MV Transportation: Access-A-Ride vendor dropped by MTA, sparking layoffs

Paratransit giant MV Transportation is shrinking its New York footprint as it winds down a $423 million contract with the state to operate Access-A-Ride services in the city.Texas-based MV Transportation is laying off 251 of its 300 workers at its Manhattan and Staten Island facilities early next year, according to plans filed with the Department of Labor.The layoffs, set to take effect Feb. 10, come as the company wraps up a five-year contract worth $423 million with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to operate Access-A-Ride services offered to travelers with disabilities. MV Transportation is one of the larger of the MTA's Access-A-Ride contractors, which includes agreements with Queens-based CareRide and New Rochelle-headquartered Premier Paratransit.MV Transportation has run paratransit services in the city for the MTA since 2001; it was not immediately clear why MTA officials let the deal expire rather than negotiate a renewal.MV Transportation did not return requests for comment.The company bills itself as the largest privately-owned passenger transport vendor in the U.S., with contracts for paratransit, student transportation and corporate shuttles in 30 states and a staff of about 20,000; the company earns roughly $1 billion in annual revenue, according to its website.Elsewhere in the city, MV Transportation ran student transport for the Department of Education, including a $9 million contract with the agency to shuttle kindergarten through 12th grade students to and from school, from 2011 to 2018, city records show. A mix of other transportation firms, including Queens-based Little Richie Bus Service and Bronx-headquartered Pioneer Transportation, currently operate the city's student bus routes.A MV Transportation job posting for New York drivers from earlier this year lists wages starting at the hourly rate of $23.50, with paid training and benefits.