Paratransit service contracts for transportation service providers.

(1) For purposes of this section, the term “transportation service provider” means an organization or entity that contracts with a local government to provide paratransit service to persons with disabilities using a dedicated fleet of vehicles operated by its employees or directly contracted drivers who meet paratransit service standards. The term does not include a transportation network company as defined in s. 627.748(1).

(2) For contracts entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2024, a transportation service provider must agree to:

(a) Provide each driver of a motor vehicle used to provide paratransit service to persons with disabilities with access to third-party training materials which, at a minimum, meet requirements established by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities for training and professional development of staff providing direct services to clients of the agency.

(b) Establish reasonable time periods between a request for service and the arrival of the transportation service provider at the location specified in the request, taking into account the number of persons requesting paratransit service on the same date, the distance between locations, usual or expected traffic conditions during the provision of paratransit service, and any other factor deemed necessary by the provider or the local government. If a transportation service provider exhibits a pattern of late arrivals based on such established reasonable time periods, the contract must allow the local government to authorize another provider to provide such paratransit service, including the acceptance of any prepaid vouchers for future paratransit service.

(c) Provide for transparency regarding the quality of paratransit service provided by the transportation service provider, including, but not limited to, data relating to the timeliness of paratransit service provided and the handling of complaints.

(3) Contracts entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2024, with transportation service providers for the provision of paratransit service to persons with disabilities must be competitively procured pursuant to s. 287.057. The procurement must use competitive sealed bids, competitive sealed proposals, or competitive sealed replies. The contract may not be awarded using an exceptional purchase provision provided for in s. 287.057(3).