MTM Offers Value To Newtown

To the Editor:

As a bidder for the pending transportation contract with the Newtown Board of Education, MTM Transportation, Inc, is seeking the support of the community it currently serves to encourage the Newtown Board of Education to award the contract to MTM as the low overall bidder at the upcoming meeting on April 21. For the past six years, MTM has exceeded all expectations and has developed a strong bond with the Newtown families that it serves. The quality of life offered in Newtown is one of the main reasons that families decide to settle and raise their families here. The owner-operator bus system and the services of MTM Transportation are unique to Newtown and contribute to this quality of life.

Many firms have bid for the Newtown transportation contract, but out of all the bidders, only MTM is both the lowest overall bidder and owned and operated by Newtown residents. This allows for a level of service, commitment, and value that cannot be matched by any competitor. More than 85 percent of MTM drivers and aides are Newtown residents, many of them parents with children in the Newtown School system themselves. Additionally, the principals of MTM, Michelle Voight, Thomas Adams, and Maria Adams, are Newtown residents and owner-operators of independent buses serving Newtown. Being owner-operators themselves, MTM’s management team understands both the owner-operator system and the ancillary student transportation needs that Newtown faces. MTM is poised in a unique position to serve these ancillary needs while remaining fully integrated with the owner-operator system.

MTM offers additional value to Newtown beyond the local ownership and workforce. All of MTM’s vehicles are and have been housed, taxed, and repaired at its Dusty Lane facility. MTM employs ASE-certified bus mechanics and has the physical plant, tools, and equipment necessary to keep all of its buses in operation to meet the town’s needs. During the past six years, MTM has never had a significant delay or failure to provide student transportation services, a fact it is extremely proud of.

In the bid package, Newtown reserved the right to accept or reject all or part of any single company’s bid. While MTM was the overall low bidder, some competitors bid slightly lower on some line items, but had a higher overall bid. Splitting the contract would only make the transportation system more cumbersome, and would undoubtedly lead to service continuity and quality issues. MTM urges the families that is services to support Newtown’s award of the transportation contract to the low overall bidder, and not cherry-pick individual services from different vendors. In awarding the contract to MTM, Newtown residents can look forward to the same level of service, commitment, and value that they have come to enjoy and expect. MTM Transportation looks forward to the support of the community on April 21 and serving the students and families of the Town of Newtown for many years to come.

Very truly yours,

Michelle Voight

Thomas M. Adams

Maria Adams

MTM Transportation, Inc

9 Dusty Lane, Newtown                                                   April 14, 2009