San Diego transit services honored for money-saving practices

American Logistics Co. (ALC), a national passenger transportation management company, announced that they, along with Oceanside, Calif.-based North County Transit District (NCTD) and First Transit, have been selected as the winner of the Grand Golden Watchdog Award by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association (SDCTA).

The award was presented at the 16th Annual Golden Watchdog & Golden Fleece Awards Dinner, which recognizes the best and worst in local government spending practices.

SDCTA chose NCTD's innovative public-private partnerships, which outsource bus operations and maintenance to First Transit and paratransit services to ALC, because they will save taxpayers approximately $52.9 million over the next seven years, without reducing customer services or increasing fares for the public.

By implementing these contracts and other cost saving measures, NCTD was able to balance its budget for Fiscal Year 2011, with no reduction in service. At a time when many transit agencies are struggling, this is a significant achievement.

NCTD signed a contract in February 2011 for paratransit services with ALC, using ALC's Coordinated Transportation Model for service delivery. The contract is projected to save NCTD approximately $8 million in operating costs during the six-year contract period.

Additionally, NCTD's greenhouse emissions will be reduced by 30 percent, their carbon output reduced by nearly 100 tons and their CO2 output by 300 tons over the life of the contract. This reduction in greenhouse emissions is due to the reduction in both the size and number of vehicles that will be used in the paratransit program going forward.

ALC will begin operating LIFT ADA Paratransit Service for NCTD on July 1, 2011, and will also provide trip reservations, scheduling and dispatching services.