Section III County-Owned Vehicles and Overview: Will the County deliver all leased vehicles in roadworthy condition with current NYSDOT inspections and all deferred maintenance, body damage, lift defects, camera/radio defects and warranty campaigns completed? Please describe the joint condition-assessment and acceptance process and identify responsibility for pre-existing defects discovered after turnover.

Response 79: The County deliver all leased vehicles in roadworthy condition with current NYSDOT inspections and all deferred maintenance, body damage, lift defects, camera defects and warranty campaigns completed. Condition-assessment will be conducted by the proposer and any vehicle arriving to the new proposer with preexisting damage will be rectified with the previous provider.

Question 80: Page 36, Section III County Owned Vehicles: Please clarify the following information for each vehicle in the provided fleet:

a. Make/Model

b. Engine type

c. Fuel type

d. Current odometer reading

e. Seating capacity

f. Average miles per year

Response 80: Please see attached fleer roster.

Question 81: Page 41, 72-74, Appendix F Compensation Structure: Please confirm the complete compensation structure. Specifically, will the contractor receive:

a. the fixed monthly fee regardless of ridership or service hours;

b. the per-trip rate for each eligible rider trip;

c. 50% of the per-trip rate for qualifying no-shows and cancelled-at-door trips;

d. the shuttle hourly rate for authorized shuttle service;

e. the supplemental hourly rate for authorized emergency or special service; and

f. the provider-owned vehicle daily rate when such vehicles are authorized?

g. Please also identify whether any categories are mutually exclusive.

Response 80: The County can confirm each of these categories with the exception of D., Shuttle hours are paid on a revenue hour basis.

Question 81: Pages 44-47, Section III Vehicle Maintenance: The maintenance section establishes broad responsibility but does not distinguish routine maintenance from major capital repair and insured loss.

Please identify responsibility for the cost of engine and transmission replacement, wheelchair-lift replacement, collision and comprehensive deductibles, accident repairs, latent defects, manufacturer recalls, warranty administration, tires, glass, camera/radio/AVL equipment, vehicle upfits and repairs arising from normal capital deterioration of County-owned vehicles.

Response 81: The proposer is responsible for all routine maintenance and major capital repairs. Insured loss of a vehicle due to be totaled in an accident is the responsibility of the County. The proposer is responsible for the cost of engine and transmission replacement, wheelchair-lift replacement, collision and comprehensive deductibles, accident repairs, latent defects, manufacturer recalls, warranty administration, tires, glass, camera/radio/AVL equipment, vehicle upfits and repairs arising from normal capital deterioration of County-owned vehicles.

Question 82: Pages 44-47, Section III Vehicle Maintenance: If vehicles are not replaced according to the estimated replacement plan, would the County work with contractor on additional maintenance costs?

Response 82: No.

Question 83: Pages 44-47, Section III Vehicle Maintenance: Is the contractor responsible for the costs of major components for the revenue fleet? Please specify which major components (i.e. engine and transmission overhauls) are covered or excluded?

Response 83: The proposer is responsible for all maintenance, whether it be routine or major vehicle overhauls. All the components and repairs needed to make a paratransit vehicle service ready are the responsibility of the proposer.

Question 84: Pages 44-47, Section III Vehicle Maintenance: Please provide all bidders with the history of major component replacement and repair for the provided fleet over the past 12 months.

Response 84: The County does not keep these records, as the current contractor does all repairs.

Question 85: Pages 44-47, Section III Vehicle Maintenance: Can you provide a list showing the most recent major component replacements by unit and mileage at the time of component replacement?

Response 85: The County does not keep these records, as the current contractor does all repairs.

Question 86: Pages 55-56, Sections III and IV Mobilization and Transition: The staffing and implementation obligations require activity before the stated contract start. Please provide the anticipated notice-to-proceed and contract-execution dates and identify when the successful contractor will receive access to incumbent employees, County vehicles, Ecolane, operating data, County staff, customer communications, and County network resources. Will the County permit pre-start training, system configuration and vehicle/facility inspections before January 1, 2027?

