City Council extends Beeline bus contract

CITY HALL — The Glendale City Council unanimously approved a 15-month contract extension with the operators of the Beeline Bus service on Tuesday , but not without discussion from residents over the service’s maintenance record.

MV Transportation, which has operated Glendale’s Beeline Bus service for the last five years, will continue running the city’s buses until June 2008 for a cost of just under $11 million. That is slightly higher than in previous years due to an increase in employee labor rates, rising fuel prices and costs of complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Richard Espiritu, a frequent council speaker who said he has studied issues relating to MV, said he saw some flaws in the operation of the Beeline.

Breakdowns reported within the bus system need to be addressed, he said.

“If they’re doing proper maintenance, why in the world are these buses breaking down at this rate?” he said.

Espiritu also questioned why the city hadn’t made handicap accessibility improvements sooner.

“Why, all of a sudden, is the city of Glendale concerned with ADA regulations?” he asked. “They had five years to start correcting this problem.”

In 2005, city mechanics’ inspections revealed several violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act on a number of Glendale Beeline buses, including leaking wheelchair lifts and broken grab rails, according to city reports.

The contract discussed on Tuesday should have been extended for a shorter amount of time, Espiritu said.

“They should extend this for a period of six months and start looking for a new contractor to provide the services,” he said.

Council critic Barry Allen also addressed the issue, expressing some of the same concerns raised by Espiritu.

“If you’re having all these breakdowns, if you’re having ADA-compliance issues, maybe it’s time to put [the Beeline] out to bid,” he told the council. “Let’s bring in another contractor or several other contractors. Let’s put out a proposal and not make this a 15-month deal.”

Representatives from MV Transportation could not be reached for comment.

“I’m not particularly enamored with this company either,” Councilman Frank Quintero said. “I’m not exactly sure there are any operators out in the world that are going to be any better, and, actually, the one prior to this company, I think, was a lot worse. So we’ve moved up.”

Public Works Director Steve Zurn said that though the Beeline buses are an old fleet, the city has created a thorough inspection program with both city and outside firms that has increased their efficiency.

“All of those things have had our fleet running much, much better,” he said.

Glendale resident Nancy Kent said the Beeline has provided good service.

“This year I have started to use the Beeline,” she said. “I’m very impressed that it runs on schedule and the drivers are courteous, helpful and good drivers.”

The council also discussed a proposed fueling station to be built in the city that could have positive impacts on the bus system, as buses are presently fueled in Burbank.

“For now, we’ve been forced to travel to Burbank, which is pretty inefficient,” Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian said. “We’re hoping with this facility, we’ll be able to combine a maintenance garage with a fueling location.”

Some of the money for the project could come from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, he said.

As for extending the contract, Najarian was comfortable with it, but said it was always good to keep an open mind.

The contract will be up for renewal in 2008.

“We’ve heard good things about MV, but you always need to get out there and make sure their prices are competitive with the rest of the market,” Najarian said.