Public Notice

Request For Proposal (rfp)

Management, Operation, And Maintenance of a

Coordinated Transportation Service

in

Columbus County, North Carolina

On behalf of Columbus County Board of Commissioners, the Columbus County Transportation System is soliciting competitive proposals to secure a professional transportation management company to administer, operate, and maintain a coordinated, countywide transit program serving clients of human service agencies, rural general public passengers and para-transit services.  The County will lease to the contractor a fleet of eighteen vehicles and make provisions for the operating facility. 

All proposals and related documents shall be committed to a financial assistance contract between Columbus County and the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, under the Federal Transit Act of 1964, as amended.  Terms and conditions associated with these contracts shall be applicable to this solicitation.  All Respondents will be required to certify they are not on the U.S. Comptroller General’s List of Ineligible Contractors.  The Respondents will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Opportunity laws and regulations.

Columbus County hereby notifies all Respondents that in regard to any contracts entered into pursuant to this Request for Proposal, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response and will not be subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, creed, sex, disability, age, or national origin in consideration for award.

A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Monday, April 10th, 2023 at the Columbus County Transportation Office, located at 290 Legion Dr., Whiteville, NC 28472.  Proposals are due in the same office, no later than 4:00 PM on Friday, May 1st, 2023.  Late proposals will not be considered. 

For copies of the RFP or any questions concerning this procurement, address inquiries to:

Joy Jacobs, Transportation Director

Columbus County

290 Legion Dr, Whiteville, NC 28472

Tel:  910-641-3929

Fax:  910-642-6338

Email: joy.jacobs@columbusco.org

                                                                           

Columbus County reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, to withdraw this solicitation at any time, and to award the contract to the company providing the scope of services deemed to be in the best interests of Columbus County.

 

Columbus County Transportation

Fares

$ 3.00  (per person per one-way trip) for Whiteville & Brunswick Townships. Available weekdays, from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.

$10.00 (per person per one-way trip) for anywhere else in Columbus County. Available weekdays, from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Greyhound Fares & Booking

The Rural Public Transportation System offers:

General Public Transportation of anyone to anywhere in the county. This is a state funded program where anyone can have transportation to destinations in the county.

Medical Transportation for clients of Columbus County's governmental agencies (funded by Health Department, Department of Mental Health-Developmental Disabilities-Substance Abuse Services, Department of Social Services, and Department of Aging)

Monarch Columbus Industries Transportation (funded by Department of Mental Health- Developmental Disabilities-Substance Abuse Services)

Child Care Medical Transportation
Free Medical transportation for children less than 6 years old and pregnant mothers. Funded by Columbus County Partnership for Children..

Out-of-County Medical Transportation
Community transportation may be available at no or low cost for eligible persons to most counties in eastern North Carolina if funded by a human service agency.

Veterans Transportation

Transportation to the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in Fayetteville, Wilmington and Pembroke NC is now available for Columbus County Veterans.

Transportation is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays to the Fayetteville VA, Wednesdays and Thursdays to the Wilmington VA and to the VA clinic in Pembroke on Mondays.

Veterans will be asked to make their appointments between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm on the appropriate day for each VA facility. Veterans will be asked to meet at the Columbus County Transportation facility at 290 Legion Dr., Whiteville, NC by 7:20 am. The van will be leaving from the VA Hospital or Clinic at approximately 1:00 pm for the return trip to Whiteville.

Veterans will be asked to contribute $6 for the roundtrip. If they are unable to pay we will try to accommodate them anyway, if funding is available.  They may have a caregiver accompany them at no charge if space is available on the van.  Dispatch will need to be notified at the time they schedule their trip if a caregiver will be going with them.

Veterans should call 642-7201 to reserve space on the van. A two or three day advance notice is appreciated, but no less than a 24-hour notice is required.

If a van with a wheelchair lift is needed, please let us know.

This program may be discontinued if funds become exhausted or unavailable.

PURPOSE
To provide low-cost, reliable public transportation for qualifying citizens of Columbus County.

OPERATIONS
The County contracts with a private company, First Group Inc., to manage the daily operations and maintain the vehicles. First Group Inc. pays all salaries, insurance, gas, and maintenance. They are also required to have an effective Drug & Alcohol Testing Program, a Preventive Maintenance Program, and an active and effective Safety Program. The drivers have special training to work with children, geriatric and disabled citizens.

The transportation director, a state-paid county employee, oversees the contract, writes all the grant proposals (state and private), does the paperwork to ensure reimbursements from the state, and markets the services.

FUNDING

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) provides state and federal funds to operate a coordinated system. If funds become depleted then transportation services may have to be modified or suspended temporarily. State and local government agencies are encouraged and sometimes required to meet the transportation needs of their clients by scheduling trips through the county system.

Historically, the Columbus County system has the lowest operational cost of any rural public transportation system in North Carolina. Since the system is completely funded by the federal and state governments, no county funds are required.

Contact Us

Hours of Operation
Monday through Friday 
6:00 am to 6:00 pm

Joy Jacobs, Director
joy.jacobs@columbusco.org
290 Legion Drive
Whiteville, NC  28472
(910) 641 3929 voice
(910) 642 6338 fax

Scheduling and Dispatching
(910) 642-7201

TDD/TTY 1-800-735-2962

North Carolina Public Transportation Division

Happenings in Transportation

Advisory Board

 

Board Minutes

EEO Statement

It is the policy of The Columbus County Transportation to provide equal opportunity to all people who are admitted to, participate in, or are the recipients of CCT services. 

Procedures: 

As a recipient of Federal financial assistance, CCT does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or on the basis of disability or age in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits of any of its programs and activities or in employment therein, whether carried out by CCT directly or through a contractor or any other entity with whom CCT arranges to carryout its programs and activities. 

This statement is in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued pursuant to the acts, Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 80, 84, and 91. (Other Federal Laws and Regulations provide similar protection against discrimination on grounds of sex and creed.)

In case of questions concerning this policy, or in the event of a desire to file a complaint alleging violations of the above, please contact the Human Resources Office of Columbus County Government at 910-914-4119. 

*Complaints must be filed in writing or in person no later than 180 days after the alleged act of discrimination occurred to 127 W. Webster St., Whiteville, NC 28472.

Notifying the Public of Nondiscrimination Rights (Title VI Policy)

  • Columbus County Transportation operates its programs and services without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, and disability in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and related statutes. Any person who believes she or he has been aggrieved by any unlawful discriminatory practice may file a complaint with Columbus County Human Resources.
  • For more information on Columbus County Transportation’s civil rights program, and the procedures to file a complaint, contact 910-641-3929; email joy.jacobs@columbusco.org; or visit our office at 290 Legion Dr, Whiteville, NC 28472. For more information, visit columbusco.org.
  • To file a Title VI or ADA complaint it must be in writing within 180 days after the alleged act of discrimination occurred.  The form to file is attached below. You can fill this out and email it to Joy Jacobs at joy.jacobs@columbusco.org or to our human resources director Kay Stephens at kstephens@columbusco.org.  You can also mail it to 127 W Webster St, Whiteville NC 28472 Attn: Human Resources Dept.
  • If information is needed in another language, contact 910-640-6615.

              Complaint Form Link

Click here to view the Title VI Program Plan of the Civil Rights Act

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