Freeway Service Patrol Contracts

1.  APPROVE contracts with California Towing and Transport to provide services for the Freeway Service Patrol for fiscal years 2017-2021;
2. AUTHORIZE the Executive Director to execute the contracts and changes to the contracts if such changes do not increase the Agency’s net cost, subject to approval by Agency Counsel; and,
3. AUTHORIZE the use of $838,975 from State Freeway Service Patrol funding and Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways funding for the contracts.

The total budgeted cost of the new four year Freeway Service Patrol contract is $838,975, or $209,743 per year. Funding for this program comes from the California Department of Transportation, with a 25% local match from the Transportation Agency.  The local match will come from a $1 vehicle registration fee collected by the Department of Motor Vehicles for the call box - motorist aid program.

The Freeway Service Patrol is responsible for clearing the freeway of automobiles, motorcycles, small trucks (vehicles with a gross weight of 6,000 pounds or less) and small debris. The Freeway Service Patrol vehicle operators contracting with the Transportation Agency provide "quick fix" items to motorists, e.g., furnishing one gallon of gasoline, changing flat tires, providing a "jump" start, taping or repairing cooling system hoses, refilling radiators or similar minor repairs. They also provide towing needs for minor collisions.  If the disabled vehicle cannot be repaired in this manner, it is towed to a California Highway Patrol designated drop location.  In that case, the motorist can request the vehicle operator to contact the California Highway Patrol Communication center to call a rotational tow, specified tow or a friend/relative to assist them. The Freeway Service Patrol program is managed by a partnership of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, the California Department of Transportation, and the California Highway Patrol.

The Freeway Service Patrol operates on two road segments or beats: Highway 101 from Airport Boulevard to Highway 101/156 interchange (Beat 1) and State Route 1 between Carpenter Road and Reservation Road (Beat 2).  Freeway Service Patrol drivers patrol these two beats during times of peak traffic congestion from 7:00-9:00 a.m. and 3:00-7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. A modified Beat 1 operates from Highway 156 to the San Benito County Line on Sundays during the summer months to accommodate the increase in traffic due to tourists visiting the Monterey County area, while the regular Beat 2 operated on Saturdays during the summer months to accommodate increased tourist traffic.

The current service contract cycle will expire on June 30, 2017, ending a four-year contract period. The new contract cycle will be from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2021.

On January 26, 2017, the Board released a Request for Proposals for the new contract period. The Agency received two proposals, one from our current contractor, California Towing and Transport, and one from a USA Towing. The proposals were evaluated on several criteria, including: 1) cost per truck, 2) towing experience, 3) management ability, and 4) proposal quality. After an extensive evaluation process, including site visits and inspections, the evaluation committee, formed with members from the California Highway Patrol, Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission and the Transportation Agency, determined that the current contractor, California Towing and Transport, has the best ability to meet requirements set forth in the Scope of Work. The review panel unanimously recommends the company for both the Beat 1 and Beat 2 contracts.