SALISBURY — Rowan County is looking for a new operator for its bus and van system.

The county released a request for proposals July 11 that detailed requirements for interested contractors to operate the Rowan Area Transit System.

The contractor would be required to provide passenger assistance under provisions of a door-to-door service. Service modes would include subscription, demand response, fixed routes and deviated fixed routes, the request for proposals said.

There would be no change in routes, County Manager Aaron Church said. Church said the county also does not foresee any changes in staffing. The request for proposals is no different than putting out bids for a company to mow the grass, Church said.

Transportation is available one day a week for designated areas of the county. Rowan Transit System’s route schedule is West Rowan on Tuesday, North Rowan on Wednesday, South Rowan on Thursday and East Rowan on Friday.

The request says all submissions should describe in detail the contractor’s passenger accounting practice and that all respondents should address a quality assurance plan and detail how it would make services effective and cost-efficient.

Respondents were also asked to demonstrate the financial capacity to undertake the contract.

The current contractor for Rowan Area Transit System is MV Transportation, which is based in Salisbury.

In 2018, the system provided 93,000 trips, said Franklin Barnes, director of the Rowan Transit System.

“We have traveled 706,989 service miles since our last preventable incident,” Barnes said. “Our on-time performance for that time period countywide was 94.93 percent.”

According to Barnes, contractors will present their proposals before the Board of Commissioners on Sept. 3, and the public will be notified at a later date.

“We’re looking to provide an outstanding service to the citizens of Rowan County,” Barnes said. “Our goal while we are looking at (potential contractors) and evaluating them, is … being efficient and running on time. This county is unique. It has a lot of urban areas and rural areas. … Safety is hugely important to us.”

Among the things Barnes said the county is looking for is a contractor that would be safe and professional.

“We (also) want to minimize risk,” he said.