Escambia County faces service gap as contractor terminates paratransit contract; commissioners ask administrator to seek options

Escambia County officials and transportation advocates clashed over a plan to end a third‑party paratransit contract after ITL Solutions submitted formal notice that it would terminate county contracts, a move the company said was driven by unresolved reimbursement for fuel and “cannibalization” of trips by a new microtransit pilot.

The dispute played out at the Board of County Commissioners meeting, where riders, family members and disability‑advocacy groups urged the board to keep door‑to‑door paratransit service running and criticized any plan that would shift those trips to app‑based microtransit. ITL attorneys and supporters said the company had delivered a low accident record and reliable service and that the county previously told the contractor to expect a contract adjustment to cover rising fuel costs.

County staff told the board they could bring the service in‑house and cited a cost study and a six‑month simulation that — staff said — indicates in‑house operation could reduce per‑trip costs from roughly $45.07 (round trip shown in vendor bills) to about $28. County and contractor attorneys also…