Response 86: These items will be discussed during contract negotiations.

Question 87: Pages 56-57 Section III Staffing Requirements: Please provide numbers for total staff employed by the current contractor by job category, or an organizational chart outlining these positions.

For any shared or non-dedicated positions, please indicate the percentage dedicated to the current contract.

Response 87: The County does not have access to this information.

Question 88: Pages 56-57 Section III Staffing Requirements our company would like to retain as many of the current employees as possible, please provide a current staff list with seniority date, full or part-time status, and pay rate. Names can be stricken to protect privacy (i.e. Driver1, Dispatcher1, Dispatcher2, etc.).

Response 88: The County does not have access to this information.

Question 89: Pages 59-60, Section III Billing, Payment, Back-up Documentation and Reporting Requirements: Please clarify that all fares collected by the Contractor remain with the Contractor and are not deducted from the invoice.

Response 89: All cash fares collected are kept by the contractor and are not deducted from the monthly invoice. Tickets collected by the contractor must be collected, kept and sent to the County, and reflected on the monthly invoice should the contract want to be paid for these tickets collected.

Question 90: Pages 59-60, Section III Billing, Payment, Back-up Documentation and Reporting Requirements: Please clarify the treatment of cash fares and ParaTransit tickets. Are cash fares retained by the contractor in addition to the fixed and variable contract payments, or deducted as an offset against the County’s payment? Are surrendered tickets reimbursed at their full face value in addition to the per-trip payment? Please provide a sample monthly invoice showing fixed fees, served trips, no-shows, cancelled-at-door trips, shuttle hours, cash fares, ticket reimbursement, liquidated damages, and net County payment.

Response 90: All cash fares collected are kept by the contractor and are not deducted from the monthly invoice. Tickets collected by the contractor must be collected, kept and sent to the County, and reflected on the monthly invoice should the contract want to be paid the comparable cash fare for the tickets collected. Please see attached sample monthly invoice.

Question 91: Pages 63-64 and 73-74 Ridership and Pricing: So that it is clear to all bidders, please confirm the volume of trips on which all bidders are expected to base their proposal. Are there any expected increases in volume in the next 12 months? The next 24 months?

Response 91: All proposer should base their bids on the ridership figures in the RFP. All proposers should be aware that past performance is not indicative future performance.

Question 92: Page 72, Section VI Instructions for Price Offer Form: Please confirm that the intended contract term is January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, with one five-year option from January 1, 2032 through December 31, 2036. Section VI, page 72, instead identifies an initial term through December 31, 2032 and an option through December 31, 2037. Please issue a corrected Section VI and Appendix F Price Offer Form identifying the controlling contract and option years.

Response 92: This is a typo. The intended contract term is January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031, with one five-year option from January 1, 2032 through December 31, 2036.

Question 93: Page 72, Section VI and Appendix F Annual Escalators: Please confirm the annual escalation percentages entered in Appendix F will automatically apply to the fixed monthly fee, per-trip rate, shuttle rate, supplemental-service rate, and provider-owned vehicle rate for each applicable year, including all option years. Please also explain the meaning of the statement that the renewal will be exercised upon the “same terms and conditions, including the rates provided by the proposer.”

Response 93: Yes, the annual escalator will apply to the fixed monthly fee, per-trip rate, shuttle rate, supplemental-service rate, and provider-owned vehicle rate for each applicable year, including all option years. Should the County seek to exercise the one-year option, which is at the sole discretion of the County, the same terms of the original contract will apply and will allow for no negotiations to rates and terms of the original contract.

Question 94: Pages 72-73, Section VI and Appendix E Companion Fares and County Payments: Please confirm that companions generate fare revenue but do not generate an additional per-trip payment from the County. Please also reconcile the definition of “Fare Paying Passenger Trip” in Appendix E with the statement in Section VI that payment is for eligible rider trips only.

