By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
After more than 20 years of contracting with Black & White Transportation for public transit, the City of Bowling Green will be hitching rides with a new provider in the new year.
The program connects passengers to places they want to go – grocery stores, medical appointments, hockey games or haircuts.
The new company will provide the same services at a much lower price, according to Matt Snow, community development administrator for the city. Annual savings of close to $100,000 are expected after the first year.
Four bids were submitted for the B.G. Transit program, with the city selecting the bid from Groome Transportation, from Richmond, Virginia. Groome already operates the Bowling Green State University shuttle buses that can be seen on campus and throughout the community.
The program will operate the same hours and will continue to use the same city-owned vehicles – six which are modified mini-vans, and one vehicle with a lift for larger wheelchairs.
Groome Transportation will take over the duties of dispatching, scheduling, plus meeting licensing and other requirements.
The bid from Groome for providing transit services in 2026 was approximately $87,000 less than the bid from the existing contractor of Black & White Transportation. More savings are expected in the future, since $13,680 was Groome’s bid for start-up costs.
So by 2027, the city will be paying $100,000 less than it currently pays for the same public transit services, Snow said.
Any changes that will occur with the program will be so slight that consumers aren’t likely to even notice there’s been a change, Snow added.
One change will be an online option for riders to schedule their trips.
“There should be improvements for scheduling rides,” though consumers will still be able to reserve rides over the phone, Snow said.
One of the primary concerns of frequent B.G. Transit customers was the fate of the 10 or so drivers who currently work for the service. Groome Transportation has plans to hire all the existing drivers who apply and are qualified.
“We think that’s pretty exciting they are going to bring on the drivers,” Snow said.
“I think it will be a good benefit to the city,” he said.
In 2022, the B.G. Transit system provided Bowling Green residents with more than 29,000 rides.
B.G. Transit isn’t a traditional taxi. It is a demand-response public transit system that operates more like a bus service with its routes determined by scheduled rides. The service will accommodate “last minute” reservations if possible. If, however, riders don’t schedule a trip at least one hour in advance, they will be able to ride on a space-available basis only.
The transit service is limited to within one mile outside the corporation limits of Bowling Green. All B.G. Transit vehicles are accessible to people with disabilities.
The service is an origin-to-destination service. Drivers may not enter any building while assisting passengers, but may assist in the loading or unloading of packages/items into the vehicle at the curb.
B.G. Transit services are funded in part by the City of Bowling Green, the Federal Transit Administration 5311 Program, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), and Community Development Block Grant dollars.
