The City Council is considering whether to further outsource its public-transit system.
With its top management already provided by a private company, Sun Metro might outsource more work, possibly going so far as to jettison more than 100 jobs to the private sector.
The changes, if they happen, are not intended to save money, said Laura Cruz-Acosta, a spokes woman.
"It's really not a cost saving for the city," she said. "It's to improve service."
Late last month, the city issued a request for a range of proposals to run parts of the bus system. It comes as the city approaches a federal deadline next year to rebid Sun Metro senior management now being provided by First Transit Management Services of Cincinnati.
Cruz said federal monitors have approved the work the company has done, but guidelines require that it be put out for bid at least once every five years. The city's elected leaders also like the job done by First Transit.
"When I got on the council in 2005, we had a Sun Metro system that was in deplorable condition," city Rep. Steve Ortega said.
In June, Sun Metro was named best in its class in North America by the American Public Transportation Association, he said.
The request for proposals issued by the city allows those interested to offer the same service as First Transit -- three or four senior managers of the entire system. Another option would allow them to provide the services of about 11 managers, including those running the dispatch operation,
Advertisement
the fixed-route bus service and the LIFT service for disabled people.
The third, most radical option would include those managers and it would outsource drivers, dispatchers and maintenance workers of the LIFT service. It would affect a few more than 100 people, Cruz-Acosta said.
The service's $5 round-trip fare is set by the city's Mass Transit Board, which has no current plans to change it, Cruz-Acosta said.
"We wouldn't want to look at an increase," said Cruz-Acosta, who explained that many users of the service live on fixed incomes.
With 600 employees, it would be too disruptive to privatize Sun Metro's fixed-route operation and with on-time service 96 percent to 98 percent of the time, improvements would be marginal, Cruz-Acosta said.
By contrast, the LIFT service is on time 92 percent to 93 percent of the time, so there is room for improvement, she said.
Drivers for the LIFT service are paid between $12.41 and $19.11 an hour. The city would want a contractor to provide similar pay and benefits, Cruz said.
Even so, Ortega was skeptical of outsourcing so many city jobs.
"I'm not convinced we need to have all the employees under different management control," Ortega said.
The city staff will analyze proposals, and the City Council is expected to choose one in the spring.