Response 94: The Passenger’s companion does generate a cash fare for the contractor, but doesn’t generate a additional per-trip payment. A “Fare Paying Passenger Trip” is a passenger that has to pay a cash fare or provide a trip ticket.

Question 95: Page 73, Section VI Prices Required: Section VI, page 73 requests both a per-trip and per-hour price using County-owned vehicles, but Appendix F does not provide a general per-hour pricing field. Is the requested per-hour rate limited to shuttle and supplemental services, or is an additional general service-hour rate required? Please revise Appendix F if another rate must be submitted.

Response 95: This field can be found on page 175.

Question 96: Page 73, Section VI and Appendix E No-Show and Cancelled-at-Door Rules: The operational obligation to return to a location is not defined sufficiently for costing or scheduling. Please provide the controlling procedure and payment rules for no-shows and cancelled-at-door trips, including:

a. Whether the vehicle must arrive within the 0-to-30-minute pickup interval to qualify;

b. Whether the driver waits five minutes after arrival;

c. When dispatch authorization is required;

d. When meaning of “return vehicle to the No Show address if the rider calls within a 15-minute time frame”; and

e. Whether the return attempt is included in the 50% no-show payment or separately compensated.

Response 96:

a. Yes, the vehicle must arrive within the 30min pickup/drop off window.

b. The drive must wait up to five minute after the schedule arrival time and only then can a passenger be marked as a No-Show. A verified No-Show is paid at half the full per-trip rate. A Cancelled-at-door is paid at half the full per-trip rate.

c. This question isn’t clear.

d. If the passenger calls stating they are indeed at the pickup/drop off location within

15min of the No-Show indication, the contractor is to return to the pickup location.

e. If the contractor returns to the pickup location after the passenger calls stating they are indeed ready for pickup, there is no additional payment or separate compensation. The contractor will be paid only the full per-trip rate.

Question 97: Pages 75-94, Section VII – Statement of Qualifications: May proposers respond to the questions and requests in Section VII by copying the questions into their own document template and providing answers/narrative responses in that format (keeping the same order as the form), rather than filling out the blank form pages provided in the RFP? Or must responses be completed directly on the RFP’s Statement of Qualifications form itself (with additional exhibits attached only where space is insufficient, as noted in the section)?

Response 97: Please place information on the provided template. If more space is need, please add additional exhibits when space isn’t enough.

Question 98: Pages 75-94, Section VII – Statement of Qualifications: The Maintenance section on page 85 directs proposers to specific question numbers, however, the questions are not numbered throughout the document. Can the County please provide an updated version of the Statement of Qualifications with all questions numbered? This will also help proposers better label and organize any additional attachments in response to the Statement of Qualifications.

Response 98: Please see RFP amendments posted online.

Question 99: Pages 113-114, Form VIII-9 Criminal Background Disclosure Form and Certification: Please confirm this form does not require a signature as there is no signature line included.

Response 99: It does require a signatory and that is to be placed on the line provided above the statement “By executing this Agreement, I, as the signatory for the Contractor, certify that I am a principal”.

Question 100: Page 175, Appendix F Price Offer Form: Please provide the pricing sheet in an electronic format.

Response 100: The price offer forms are in an adobe fillable form format.

Question 101: Pages 176-177, Appendix F Fixed vs. Variable Costs: Are the cost categories shown on pages 176–177 mandatory classifications, or may a proposer reclassify expenses between fixed and variable costs when supported by its pricing methodology? In particular, may dispatch, reservations, scheduling, supervision, maintenance and other minimum-coverage labor be included in the fixed monthly fee?

