NO BUSMAN'S HOLIDAY : MIDWEST FIRM AWARDED LOCAL TRANSIT CONTRACT.Byline: Sherry sherry [from Jérez], naturally dry fortified wine, pale amber to brown in tint. The term sherry originally referred to wines made from grapes grown in the region of Jérez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain; today it may refer to any of the Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer A Chicago-based transportation company has been awarded a $29 million five-year contract to operate Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Transit but riders will see little change, city officials promised Wednesday. ATC/Vancom Inc. is slated to start operating the city's buses and Dial-A-Ride service Aug. 5, replacing Orange County-based Ryder/ATE which has provided city transportation since 1991. ``We're excited to have ATC ATC Air Traffic Control ATC Average Total Cost ATC Certified Athletic Trainer ATC At the Center (Hartford, Maine retreat center) ATC Applied Technology Council ATC All Things Considered on aboard and we're looking forward to a very smooth transition process,'' said city spokesman Kevin Tonoian. The city is required to seek competitive bids every five years under federal guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. . The change comes as Ryder faced grueling gru·el·ing also gru·el·ling adj. Physically or mentally demanding to the point of exhaustion: a grueling campaign. gru labor negotiations with drivers, who had threatened earlier this month to strike. The city's move had nothing to do with the negotiations nor with earlier complaints from riders about the door-to-door Dial-A-Ride, Tonoian said. A six-member city panel chose ATC from four transit companies. The company's 61-year history and incentive-based management style earned it points with the panel. ``Their basic management philosophy is very similar in nature to the city's,'' Tonoian said. ``They empower empower verb To encourage or provide a person with the means or information to become involved in solving his/her own problems their employees to make decisions on a day-to-day basis.'' Beyond a change of uniforms, ATC officials said they don't plan to alter transit service. During the next fiscal year, which starts July 1, it will operate city buses and Dial-A-Ride, which serves the elderly and disabled. ``We'll try to make the transition as seamless as possible,'' said Jim Wagner, ATC vice president and western regional manager. Starting in June, ATC will bring in a five-member management team and will invite existing transit employees to re-apply for their jobs. In past experiences, Wagner said nearly 90 percent of existing employees choose to continue working for ATC. ATC operates international transit services from California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). to Massachusetts Massachusetts (măsəch  `sĭts), most populous of the New England states of the NE United States. and in the Netherlands. This year, it also is training bus
drivers to carry spectators and athletes participating in the Olympics.
CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--color) Manuel Ballestero, with Ryder/ATE, awa its passengers at the Metrolink station in Canyon Country on Wednesday afternoon. (2--color) Ryder/ATE's Oscar Franco checks his mirror before driving off. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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