August 20, 2018 Request for Information No. 19-1002024 Private Transportation Provider Pilot Program to Ontario Airport San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) is issuing Request for Information (RFI) No. 19-1002024 from qualified firms to provide input and comments on the Private Transportation Provider Pilot Program to Ontario Airport. The questionnaire must be received at or before Thursday, September 6, 2018 by 4:00 pm. If your organization is interested in providing these services, please complete and submit the attached RFI Questionnaire to: Alicia Johnson, Procurement Analyst San Bernardino County Transportation Authority Email: procurement@gosbcta.com Request for Information 19-1002024 Private Transportation Provider Pilot Program to Ontario Airport All questions or clarifications must be submitted in writing and must be received by SBCTA no later than 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 20, 2018. SBCTA will respond to all written questions submitted timely via written addendum. Submissions received after the date and time specified herein will be rejected by SBCTA and not considered. This request for information WILL NOT result in an award of any contracts. It is being issued to determine the level of interest in, and to obtain information to assist in providing, Private Transportation Services to Ontario Airport. Dependent upon the responses to this RFI, a Solicitation may be issued. Unsolicited proposals cannot and will not be considered. SBCTA s plan is to receive the RFI and then follow up with a Request for Proposal (RFP). SBCTA will conduct one-on-one meetings with each company that submits a questionnaire before the RFP is issued. If SBCTA determines that the Private Transportation Plan is viable, SBCTA plans to award one or more contracts, as necessary to satisfy SBCTA s needs. SBCTA s intent is to have the system in place no later than December 1, 2018. Disclaimer This RFI in no manner obligates SBCTA to pursue any contractual relationship with an entity that responds to this RFI. SBCTA further reserves the right to cancel this RFI at any time if deemed to be in the best interest of SBCTA. This RFI does not commit SBCTA to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of responses to the RFI, or any subsequent demonstrations provided. The respondent agrees that the submitted information is correct to the best of the Respondent s knowledge. Also, failure to submit a response to this RFI does not preclude competition in future procurements.
ATTACHMENT A SCOPE OF WORK BACKGROUND San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) is proposing a Private Transportation Provider Pilot Program which will provide a subsidy of fares for passengers of the Metrolink or Omnitrans services using a Private Transportation Provider (i.e., Transportation Network Company or Taxi), defined as a private entity that provides on-demand passenger service between a designated origin and destination ( PROVIDER ). For the purpose of the pilot program, the trip must be between the Ontario International Airport (ONT) and one of the following Metrolink stations: Ontario East, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, or Montclair Metrolink stations. SBCTA will provide PROVIDER with a fare subsidy of up to a certain dollar amount, estimated at Twelve Dollars ($12) per Ride, between any one of the four Metrolink Stations and ONT. The fare per ride, defined as a one way, direct, completed trip from any of the designated Metrolink Commuter Rail Stations to or from ONT for Metrolink and Omnitrans passengers ( RIDE ), is the PROVIDER s standard rate from the location of pick up to the destination. The total program Not-To-Exceed Amount is Four Hundred Twenty-Six Thousand Dollars ($426,000) of which Four Hundred Three Thousand Two Hundred Dollars ($403,200) is dedicated to transportation service (including Twenty-Six Thousand Dollars ($26,000) to be used to fund an accessible service component that is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)), Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) is to be used for Marketing and Outreach, and Twelve Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars ($12,800) is to be used for Program Oversight. The pilot program is proposed to be in effect from the date of service initiation for a period of 12 months or until funds are expended. If funds are not fully expended after a period of 12 months, SBCTA would extend the program for an estimated 6 months or until the allocated funding is expended. PROGRAM COMPONENTS It is intended for this Private Transportation Provider Pilot Program to be modeled after several similar programs launched by transit and transportation companies throughout the United States. Similar to those programs, the SBCTA pilot program will be developed with the following components: 1. A platform for services for Metrolink and Omnitrans passengers to obtain subsidized Rides, up to a maximum estimated amount of Twelve Dollars ($12) per ride, between ONT and the four Metrolink Stations: Ontario East, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland and Montclair. 2. Provision of an on-demand Ride from any of the designated Metrolink Commuter Rail Stations to or from ONT for Metrolink and Omnitrans passengers. The subsidy does not include trips from one Metrolink Commuter Rail Station to another. The geographic boundaries of the area serviced shall be restricted to the Metrolink Station passenger loading area and the ONT terminal passenger loading areas.
