Puerto Rico seeks private partner to operate ferry services

Vieques ferry

FEBRUARY 25, 2016 — Puerto Rico is looking for a private sector partner to operate the ferry services provided by Maritime Transportation Authority for Puerto Rico and the Municipal Islands (MTA) and the Puerto Rico Integrated Transit Authority (PRITA) along with the maintenance base located in Isla Grande, San Juan.

The services are the Metro Service provided within the San Juan Bay and the Island Service to the islands of Vieques and Culebra.

The Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority is to soon issue a Request for Qualifications and Proposals (RFQP) in relation to the plan. Project goals are to:

• improve the quality of customer service;
• increase ridership
• identify and introduce efficiencies by leveraging the private sector’s ferry operations expertise; and
• increase revenues through improved ancillary services (i.e. food and beverages), not related to ticket fares, in order to reduce net public subsidies

Under a medium term (five to ten year) Operation and Maintenance Contract, it is anticipated that risks related to the operation and maintenance of the ferry service will be transferred to an operator, with compensation to the operator sourced from existing public appropriations, applicable federal funding and project revenues.