Tim Ryan, tryan@shawanoleader.com
A new company will take over operation of the city’s shared-ride taxi program starting next month, but riders are not expected to notice much difference.
Starting Jan. 1, Viroqua-based Running Inc. will be operating City Cab, under the same service terms and fares that Top Hat Inc. of La Crosse operated under since 2008.
The Shawano Common Council unanimously approved an agreement with Running Inc. on Wednesday.
Under rules attached to state grant money that helps fund the program, the city is required to put operation of the taxi service out for bid every five years.
Running and Top Hat both submitted bids, as did Racine-based Ktown Transportation.
An Evaluation Committee was formed to review and score the proposals without knowing which company was being evaluated. Running finished with the highest score, according to city officials.
“We didn’t really know who we were selecting with the point values that we used,” said Council President Woody Davis, who was one of the Evaluation Committee members.
City Administrator Brian Knapp, who was also on the committee, said the scoring system was based on a well-defined process set up by the Department of Transportation that includes factors such as capacity, experience and finances.
Once the evaluations were scored, the bids were opened and Running Inc. turned out to have not only the highest evaluation score, but also the lowest price, Knapp said.
Under the first year of the five-year agreement, Running would ostensibly charge the city $25.82 per hour of service, which would total $237,899 a year.
However, that would be offset by the fares Running collects. The city would be responsible only for the amount left over, if any, after fares are collected.
Knapp said the evaluation results were no slight against Top Hat, adding the city had been happy with the company’s operation of the service.
“They did a great job,” Knapp said.
Mayor Lorna Marquardt said Top Hat was made aware of the results and understood the situation.
“They did stop in and extended thank yous to all of you,” Marquardt told the council. “They said they enjoyed their time that they served in the city of Shawano, and maybe after five years they’ll come in and bid again.”
Marquardt said she was looking forward to the same level of service and operation from Running Inc.
Other Evaluation Committee members included City Clerk-Treasurer Karla Duchac, Public Works Director Eddie Sheppard, Joint City-County Transportation Committee member Frank Wozniak and Holly Konitzer from the county Social Services Department.
A separate agreement with the city requires Running Inc. to provide taxi service to the elderly and disabled and to accept tickets in lieu of cash payments equaling $3. Social Services will reimburse the cost to Running using resources from a state transportation assistance program for counties.