GLSS secures five-year contract for The Ride

LYNN – Greater Lynn Senior Services on Wednesday won a contract worth up to $287 million to operate The Ride transportation service in 27 communities, including Lynn, for at least the next five years.Because of an expected increase in usage of the service over the life of the contract, GLSS plans to add up to 100 jobs, most of them for drivers, according to GLSS Executive Director Paul T. Crowley.The Ride is provided by the MBTA to ensure equal access to residents with disabilities who are unable to use public transportation.GLSS was chosen over three other agencies in a competitive bidding process for the North Service Area, resulting in the agency?s securing the biggest contract in its history. The contract was approved at the state transportation department?s board of directors meeting in Boston on Wednesday.?We are grateful for the MBTA?s having continued faith in the valuable work we do,” Crowley said in a statement. “As a human-services agency, we take great pride in helping people remain active in the community, and the award of this contract is central to fulfilling our broader mission of helping people with disabilities live independently, safely and with dignity, and stay connected to the people and places that matter to them.”Crowley noted that GLSS is a unique transportation contractor for the MBTA in that it is a nonprofit, human-services agency with a clear focus on promoting social inclusion and access.?We believe that it?s not just about a ride, it?s about each consumer?s journey,” Crowley said in describing GLSS? overall approach to transportation. He added that he believed that focus on customer service gave the agency the edge in winning the contract.The new contract is a five-year deal for $199 million with an MBTA option for two additional years at $88 million. The dollar totals are based on revenue the contract is projected to generate for GLSS, which is in the last year of a five-year, $145 million contract with the MBTA for The Ride. GLSS has been operating The Ride in the north region since 1993.?We are very proud of the fact that we were able to secure this contract through an extremely competitive bidding process,” Crowley said, noting that bidders included companies from throughout the country.The other bidders, Crowley said, were Veolia Transportation, an international company, and MV Transportation, a national firm.Although State Sen. Thomas W. McGee, D-Lynn, wields considerable political clout as a chairman of the Legislature?s Transportation Committee, Crowley dismissed the idea that McGee could put undue influence on the competitive bidding process other than to submit a recommendation that GLSS be retained.Because of the scope of the work, the new contract is expected to lead to the creation of as many as 100 jobs, primarily for drivers, over the next five years, Crowley said.In 2012, GLSS provided more than 794,000 passenger trips on The Ride, including 112,085 to residents of Lynn and 132,028 in Boston. Through the first nine months of the current fiscal year, GLSS has provided more than 503,000 trips. The MBTA projects the total number of trips to grow from 665,000 in 2015 to 904,000 in 2021, an increase of 36 percent over the life of the contract.Local officials reacted positively to the news of GLSS? keeping The Ride contract.?This is extremely good news for the thousands of people who depend on GLSS and The Ride,” said Lynn Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, who worked for GLSS as a driver prior to being elected mayor in 2009. “I know first-hand the level of service and care provided to the most vulnerable members of our community.”?It is wonderful news to know a Lynn-based organization such as GLSS will continue to employ many local residents while providing quality transportation services to those who desperately depend on it,” said Lynn City Council President Daniel Cahill.?This is a perfect example of why investing in our transportation system is vital to our communities,” said McGee. “W