Bloomington Transit’s board of directors voted Tuesday to replace the management company the agency has worked with for over 30 years.
The board voted 3-2 to negotiate a contract with transportation company Keolis and cease work with management firm RATP Dev. Replacing the firm will also end general manager John Connell’s term with the agency.
Transit Board Chair James McLary said he hopes the switch will help the agency with initiatives he believes have fallen short.
“Microtransit I think has lagged,” McLary said. “Marketing has lagged. And those are things that Keolis, which was the other company, looks strong in.”
The vote didn’t come without controversy. Transit board member Nancy Obermeyer voted against hiring the new firm. She said it’s unwise to switch general managers while in the middle of major projects like designing a new facility.
“When we're in the middle of massive changes, putting somebody new who's never been here before, I think, is problematic,” Obermeyer said.
Throughout the board meeting, board members repeated that the decision to switch management companies was not a referendum on the work of Connell.
Also discussed in Tuesday’s meeting was a rising budget for the construction of a new Bloomington Transit facility. Estimated costs on the project rose from $35 million to $55 million.
