RFP #26-04 ? Designing for Transit Guideline and ADA Analysis

Location:	California
Posted:	Dec 19, 2025
Due:	Jan 30, 2026
Agency:	Monterey-Salinas Transit
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	B - Special Studies and Analyses - Not R&D
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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Request for Proposals

#26-04

MST Designing for Transit Guidelines and

ADA Analysis Project

For The

Monterey-Salinas Transit District

RFP #26-04 SCHEDULE

Issue Date:

Friday, December 19, 2025

Question Submission Deadline:

Friday, January 9, 2026 by 12:00 PM

Deadline to Submit Proposals:

Friday, January 30, 2026 by 2:00 PM

Interviews:

Week of February 16, 2026

Monterey-Salinas Transit

19 Upper Ragsdale Drive, Suite 200

Monterey, CA 93940

Request for Proposals For

MST Designing for Transit Guidelines and

ADA Analysis Project

for the

Monterey-Salinas Transit District

Bus stops are a critical part of every transit rider’s experience. The Designing for Transit

Guidelines and ADA Analysis Project would help to outline a path to make transportation safe,

accessible, and equitable for all modes and abilities throughout Monterey County.

Monterey-Salinas Transit District (MST) is the primary public transit provider in Monterey

County. The agency operates 37 routes, serving the County’s estimated 437,325 residents. It

operates through two major transit hubs in Monterey and Salinas, as well as secondary hubs in

Marina and Sand City. Additionally, MST provides connections to the City of Paso Robles in

San Luis Obispo County, the City of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County, and the City of Gilroy in

Santa Clara County. MST’s most frequent transit bus service is focused around the denser, more

urban areas of Salinas and Monterey. Limited service extends to rural communities in southern

Monterey County.

Designing for Transit is a guide for developers, planners, city or public agency staff, and transit

agency staff to meet complete street objectives while providing the best possible experience for

bus riders, bus drivers, and others around bus stops and along bus routes. The most recent edition

is from 2020, and it has become outdated as new state laws take effect.

Designing for Transit provides a high-level overview of bus stop planning and design

considerations, as well as integrating transit service on streets. The guide addresses bus stops,

where and how bus stops interact with the street network to inform placement at an intersection,

minimum street dimensions for accommodating buses and providing other transit-supportive or

priority treatments along roadways, and access between bus stops and the places people want to

go.

Well-designed and thoughtfully located bus stops are a key component of high-quality

transportation systems. By updating the Designing for Transit guide, MST can collectively

improve the quality, efficiency, customer experience, and safety of our transit system.

The primary project stakeholders will be Monterey-Salinas Transit District and Caltrans.

AMBAG supports this project and is available to assist and provide input when needed. The

Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) maintains a Technical Advisory

Committee (TAC) comprised of public works staff from across Monterey County. The TAC will

provide invaluable technical expertise throughout the project. MST will be hiring a Consultant to

complete the scope of work listed below. Due to the interconnectedness of this project, TAMC,

AMBAG, Monterey County, and the 12 jurisdictions MST serves will also be involved.

The overall project objectives are to 1) update the Designing for Transit guide and 2) perform a

thorough ADA analysis of all active stops within the MST service area.

The consultant selected will enter into a contract with MST effective upon contract

execution and receipt of a Notice to Proceed, and shall remain in effect through the

completion of all deliverables described in the Scope of Services.

Proposals must be received by MST NO LATER THAN 2:00 PM, Pacific Time on

Friday, January 30, 2026. Any submissions received past this deadline will be

considered non-responsive and will not be accepted. Proposals must be submitted

through Monterey-Salinas Transit’s Bonfire eProcurement portal. If you are not already

registered, please do so at www.mst.org/procurement and select “Become a Vendor.”

If you have any questions regarding this solicitation, please submit them via MST’s Bonfire Portal

no later than 12:00 PM on Friday, January 9, 2026. An addendum to this RFP will be issued

answering any questions received by the deadline.

If you have any questions related to the procurement process, please contact:

Monterey-Salinas Transit

19 Upper Ragsdale Drive, Suite 200

Monterey, CA 93940

Attention:

Phone:

Email:

Steven Bruno

Purchasing Agent

831-264-5884

sbruno@mst.org

History and Overview of MST

The Monterey-Salinas Transit District (MST) was created by state law AB644 and

formed on July 1, 2010. The District succeeds the Monterey-Salinas Transit Joint Powers

Agency formed in 1981 when the City of Salinas joined the Monterey Peninsula Transit

Joint Powers Agency which was formed in 1972.

Current members of the district are the Cities of Carmel, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzales,

Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, Sand City, Seaside,

Soledad, and the County of Monterey. A board of directors with a representative from

each member jurisdiction governs the agency and appoints the general manager.

