Hall County opens single transit bid; board refers Holiday Express proposal to mobility management for follow-up

Hall County commissioners opened the transit-services RFP on March 12 and read a single responsive proposal from Holiday Express. The one-year total quoted in the proposal was $190,000, with multi-year totals supplied for years two and three.

County staff and mobility-management specialists told the board the proposal raised questions about the bidder's fixed fees, how operating and non-operating costs would be reimbursed under state formulas, TripMaster software and hardware costs, and the condition and ownership of vehicles. Staff noted that the state typically reimburses operating expenses at about 75% and some non-operating costs at higher rates, but mobility-management staff said the precise reimbursement split depends on how line items are categorized.

Commissioners discussed service design trade-offs for rural riders (curb-to-curb versus fixed stops), peak-hours and whether to scale hours to manage cost while keeping critical rural connections. Several rural-community representatives present urged the county to preserve door-to-door service for residents with mobility limitations.

After discussion, the board voted to accept the bid as read and refer the proposal to the state mobility management team and a county selection group (including staff and interested commissioners) to clarify reimbursement assumptions, software/hardware costs and other first-year expenses before the board considers a contract award.