S.C.’s The COMET announced that its board voted to award the fixed-route and paratransit program contract to RATP Dev effective July 1. The present five-year contract, currently held by another contractor, will expire on June 30.

The new contractors will be responsible for employing the drivers, performing the maintenance of the buses, and other related services, such as paratransit, security, landscaping, bus stop maintenance, mystery riding and IT, which are provided by small, local, and minority- and women-owned businesses.

There will not be an interruption in The COMET services during this transition. Current employees will be actively engaged in transition training and will be able to bid for positions with the new company. RATP Dev plans to hire locally for other employment opportunities.

The decision to put the contract out for bid at the end of the initial five years was made in the fall of 2019. As Chairman of The COMET Board, Ron Anderson appointed a five-member committee of the board to work with The COMET Executive Director/CEO John Andoh and others to prepare the Request for Proposal.