3. Provision of both standard and accessible service for senior citizens and disabled persons that is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 4. Customer service with a dedicated account manager and customer support team to assist with customer service needs via a 24/7 customer support telephone number and online support portal system. 5. A unique promo code ("SBCTA CODE") and fare ( SBCTA FARE ) for Omnitrans and Metrolink to distribute to passengers that activates the subsidized Ride. 6. Validation mechanism utilized by private transportation PROVIDERS drivers to confirm Omnitrans or Metrolink passengers have an eligible ticket fare for that day prior to applying the fare subsidy. 7. Prohibition of tip or gratuity as part of the fare subsidy; passengers of Omnitrans and Metrolink service that utilize PROVIDER s service may elect to provide a tip or gratuity to PROVIDER s private transportation drivers, however, this amount will not be covered by the fare subsidy. 8. Incorporation of the SBCTA CODE and SBCTA FARE into PROVIDER s dispatch or reservation system (application, dial up, or computer) for the Contract Term. 9. Provide same-day, on-demand service for riders within 15 minutes of the Ride request. 10. Proper authorization to conduct business within the boundaries of the City for which the service is being provided, including but not limited to permits, licenses, training, and any other local jurisdiction requirements. 11. Provision of consistent weekly reports on ridership and run-time data, including origin and destination data, date and time of travel, and corresponding subsidy amount. PROGRAM GOALS 1. Provide Metrolink and Omnitrans passengers with additional transportation options between ONT and four Metrolink Commuter Rail Stations (located in the Cities of Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, and Montclair). 2. Increase ridership on Metrolink and Omnitrans services. 3. Support the success of ONT by improving access to and from the Airport. 4. Provide on-demand connectivity between transportation hubs. 5. Collect data to assist in determining the demand for transit service between the various Metrolink Commuter Rail Stations and ONT. 6. Increase and cultivate public/private partnerships within San Bernardino County. PROJECT MANAGEMENT The Private Transportation Provider Pilot Program covers typical project management services, including administration of the PROVIDER work, contractual compliance, oversight of billing and invoicing procedures, and progress reports. SBCTA may require additional Project Management services to be performed by PROVIDER; typical services anticipated at this time include, but are not limited to, the following:
COORDINATION AND MEETINGS PROVIDER shall meet with the relevant parties to discuss issues pertinent to the project assignment. PROVIDER shall participate in project meetings (i.e., Project Development Team (PDT) meetings, agency coordination meetings, workshops) and be prepared to discuss project status, issues, policy, or procedural issues. PROVIDER shall bring progress plans as appropriate and assist in developing meeting notices, agenda, minutes, and/or handouts as needed. ADMINISTRATION Administration shall include the following elements: 1. Supervise, coordinate, and monitor work for conformance with appropriate standards and policies. 2. Apply for and/or assist to obtain City approvals and permits as required. 3. Prepare, circulate, and file correspondence and memoranda as appropriate. 4. Maintain project files in an organized manner that is accessible to SBCTA. SCHEDULE AND PROGRESS REPORTS PROVIDER shall submit an initial Project Schedule for each project component. As directed by SBCTA, the schedule shall be tailored for project-specific activities, including, but not limited to, ability to collect ridership and run-time data, development of a program for Metrolink/Omnitrans passengers that validates passenger fares for eligibility, and development of tracking mechanism of trips, fare cost, and fare type. Upon program launch, PROVIDER will be required to provide weekly reports that provide SBCTA with measurable data to include the following information: 1. Number of Rides provided between each station and ONT 2. Date for each Ride/trip 3. Route taken for each Ride 4. Duration of each Ride, including pick-up and drop-off time 5. Cost of each Ride 6. Method used by passenger to dispatch or reserve Ride 7. Ticket fare type (i.e., Metrolink or Omnitrans) As directed by SBCTA, schedule updates will be part of a monthly Progress Report prepared by PROVIDER that describes the project status, outstanding action items, and/or items requiring SBCTA approval. If requested by SBCTA, the schedule and/or Progress Report may require more frequent updating.
QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL (QA/QC) PLAN PROVIDER shall maintain a Quality Assurance/Quality Control Plan throughout the term of the Contract. The QA/QC Plan is intended to ensure that the service provided, reporting and tracking mechanisms, operations compliance, and reports submitted under this Scope of Work are complete, accurate, checked, and proofread to meet professional standard practices in effect at the time of execution of the Contract. BUDGET MANAGEMENT PROVIDER shall manage the budget throughout the term of the Contract and shall provide with every invoice updates on the costs and expenditures to date. Any increase in cost of scope of services must be authorized by SBCTA in writing no later than fourteen (14) days in advance.
Questionnaire Please answer questions below and attach supporting documentation requested in your response Organization Name: Contact Person: Phone Number: Address: Email Address: 1) How can your company ensure Rides can be provided, within 15 minutes of request, that are accessible to and usable by persons along the full spectrum of disabilities, including both physical and intellectual disabilities? What percent of your company s vehicles can accommodate wheelchair users?
2) Briefly describe the company s products and/or services focus. 3) Does your company have experience offering similar programs that provide subsidized rides based on a designated origin and/or destination? If so, how is the subsidy generated and provided to the passenger (i.e. is this done solely with your company s software or is there collaboration with the partnering agency or organization s fare system)?
4) If your company has experience with similar program(s), what key challenges were present? What remedies were implemented to address these challenges? 5) In addition to processing fare subsidies, does your company have the ability to validate ticket fares or the conditions upon which the subsidy is based (such as origin/destination to be eligible for such fare subsidies? If yes, please describe the process.
6) If your company does not currently process fare subsidies, do you have the ability to integrate this feature? What would it cost to integrate processing of fare subsidies into your services? 7) Does your company provide a dedicated account manager and customer support team that would assist with customer service via a customer support telephone line and 24/7 online support portal? If not, what would it cost to provide this service?
8) Does your company have the ability to provide ridership reports to SBCTA for the purpose of analyzing trip data? If so what information can you provide? 9) In addition to ridership, what other data does your company have the ability to track and report?
10) Are there limits on what data your company can report out on or share with SBCTA? If so, please describe those limits. 11) How are fare subsidies processed for multiple passengers? In the event of more than one (1) passenger having the same origin and destination for a Ride, does your company have the ability to process more than one (1) fare subsidy and passenger for a single ride at a time?
12) Does your company use sub-providers (i.e., drivers, software, application management, etc.)? 13) If your company has participated in programs similar to SBCTA s pilot program, how was the service advertised?
14) Does your company utilize a mobile application for private transportation services? Is there an option for non-mobile users? If so, please explain the access process and logistics for non-mobile users. 15) What insurance coverage does your company maintain for similar programs or services (if applicable)? Does your insurance coverage include your individual drivers? How is compliance monitored?
Items to be submitted with Questionnaire: Please include a sample insurance certificate showing levels of coverage for general liability, property damage, auto and workers compensation.