There's no lack of companies prepared to help the City of Sault Ste. Marie launch an innovative on-demand transit service.
By a 4 p.m. deadline Friday, nine firms had submitted expressions of interest in providing alternative technologies to augment Sault Transit's existing fixed bus routes.
City officials will now check qualifications of the applicants and prepare a list of vendors of record.
"These proponents will then be issued a request for proposals should the city elect to move forward with provision of a technological solution for on-demand transit services," said a city advertisement seeking qualified vendors.
As SooToday reported two months ago, City Council is interested in phone app-summoned, real-time ride-hailing for hard-to-service areas, especially on the city's periphery.
If councillors decide to further pursue the idea, it could be an important first step by Sault Transit away from big, half-empty diesel buses driving fixed routes through sparsely populated parts of the city.
The vendors-of-record list will be effective until Dec. 31, 2019.
After that date, the list will be reviewed.
City officials believe local paratransit service could also benefit from real-time ride-hailing capability.
Alternative transit models are expected to come before City Council next year.