Oceanside CA— MV Transportation (MV) is set to assume revenue operations for North County Transit District (NCTD) paratransit, fixed-route, and specialized transportation services at the end of this week from the current contractor, First Transit. MV was awarded the new contract to manage these services in February and will officially take over operations on July 1.
NCTD has contracted with MV, the largest privately-owned transportation contracting firm based in the United States, to operate and maintain the BREEZE, FLEX, and LIFT services. Under the terms of the contract (which is for a seven-year base term with one three-year option), MV will be responsible for serving an annual ridership of nearly eight million using 224 revenue vehicles.
“We have been on the ground implementing our transition best practices for more than three months, and I am pleased to report that we will be ready to go on day 1,” said Ron Barnes, MV’s General Manager for the NCTD project. “We have worked diligently to execute a transition plan that fully supports NCTD’s and MV’s overall goals of increased safety performance, excellent customer service and robust investments in training.”
Matthew Tucker, NCTD Executive Director, said, “We are excited about the enhanced service management aspects of this new contract with MV Transportation, and look forward to the positive benefits this will have for operations.”
Currently, MV has on-boarded 551 employees, trained 440 drivers, installed navigation systems on vehicles, inspected the vehicle fleet, upgraded scheduling software and procured necessary equipment in preparation for the July 1 start date. Most employees from the current contract with First Transit will be hired by MV.
NCTD extends its thanks to First Transit for the years of service provided, and for enabling a smooth transition to the new contract provider. NCTD’s goal is for customers to have a seamless day-to-day experience on these modes during the transition. MV has committed to collaborate with NCTD to enhance the customer riding experience for BREEZE, LIFT, and FLEX services.