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Council briefed on transit contract negotiations; accountability for cancellations raised
Summary
Staff said negotiations for a new Asheville Rides transit operations and maintenance contract are ongoing and plan to return to council with more details in committee before a March 24 decision; council members pressed for stronger accountability metrics after complaints about route cancellations.
City staff told council on March 5 that negotiations are underway for a new operations and maintenance contract for Asheville Rides and that committee review will precede any council action.
Assistant City Manager Jade Dundis and transit staffer Ashley said the procurement is still in negotiation; staff expects to provide more detail to the Planning, Economic Development & Environment committee on March 17 and to present the contract to council on March 24. "We are still in negotiations at this stage…by the time the committee meeting rolls around on the 17th, we will be able to share more of that detail," Ashley said.
Council members raised community concerns that the current management company has canceled routes frequently and asked how the new contract would improve accountability and service reliability. Dundis and Ashley said some accountability measures are being included in the new contract and that the committee discussion would cover evaluation and purchasing processes, vendor selection and proposed performance metrics.
Staff did not provide a vendor name or final cost during the briefing; they said those details would be available once negotiations conclude and the committee packet is released.