Response 101: They are mandatory classifications

Question 102: General, Incumbent Transition-Assistance Obligations: Please identify and provide the incumbent contractor’s contractual obligations to support the transition to the successful proposer. At a minimum, please describe any requirements related to transition planning and coordination; transfer of operating, maintenance, safety, training, personnel, scheduling, customer-service, complaint, and performance records; access to incumbent employees; vehicle and equipment inventories and condition inspections; transfer or continued use of software, licenses, interfaces, data, telephone numbers, communications systems, and technology credentials; facility access; return or transfer of County-owned property; knowledge-transfer meetings; employee recruitment or onboarding activities; and cooperation before and after the January 1, 2027 service commencement date. Please provide the applicable transition provisions from the incumbent agreement and identify the period during which the incumbent must provide such assistance.

Response 102: The proposer is responsible to providing a transition plan. The County will work with the winning bid proposer and the incumbent and to facilitate the handover of the service.

Question 103: General, County Vehicles for Startup Training: Will the County make County-owned paratransit vehicles available to the successful contractor before January 1, 2027, for operator, maintenance, road-supervisor, dispatcher, safety, wheelchair-securement, vehicle-familiarization, and behind-the-wheel training?

a. If so, please identify the anticipated availability dates, number and types of vehicles available, permitted hours and locations of use, and any restrictions on road operation.

b. Please also clarify responsibility during the training period for fuel, insurance, vehicle damage, maintenance, inspections, cleaning, technology access, and coordination with the incumbent contractor.

c. If County vehicles will not be available, please confirm whether the successful contractor must furnish training vehicles to include in proposal pricing.

Response 103: These details will be discussed after the winning proposer is selected.

Question 104: General: What are the three biggest challenges that the County faces regarding the services being procured?

Response 104: Issues with on-time performance.

Question 105: General: What are the County's main goals for the next contract term?

Response 105: To improve on-time performance and give paratransit patrons a better service experience.

Question 106: General: What does the County wish to accomplish over the next decade for these services?

Response 106: Provide service that is professional, on-time and at reasonable cost.

Question 107: General: Does this RFP represent any significant changes to the current operations?

Response 107: No.

Question 108: General: If local, state, or federal governments change laws, rules, or regulations that affect minimum wages and/or benefits mandated for the employees of this contract, and this event was not known at the time of bidding, how will the County respond to a potential request for increased compensation?

Response 108: The contractor will need to approach the County with these concerns and they will be taken under consideration

Question 109: General: What is the current level of productivity for each of the service types provided?

What is the average productivity per year for each of the three past years?

Response 109: Please see attached paratransit statistics.

Question 110: General: For all bidders to accurately gauge the cost of insurance, please provide data regarding the last year's:

a. Revenue miles and revenue hours

b. Total miles and total hours

c. Current deadhead miles and deadhead hours

Response 110: Please see attached paratransit statistics.

Question 111: General: What are the average miles between road calls for the service types, per year, for each of the three past years?

Response 111: The County does not keep this information, as this is the reasonability of the contractor.

Question 112: General: If non-revenue vehicles such as relief, supervisor, or shop vehicles are currently being provided by the contractor, what is the number and type of these vehicles?

a. Does the County have requirements for the specifications of non-revenue vehicles?

Response 112: Supervisory vehicles are provided by the County. Relief vehicles or shop vehicles are solely owned by the provider and the County does not keep information on these vehicles.

Question 113: General: Will the County make any vehicles available to an incoming contractor to perform the necessary training during the transition period? If yes, how many and what type?

Response 113: Yes, 1 of each model

Question 114: General: Does the County have any remaining or extended warranties that apply to the provided fleet?

Response 114: Some vehicles do have remaining warranties but none have extended warranties.

Question 115: General: Would the County consider waiving all liquidated damages for the first six months of operation in the event a new contractor is selected?

Response 115: No.

Question 116: General: Please provide the number of vehicles used at peak time. If this information is available by day of week, please provide it in that format.

Response 116: Average monthly peak vehicle usage is 80 vehicles.

