Their unsolicited proposal a few years ago didn’t gain any traction. But an Illinois company is trying again to combine Manatee and Sarasota transit

For the second time in more than two years, an Illinois company has submitted an unsolicited proposal to Manatee and Sarasota counties to provide transit operations as a single entity.

During Tuesday’s commission meeting, Manatee County Administrator Ed Hunzeker mentioned a June 1 letter from Transdev Services Inc. of Lombard, Ill., and that staff would be reviewing the proposal upon receipt.

“Transdev believes that the combination of the economies and marketing synergies of a regional public-private operating partnership together with the smart and skillful introduction and application of new technologies can significantly improve transit services while putting Manatee and Sarasota counties at the leading edge of innovation,” Richard Alexander, Transdev executive vice president, wrote in the letter. “We also believe this approach would place transit in a more sustainable financial and practical position in both counties.”

The letter comes more than two years after the company submitted its initial proposal to create Sarasota Manatee Regional Transit and assume the operation of Manatee County Area Transit and Sarasota County Area Transit.

“We previously presented such a proposal that would have resulted in at least $2.5 million collectively in guaranteed annual operating costs,” Alexander said. “Since that time, advances in automated vehicles and smart technology present a greater range of opportunities for Manatee and Sarasota counties to provide improved transit services for less money than fixed route options.”

Since the initial unsolicited proposal, Sarasota County has privatized its paratransit service. But the letter mentions MCAT’s recent staffing shortage.

“During this same time, Manatee County’s transit system has been challenged by labor attraction and retention, and a reduction in service to deal with shortfalls,” Alexander said. “Due to these operational challenges, neither system has been able to add the latest technologies to improve efficiency and service quality.”

This story was originally published June 6, 2017 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Their unsolicited proposal a few years ago didn’t gain any traction. But an Illinois company is trying again to combine Manatee and Sarasota transit."