Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now

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Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by Gold_12th on Wed Aug 14 00:32:59 2013 edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Westchester County will request proposals to run the Bee-Line Bus system now that the Federal Transit Administration has agreed to continue funding it for up to a year to allow for a transition to a new operator. The federal agency had threatened to take away millions in funding for maintenance if Westchester didn’t use a competitive process for the next contract, which is due to start at the end of the year. Liberty Lines Transit, based in Yonkers, has had the contract since the 1970s and has been granted renewals without competition. The federal funding, which Westchester began receiving in 2009, totaled $13 million this year. The competitive contracting rule is tied to the funding, and the federal government notified the county of the requirement in 2009, 2010 and again earlier this year. But the county and federal governments have been in a minor standoff while Westchester officials figured out their next move. “Price and service are the core of any Bee-Line bus contract, and we now have a foundation for both,” County Executive Rob Astorino said in a statement. “The request for proposals process will keep costs down and federal aid in place. The bridge contract provides insurance against the interruption in the quality of service. The goal we are working toward is to protect both riders and taxpayers.” The Bee-Line system serves about 100,000 riders a day. Liberty runs all but three of more than 60 routes. The county was reluctant to bid out the contract, totaling $101 million this year, because Liberty Lines claims a right to the bus routes and could be entitled to compensation. The county asked the FTA for a waiver of the bidding rule but the agency refused. The compensation issue is still not resolved, a spokeswoman for the county said. Lou DeFrancesco of Eastchester, who used to work for a carting company, has pressed the county to bid the project for the past year and has put together a team to prepare a proposal. “That’s great news for the county,” he said. “I think the taxpayers are going to save money. The county has been doing the same thing for more than 30 years with no competition. I think the prices are going to go down.” In a letter dated Aug. 9, the FTA gave the approval for a six-month bridge contract, with extensions up to six more months, to allow a transition to a new operator. The county plans to seek proposals in September and award a contract in December. http://www.lohud.com/article/20130813/NEWS02/308130046/With-federal-funds-secured-Westchester-will-seek-bids-run-Bee-Line?odyssey=mod\|newswell\|text\|\|s
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(281969)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by Gotham Bus Co. on Wed Aug 14 05:56:27 2013, in response to Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by Gold_12th on Wed Aug 14 00:32:59 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d The County could invoke "eminent domain" and seize the routes.
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(281970)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by MR RT on Wed Aug 14 07:05:13 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by Gotham Bus Co. on Wed Aug 14 05:56:27 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d They still have to pay Liberty even if they seize ... When the TA took over the "privets" they paid ...
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(281971)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by RailBus63 on Wed Aug 14 09:23:25 2013, in response to Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by Gold_12th on Wed Aug 14 00:32:59 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d I hope they write a good contract proposal that will attract serious candidates only. First Transit or Veolia could probably do a good job of running the Bee Line system if they took over, given the county's adequate funding of the operation. What I hope they don't get is a repeat of the mess over in Rockland where an operator with uncertain qualifications wins the bid.
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(281972)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by JAzumah on Wed Aug 14 12:00:33 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by RailBus63 on Wed Aug 14 09:23:25 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d How do we get new bidders in that mindset? At some point, someone new has to get a shot.
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(281973)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by mike nash on Wed Aug 14 12:14:38 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by JAzumah on Wed Aug 14 12:00:33 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d can the mta bid?
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(281974)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by Gold_12th on Wed Aug 14 12:30:07 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by mike nash on Wed Aug 14 12:14:38 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d you need the mta to takeover, they dont have the interest to run.
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(281975)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by RailBus63 on Wed Aug 14 13:18:56 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by JAzumah on Wed Aug 14 12:00:33 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d What mindset? I mentioned First and Veolia only as examples. Anyone can be allowed to bid, but the county should absolutely place a premium on expertise and past experience in managing a system of this size. Bee Line should not be the training ground for an inexperienced operator.
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(281977)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by Wakefield-241st Street on Wed Aug 14 14:08:50 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by mike nash on Wed Aug 14 12:14:38 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d And ruin a well run bus system?
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(281979)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by mike nash on Wed Aug 14 14:51:47 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by Gold_12th on Wed Aug 14 12:30:07 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d just asking
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(281987)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by Bill D on Wed Aug 14 16:32:17 2013, in response to Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by Gold_12th on Wed Aug 14 00:32:59 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Who owns the facilities that Liberty Lines operates out of now? If they own it, is it worth taking over by the county for use by another operator, or should a new facility be built that would be more attractive to prospective bidders? A couple of years ago, my employer's contract with the state of Connecticut (CT Transit - Waterbury) was put out to bid. At that time the bidders were required to provide a storage / maintenance facility, as the state does not currently own the Waterbury garage, and a state owned facility is at least a few years away. This fact kept other operators from bidding on the contract. Bill
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(282005)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by Mac5689 on Wed Aug 14 18:59:20 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by MR RT on Wed Aug 14 07:05:13 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Westchester could sue Liberty over ownership. About 14 years ago Suffolk wanted to do a competitive bidding for each route, or something like that, The Bus companies didn't like the idea because they claimed they owned the rights to the routes. (A majority of the routes had been run by the companies prior to Suffolk creating Suffolk Transit.) I know Suffolk came away with ownership of the routes, but I don't recall if they won them in court or if the companies settled. I do seem to recall that the County didn't need to compensate the companies.
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(282006)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by Mac5689 on Wed Aug 14 19:07:40 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by RailBus63 on Wed Aug 14 13:18:56 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d What happens if Liberty and another company were to create a new company which would technically be a inexperienced operator, to bid on the routes? (Like Sunrise Coach and Hampton Jitney are said to have done when they created Twin Forks Transit.)
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(282066)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by RailBus63 on Thu Aug 15 08:59:32 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by Mac5689 on Wed Aug 14 19:07:40 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Well, if the people running the bid have any competence, a bid from a joint venture like you propose would count Liberty's past experience.
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(282069)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by ctrabs74 on Thu Aug 15 11:01:16 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by JAzumah on Wed Aug 14 12:00:33 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d I could accept that argument if we're talking about a smaller system in, say, Orange County or Ithaca. However, for a contract the size of Westchester County, much as was the case in Nassau County, a new or inexperienced contractor (not referring to Liberty Lines) could prove to be a liability for Westchester. All you have to do is look at the fiasco in Rockland as proof that "someone new getting a shot" is not the best way to award contracts. You can say what you want about First Transit, Veolia, Coach USA, Academy or MV Transportation, but at least they have a track record. It may not be a perfect track record in some markets, but at least they have the competency needed to operate and maintain the Bee Line system. Semi-related: will the proposals also include the three routes operated by PTLA?
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(282082)	view threaded
Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now
Posted by MR RT on Thu Aug 15 13:10:58 2013, in response to Re: Westchester County will seek bids on Bee Line routes, federal funds secured for now, posted by Mac5689 on Wed Aug 14 18:59:20 2013. edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Long ago Liberty "bought" a franchisee that was the routes. This was common practice then to issue franchisees to "private" companies. The last transaction that I know of in this area was when Mr. Salsburg sold his franchisee to Mr. Burk, aka Queens Surface Corp. NYCDOT approved the transaction, but changed the deal to Mr. Burk worked for a salary vs. those existing that worked for a garanteed profit.
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