MST serves a 159-square-mile area of Monterey County, Northern San Luis Obispo,

Southern Santa Cruz, and Southern Santa Clara Counties. MST’s 37 routes serve an

estimated 437,325 within ¾ mile of a bus stop in Monterey County.

For more information about MST, log onto http://www.mst.org/.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Task 1: Existing Conditions

The Consultant will review MST’s current Designing for Transit and will research and

summarize industry best practices for developing design guidelines and meeting ADA standards

at bus stops, as well as conducting peer agency reviews. The peer agency reviews will focus on

understanding processes and policies that have been most effective in maintaining and managing

stops and most efficient in completing stop improvements. The review of MST’s current

guidelines will ensure the updated guidelines are in alignment with existing policies and identify

any policy that may require refinement based on updates to bus stop design best practices. The

Consultant will also research and summarize all relevant transportation and land use documents

and policies affecting the study area, including a review of existing data collected for previous

planning efforts. This includes, but is not limited to, AMBAG’s Monterey Bay Moving Forward

2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, City of Monterey’s

ADA Transition Plan, MST’s Title VI Program Update, MST Transit-Oriented Development

(TOD) Planning Study, and ADA Standards for Transportation Facilities.

The ADA Analysis will evaluate all MST bus stops and be used to make recommendations for

future bus stop locations and improvements. A peer review will be conducted to understand how

other agencies have incorporated ADA requirements into their bus stops, including signage. The

Consultant will review ADA standards and analyze current bus stops within MST’s service area

to identify locations where bus stops are ADA compliant and where upgrades are needed. The

Consultant will also review transit operating schedules and data to compile performance

measures to be used for ADA analysis.

Task Deliverables

Summary of existing Designing for Transit guidelines and peer review

Summary of existing MST bust stop infrastructure

Summary of existing ADA standards

Task 2: Analysis

The Consultant will analyze agency specific information, including recent bus stop design,

current amenities, and current and near term fleet mix. As MST moves toward a zero emissions

fleet, new vehicles with different weights and dimensions will be added to the fleet. As ridership

continues to increase, additional vehicle types, such as double-decker buses may be added to

MST’s fleet and would also need to be analyzed. The updates should take into consideration the

surrounding environments to ensure that these guidelines address the specific nuances of

transportation. Characteristics such as ridership and frequency of service, roadway classification,

and presence of a bicycle lane could be used to help determine the best bus stop classification.

Updated guidelines will maintain a balance between allowing for flexibility and providing clear

guidance to agency staff and local jurisdictions. The Consultant will work closely with MST

staff to ensure that the final guidelines provide clear guidance on appropriate designs and

amenities at various bus stops.

To best incorporate ADA standards into all aspects of the bus stop, the consultant will review

and analyze best practices for bus stop flag design to produce a memorandum. This memo will

be used internally by MST staff to design and install future ADA-compliant bus stop flags

throughout MST’s service area

The Consultant will prepare an inventory of ADA compliance at all bus stops within MST’s

system. The inventory will include stops that are already ADA compliant and assess what

upgrades are necessary at non-compliant stops to bring them up to ADA standards. The

inventory will also include cost estimates for the necessary upgrades. A discussion of cost-

effective maintenance needed at these locations will include, but not be limited to: pavement

conditions, sidewalk and landing width, and boarding area slope. In addition to the inventory, the

Consultant will analyze data related to land use surrounding stops, equity, and current ridership

and service data to better identify and prioritize ADA improvements. This scope of work does

not include construction of stop improvements.

Task Deliverables

Summary of updated guidelines

ADA Bus Stop Signage Memorandum

Bus Stop Inventory

Task 3: Public Outreach

A number of outreach efforts would take place to ensure the public is involved in the planning

process. Public opinion would be solicited for information related to the preferences and

concerns about bus stop infrastructure and amenities, and existing first-last mile connections.

In person or online surveys would be conducted. These surveys would target both riders and non-

riders and would be available in other languages as appropriate to provide equitable access. The

survey will be shared through social media and community organizations. The survey would

seek information on what MST riders and non-riders are looking for in the waiting environment.

These surveys could help gain insights into how bus stop needs and preferences may differ by

community.

The Consultant would attend up to four (4) public community events such as TAMC’s Bike and

Pedestrian Committee and the MST Mobility Advisory Committee (MAC). MAC is comprised

of consumers and medical/social service agency personnel who have first hand experience using

MST’s service or assisting others to do so. MAC input would be considered during the analysis

portion of the project.

Task Deliverables

Meeting Summaries

Presentation Information

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

RFP #26-04 ? Designing for Transit Guideline and ADA Analysis

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