I-Drive leaders to hire transportation consultant
International Drive leaders will pay a consultant to evaluate transportation options and needs for Orange County’s tourism corridor.
The International Drive Business Improvement District operates the I-Ride trolley system, a fleet of trolleys that make stops along 15 miles of I-Drive. Luann Brooks, executive director of the improvement district, said $75,000 has been budgeted to hire a consultant who will determine what system is best for the district.
“It may not be trolley; we don’t know what it’s going to be,” said Brooks. Battery-operated and hybrid-type vehicles have been part of the variety of vehicles considered for use in the district.
The consultant will specifically evaluate transportation needs for I-Drive for the next one to three years, three to five years and five to 10 years.
“We all know that transit and transportation is key to International Drive and its future,” Brooks said during Wednesday’s meeting. “We really need to have a transportation professional come in and take over from what we’ve done today.”
She did not know how much time the consultant would be given to complete the job, which entails organizing best practice research the district has already done and comparing I-Drive’s current system to others around the country.
In the meantime, the governing board unanimously approved Wednesday an extension to Mears’ contract for operating the trolleys. The contract was set to expire Nov. 7, 2017, but was extended to Nov. 7, 2019.
District leaders expect the request for proposals (RFP) document to be completed next year and an RFP for the new transit service to be awarded by the end of the year. In 2018 and 2019 the selected operator, which might not be Mears, and the manufacturer would build and deliver the new transit equipment.
The new service is expected to start on the last day of Mears’ extended contract.
Brooks said the organization, with a governing board that includes Orange County Commissioners Samuel Ing and Victoria Siplin and Mayor Teresa Jacobs, will put together an RFP to find the consultant.
That document will require approval from Orlando and Orange County leaders. The request should be issued in January, she said. The RFP will be open between 30 and 45 days, allowing time for consultants to apply for the job.