Carson City JAC receives the jack to keep service going

JAC, also known as the Jump Around Carson bus service, got the jack from Carson City’s Regional Transportation Commission Wednesday.

Jack, in this case a colloquialism for money, is what the commission voted without dissent to continue using to operate the bus service for another year via a contract extension with MV Transportation. The cost will be $701,802. MV Transportation has operated JAC for the city since 2010, and the original three-year pact allowed three annual extensions. This is the third, and the increased cost is 1.9 percent. The pact lasts until Sept. 30, 2016.

“MV has performed up to expectations,” Graham Dollarhide, city transit coordinator. replied to a commissioner’s question. He also indicated as the pact ends next year, it would be rebid and MV Transportation or some other operator might then be selected to get the jack for running the bus service.

The commission also voted to approve a contract with Ecolane USA, Inc., to provide transit service software and support software later this year to the JAC bus system through Dec. 17, 2017, for an aggregate amount of $82,666. After the meeting, Transportation Manager Patrick Pittenger and his staff said RouteMatch, the current software provider, cost about $300,000 over five years and so there would be a slight savings.

Pittenger told commissioners during the session there were various reasons for the change, including keeping pace with technological advances.

The commission decided to switch after hours service at Western Nevada College (WNC) from JAC buses to Capital Cab Co. at a not-to-exceed cost in transportation funds of $15,000. Those at WNC using the transit service from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday are going to pay a dollar for each cab ride, the same amount they have been paying for bus service, which supplements the subsidy.

The commission also decided to give one of two older buses replaced in the JAC fleet to the Carson City Boxing Club rather than Nye Communities Coalition. They were the two applicants for the surplus bus. Commissioners favored the local organization rather than the one outside the city. The other of two older buses replaced in the JAC fleet had gone to the Senior Center, staff reported.

In non-bus related action, commissioners approved $84,000 more for work on the East William Street Shared Use Path project already under way. Staff said construction costs had risen, most of the money would be federal funds, and just $4,000 in 5 percent match money could come from commission coffers.