IFB 23034 Taxicab Services Questions- Responses final.pdf
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- Attached to
- IFB-23034 Taxicab Services
- Solicitation number
- BPM038163
- Issued by
- Baltimore City, Maryland
About this file
This document is an Invitation for Bids (IFB) soliciting proposals from qualified entities licensed by the Maryland Public Service Commission to provide taxicab services for Baltimore City Public Schools students. The IFB requests the provision of transportation services, including details on the current contract such as the number of routes/vehicles, average students per vehicle, and any special equipment requirements. The district is seeking information on fingerprinting and background check policies, as well as historical data on monthly ridership, trips, and mileage. The IFB also outlines the district's requirements for reporting safety and performance data, and notes that Baltimore City is aware of potential waivers for alternative school vehicle requirements but is not considering requesting them.
The IFB specifies that the customer support and dispatch staff must be located in the United States due to public funding restrictions. Additionally, the district has clarified that it will not accept fingerprint background checks from third-party providers and must maintain all records internally. The contract term and any renewal options are not explicitly stated in the provided information.
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Text version
IFB-23034 Taxicab Services
Questions and Responses
1. Can you please provide samples of invoices from your current transportation provider?
See attachment
2. How many routes/vehicles are currently used to transport your students?
SY22-23 35 taxi cabs
3. What’s the average number of students per vehicle?
Three
4. Do you require any special equipment to transport the students? eg. Safety Vest (Harness), Car Seat, Booster Seat, Buckle Guard, Partition …. etc?
No, students that require special equipment do not ride in taxi cabs, other than a wheelchair, if the taxi has a lift.
5. What’s the number of students who are in need of such equipment based on the current contract?
Zero
6. Regarding fingerprint background checks, would Baltimore City accept clearance from another school district if a driver has already gone through their background check process?
No
7. Is the District required to “own” fingerprinting by law, regulation, or policy (must districts fingerprint and review results themselves/individually)?
Yes. Criminal Justice Information Service does not allow districts to share fingerprints.
In addition, the agency that owns the fingerprints receives the alerts.
8. If there are human resources or district specific policies (typically an HR policy), are you able to share those?
Please clarify question.
9. If the District is not required by law to own fingerprinting, is the District able to accept drivers as authorized who have undergone a fingerprint-based background check through the Maryland Public Service Commission (“Maryland PSC”)?
The district is required by State law to own the fingerprints. Finger prints cannot be shared.
10. Does the District expect HopSkipDrive or the Maryland PSC to share results (beyond pass or not pass) of those fingerprint background checks?
The district will not accept fingerprints from a third party.
11. If a driver fingerprints through the District, is the District able to share results with other districts in the state? Is the District able to share with HopSkipDrive whether or not a driver passed or failed the background check?
No. The Employee Privacy Rights prohibits the dissemination of background information.
12. Regarding background checks, there are potentially conflicting statements in relation to who collects the "authorizations" and "waivers" for the motor vehicle and criminal record initial and continuous monitoring. The RFP states that contractor collects this (from employees, but all drivers must be employees as this is a bus RFP) and the Template Sales Contract says that "Individuals fingerprinted by City Schools will be required to provide written consent, and City Schools will maintain copies of all records for criminal background checks performed by City Schools". Please clarify how consent works and who collects it / maintains the records.
City Schools requires driver information to vet before certified as taxi cab driver. Once the individual is vetted and certified, City Schools maintains a driver folder for all certified drivers.
13. Please provide historical and/or estimated information on the following:
- Monthly ridership/number of students requiring transportation per month
- Number of one-way trips per month
- Average mileage per one-way trip
- Total trip mileage per month
Monthly ridership/number of students requiring transportation per month 111
Number of one-way trips per month 111
Average mileage per one-way trip 9.23
Total trip mileage per month 2037
14. How often will contractors be required to share safety and performance data with the district?
Accidents must be reported immediately, and reports are due within 24 hours, incident reports are due within 24 hours, late arrivals must be reported daily.
15. What type of data will be required?
• Accident reports
• Incident reports
• Student attendance sheets
• Student not riding
16. Would Baltimore City waive CDL requirements since not required by law for TNC drivers?
ASV does not require a CDL, however a DOT physical is required.
17. As public funding often prohibits offshore outsourcing, does Baltimore County require customer support and dispatch staff to be located in the United States?
Yes.
18. We are aware school districts are able to request a waiver from certain sections within COMAR Chapter 13A.06.07 regarding alternative school vehicle requirements (such as the requirement for audible back up warning alarms, among others.) and driver qualifications that would allow our proven-safe model to provide services to more than one rider at a time. Is Baltimore City aware of the potential for waivers? If so - is this something Baltimore City would consider?
Yes, City Schools is aware of the waiver. No, Baltimore City is not considering requesting a waiver. Average number per vehicle is three.
19. Would Baltimore City consider adjusting the following requirements to reflect equivalent industry standards applicable to TNC sedan-based student transportation?
Please clarify question.
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