How to write an employee shuttle RFP: the seven sections that separate a real partner from a cheap quote
An employee shuttle RFP is only as good as the questions inside it. Ask the wrong things and you end up comparing vendors on price alone, then fighting over invoices six months later when the service you thought you bought turns out to be something else. This guide gives HR and facilities managers the exact structure, the compliance checks, and the sample questions that separate a real transportation partner from a cheap quote.
By Glenn Orloff, Metropolitan Shuttle · September, 2026
If you’re evaluating providers informally rather than running a formal bid, start with how to choose an employee shuttle provider; this guide is for the procurement document itself. As an approved GSA contractor, Metropolitan Shuttle is acutely aware of RFP procedures and the need to adhere to them, having run shuttle operations for the US Coast Guard in Alameda, the Palo Alto VA Hospital, and many others for years on end.
Key takeaways
Cover Every RFP Requirement
A strong employee shuttle RFP covers seven areas: scope, fleet, service levels, pricing, insurance and compliance, technology, and account management. Skip any one and it could lead to problems later.
Verify USDOT Safety Records
Always request the carrier’s USDOT number and run it through the FMCSA Bus Safety Search. A company name alone tells you nothing about whether they can legally operate.
Confirm Insurance Coverage
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires $5 million in insurance for buses built to carry 16 or more passengers. Metropolitan Shuttle carries a $5 million umbrella on top of the $5 million held by our network operators.
Choose Proven Shuttle Providers
Invite three to five vendors, no more. Moving forward with a vendor with a proven track record like Metropolitan Shuttle will ensure success of your program. Our years-long shuttle programs in Alameda (4 years) and Palo Alto (6 years) speak for themselves.
What should an employee shuttle RFP include?
A complete employee shuttle RFP addresses seven structural areas, and each one exists to close a gap that would otherwise turn into a service failure or a billing fight. Corporate transportation guidance consistently points to these seven: scope of service, fleet requirements, service level agreements, pricing structure, insurance and compliance documentation, technology and reporting, and account management terms.
Think of the RFP as a contract you are drafting before you know who signs it. Every vague sentence you leave in becomes a place the vendor gets to decide what they meant, usually in their favor and against your budget. The point of the document is to remove those blank spaces before money changes hands.
If you are still deciding whether a shuttle program even fits your workforce, start with our employee shuttle services overview first, then come back here to build the RFP.
How do you write the scope of service section?
Define scope with four things: geographic coverage, the specific service types you need, honest volume estimates, and the top three business outcomes the program has to deliver. Vague scope language is the fastest route to scope creep, and scope creep is how a program that looked affordable in the RFP turns into an overblown budget.
Geographic coverage means naming the actual routes and stops, not “the metro area.” Volume means real numbers: how many riders per trip, how many trips per day, which days of the week, and the peak windows. If you have shift workers arriving at 6 a.m. and leaving at 2 p.m., say that, because a vendor who priced for a nine-to-five office is going to reprice once they see the real schedule.
The service type matters more than people expect. A fixed campus loop, a commuter run from a transit hub, and an overnight shift shuttle are three different operations. Be specific about which one you are buying. If your need is a campus loop, our guide to corporate campus shuttle programs breaks down what that looks like. For first-and-last-mile runs, see commuter shuttle services for businesses, and for odd-hour coverage, shift worker shuttle solutions.
What compliance and insurance documents should you require?
Require the carrier’s USDOT number, proof of operating authority, driver credentials, and insurance certificates. This is the section that protects your company from a lawsuit if something goes wrong.
Here is the non-negotiable list, drawn from FMCSA and DOT requirements:
- USDOT number, not just a company name. Run it through the FMCSA Bus Safety Search. You are looking for one of three safety ratings: Satisfactory means the carrier meets minimum standards, Conditional means deficiencies exist but the carrier is still authorized, and Unsatisfactory means they have failed to meet the minimum standards. A Conditional rating is not automatically disqualifying, but you should make the vendor explain it.
- Operating authority. For-hire bus companies must obtain authority from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to run interstate passenger transportation. No authority, no bid.
- Insurance. The FMCSA requires $5 million in coverage for any bus designed to carry 16 or more passengers. Ask for the certificate and confirm the limit yourself.
- Driver credentials. Drivers must hold a commercial driver’s license with a passenger endorsement, carry a medical certificate from a qualifying physical within the last two years, and be covered by a drug and alcohol testing program.
