Keolis North America (Keolis) was awarded a contract by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) to operate fixed-route bus services in partnership with the agency.

The four-year contract begins on June 11, with two two-year options to extend with Keolis. OCTA’s board unanimously approved the selection of Keolis in March, and the two parties recently finalized the contract. 

Keolis will support employee programs with training and staffing plans that make work in transit an attractive career opportunity.

“At Keolis, we’re extremely proud to be entrusted with providing safe and reliable transit services to the residents and visitors of Orange County, California,” said David Scorey, Keolis North America CEO. “While the public transit industry is facing a challenging labor market, Keolis has employed every tool in the toolbox to help our partner agencies attract and retain top talent, and we have a plan in place to help OCTA do just that.” 

Keolis, OCTA Contract Details

As part of this contract, Keolis will be responsible for approximately 40% of OCTA’s fixed-route bus operations.

Contracting enables OCTA to offer passengers even more service without compromising service safety. Savings realized through contracting enables OCTA to reinvest in service and provide an additional 150,000 revenue service hours of bus operations. 

In selecting Keolis for this contract, OCTA referenced the relocation of key personnel with previous experience being accountable for operations and maintenance at networks with similar size and configuration to OCTA’s two operations bases.

Keolis will implement a work plan that emphasizes safety, the passenger experience, and data monitoring and analytic software for maintenance and operations.