Freeway Service Patrol Funding & Request for Proposal for Additional Beats

July 12, 2019

Last week, the Board of Directors approved the annual agreement between the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and SBCTA to continue the Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) program. Additionally, the Board approved the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the procurement of tow operator services for additional Beats.

FSP consists of a fleet of tow trucks that patrol selected San Bernardino County freeways during peak commuter periods to assist motorists with their disabled vehicles. The $1.5 million agreement between Caltrans and SBCTA for the operation and management of FSP services will be matched by the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) with an additional $371,042 for a contract total of $1.8 million.

The FSP program has seen an increase in demand for services since it began its operations in 2006. In order to address this need, SBCTA will procure two additional segments of highway, known as Beats. Beat 5, a contract that will expire in December, patrols State Route 60 from the LA County line at Reservoir Street to Milliken Avenue in Ontario. Beat 27 is a new segment that is being funded by Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) and will cover Interstate 15 at Sierra Avenue to Oak Hill Road along the Cajon Pass.

Over the years, the FSP program has demonstrated many benefits to the motoring public by reducing the amount of time a disabled vehicle is in an unsafe situation. Those benefits include reduced traffic congestion, decrease fuel consumption and vehicular emissions, as well as secondary incidents.

For more information about the Request for Proposal, please visit our contracting page website here.