Question 117: General: How would the County like to receive start-up costs? In an effort to get an “apples to apples” comparison with all bidders, we recommend having those costs separate, as the incumbent would not have any start-up costs.

Response 117: The propose should use the provided price forms provided in the RFP

Question 118: General: Please explain if there have been any challenges due to the incumbent contractor having driver shortages?

Response 118: Driver shortages is an industry wide issue, the current contractor is experiencing this issue as well.

Question 119: General: Please provide information about any incentive programs offered to the current employees of this contract.

Response 119: The are no incentive programs offered to the current employees of this contract.

Question 120: General: One of the biggest challenges in the industry is driver retention and recruitment.

In an effort to minimize turnover and maximize the passenger experience, would the County be open to including a minimum wage that all bidders must comply with?

Response 120: The contractor is responsible for all wages, incentives or other motivators to keep driver turnover low. The County plays no part in driver retention.

Question 121: General: Does the County plan on transitioning to alternative fuel or electric vehicles under the terms of this contract?

Response 121: No.

Question 122: Appendix B: Standard Insurance Provisions: The RFP requires insurance to be placed with companies licensed in the State of New York and carrying an A.M. Best rating of A or better. Would the County consider revising this requirement to allow coverage from reputable, financially sound insurers, including eligible surplus lines carriers where appropriate, provided the coverage otherwise meets all contract requirements? This would help maximize competition and ensure access to the broadest available insurance market while maintaining adequate protection for the County.

Response 122: No. Insurance requirements laid out in the RFP stand.

Question 123: RFP page 25 “Performance measures” Please clarify the performance standard for preventable accidents. Currently reads as 20 Accidents (A) / million vehicle miles (MVM). What is the definition of an accident for the standard?

Response 123: Any Collison involving a paratransit vehicle with fixed object, stationary vehicle or moving vehicle regardless if there is no physical damage to a County vehicle, the fixed object, the stationary vehicle or moving vehicle.

Question 124: RFP, 15/185 Please provide all bidders with a copy of the Equipment Lease mentioned in this section.

Response 124: This lease agreement will be provide to the winning proposer during the negotiation process.

Question 125: RFP, 31/185 Please provide all bidders with historical hourly/daily call data for the periods for which contractors are responsible for reservations.

Question 125: See Response 63.

Question 126: RFP, 31/185 Please provide all bidders with a copy of the County anticipated fleet replacement schedule for the County provided fleet for the duration of the ten (10) year agreement.

Response 126: The County does not have a set replacement schedule. The County replaces vehicles base of age using the FTA Useful Life Bench Mark, mileage of vehicle, vehicle replacement due to accident and state of repair.

Question 127: RFP, 31/185 This requirement states that contractors must call each rider the evening before. Are bidders allowed to propose technology to meet this requirement that won't require a live person to call each rider the evening before?

Response 127: Yes.

Question 128: RFP, 33/185 Please provide bidders with a detailed twelve (12) month history of LD's assessed against the current contractor.

Response 128: $1,003,200.00 for 2025.

Question 129: General Please provide bidders with a twelve (12) month history of invoices for the delivery of the contracted services.

Response 129: Please see attached invoices.

Question 130: RFP, 48/185 Are pre-trip inspection forms currently done on paper or via electronic means?

Response 130: Electronic

Question 131: RFP, 51/185 How many vehicles does the current contractor provide for the service as described in the RFP? What type and how many vehicles are required for delivery of the service as described in the RFP?

Responses 131: The current contractor has never needed to provide vehicles. County vehicles available for service can be found on page 124 Appendix A.

Question 132: RFP, 51/185 How often has the current contractor provided service vehicles for this contract in the past?

Response 132: The current contractor has never needed to provide vehicles.

Question 133: RFP, 51/185 Please confirm who is financially responsible for the costs of major component replacement of County-provided vehicles. Please provide all bidders with details around major component replacements on the current fleet in the last three (3) years.

Response 133: The contractor is responsible for the cost of…