Berkshire Community Action Council shuts down transport services after losing bids

Posted Monday, July 13, 2015 4:58 am

PITTSFIELD — The Berkshire Community Action Council has had to lay off 43 drivers and dismantle its transportation service for disabled adults to daytime habilitation facilities.

The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority put the contract for that service out to bid in October, as the contracts with BCAC were due to expire on June 30, according to Deborah Leonczyk, executive director of BCAC.

The contracts, worth nearly $1.4 million, wound up going to Action Ambulance and County Rainbow Taxi.

"We are still surprised that we didn't get the contracts after doing it for so long with a stellar performance," Leonczyk said. BCAC had been contracted for the work with BRTA for the past seven years, and had been providing the service for 25 years.

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She said BCAC had been hoping to build on that service by providing transportation for low-income workers to their jobs countywide, but without the transportation arm, that effort will take much longer.

Along with the workers laid off, 26 leased vans were returned to their owner, and the garage was vacated and put up for rent.

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According to Ed McNally, transportation director at BCAC, the service provided 65,000 rides to 134 clients on 25 routes over the past year. There were also charity rides for special education students to recreational activities, such as Family Fun Day at Bousquet Ski Area. The laid off drivers were given two weeks' notice.

Robert Malnati, administrator of BRTA, said BCAC's bid was not the lowest, but there are other criteria used in the bid process, including work experience, vehicle management quality assurances and value-added service.

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When the service was picked up by the new vendors on July 1, Malnati said, "with this type of work there were hiccups here and there, but I think things were worked out in the first couple of days."

He added that on-site inspections by BRTA officials would continue to assure "things are running smoothly."

McNally said about a quarter of the BCAC's former drivers were hired by the winning bidders to help handle the increased workload.

Contact Scott Stafford at 413-496-6301.