Some of the cheapest quotes might come from operators who skate right at the edge of these requirements, and you won’t know until you check the USDOT number. We built Metropolitan Shuttle as a transportation management company precisely so this vetting happens before a bus ever reaches your dock. We’re a GSA Schedule contract holder and have arranged group transportation since 2001, and we carry a $5 million umbrella on top of the $5 million our network operators already hold. That layered coverage is a real answer to the duty-of-care question your legal team is going to ask.
What service level agreements should you set?
Set an on-time performance target, a maximum allowable downtime, and clear reporting requirements, and define every term in numbers instead of adjectives. “Reliable service” is not an SLA. “97% of pickups within plus or minus 5 minutes of the scheduled time, measured monthly” is.
On-time performance is the metric that decides whether your employees trust the shuttle. Top-tier vendors run 97 to 99% on-time. Anything below 95% should be treated as a risk, and you should ask the vendor to explain how they’d get above it. The industry standard for “on time” is plus or minus 5 minutes from the scheduled pickup, so write that definition into the RFP rather than assuming everyone agrees on it.
Then require reporting. Ask for monthly ridership numbers, fuel or mileage data, and, if your company reports on sustainability, emissions or occupancy metrics. If a vendor can’t tell you how many people rode last Tuesday, they can’t help you right-size the program, and you might be paying for empty seats you never use.
How should you structure the pricing section?
Ask for pricing broken out by unit, not a single bundled number, so you can compare vendors line by line and predict what changes when your volume does. A lump-sum quote hides where the money goes and makes it impossible to negotiate.
One-off charter rates are the wrong reference for a recurring program, and the only place they belong in your evaluation is as the ceiling every bid should come in significantly under: charter pricing assumes significant vehicle idle time, the capacity-utilization problem the entire industry struggles with, and a contracted daily route eliminates that idle time, so the utilization value belongs in your price. Require vendors to quote a program day rate per vehicle, priced to your program, alongside overtime rules, minimums, fuel surcharges, and what a cancellation costs. A vendor who quotes a recurring program off the charter rate card is keeping the utilization value for himself. Then ask what happens to the price if your rider volume goes up 20% or a route gets added mid-contract. The answer to that question tells you whether you’re signing with a partner or a meter.
One more line to include: payment terms. Confirm the vendor accepts your method. We take credit cards, checks, and wires, and we turn around same-day estimates, which matters when your CFO wants a number before the budget meeting on Friday.
What sample questions should HR teams put in the RFP?
Use questions that force a specific answer, not a marketing paragraph. Below is a starter set organized by the seven RFP areas. Adapt the wording to your program, but keep the specificity.
| RFP area | Question to ask | What a strong answer looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Can you serve every route and stop listed in Appendix A at our stated volumes? | A yes with a route-by-route plan, not a general “we cover your region” |
| Fleet | What vehicle types will you assign, and what is the seating capacity of each? | Specific models and capacities matched to your peak rider counts |
| Compliance | What is your USDOT number and current FMCSA safety rating? | The number itself, plus a Satisfactory rating you can verify |
| Insurance | What are your liability limits and can you name us as an additional insured? | Limits at or above $5 million and a willingness to add your company |
| Service levels | What was your on-time performance over the last 12 months? | A documented 97 to 99%, with the measurement method stated |
| Pricing | What is your program day rate per vehicle, overtime rate, and cost per added route? | A clear breakdown priced to the program, not a single blended figure |
| Account management | Who is our single point of contact and how fast do you respond to a service issue? | A named person and a response-time commitment in hours |
How many vendors should you invite, and how long should the RFP run?
Source three to five qualified vendors and give the process about five to six weeks total. Fewer than three limits your competitive pricing leverage, and more than six creates evaluation fatigue where your team stops reading carefully and starts skimming.
On timing, allow two weeks for vendors to submit clarifying questions, then two to three weeks for them to write full responses. Rushing this compresses the exact window where a good vendor asks the smart questions that surface a gap in your own scope.
Build the evaluation team before the RFP goes out. Include procurement, finance, and an executive sponsor, and for a program with duty-of-care exposure, which any employee transportation program has, add HR and someone from risk or legal. The person who owns the budget and the person who owns employee safety should both have a vote before anyone signs.
When you’re ready to compare a vetted option against your other bids, get a quote from Metropolitan Shuttle or call 866-556-3545 for a same-day estimate.
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