# Clark County, Ohio RidesPlus: The Single NET Ride Contract and How It Is Rebid

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/states/ohio/clark-county/ · Updated 2026-10-02

RidesPlus is the van ride program Clark County Job and Family Services buys from one contracted company for Medicaid members and other low-income residents, 5 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Saturday. TAC Industries holds it through December 31, 2026. Bids for 2027 and 2028 closed September 17, 2026, offering $1.08 million a year for about 20,000 trips, with a pick planned for October 14, 2026.

- Clark County puts all RidesPlus van rides under one contract with one company, rebid every two years.
- The county has offered $1.08 million a year since 2020 while the trips it asks for fell from about 35,000 to about 20,000.
- TAC Industries has held RidesPlus since January 2023, after Travel Specialties, and its contract ends December 31, 2026.
- Vans bought with contract money belong to the county, and the operator must keep a facility in Clark County.
- The next bid, if the county keeps its pattern, comes out in August 2028 for 2029 and 2030.

## Clark County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Who arranges rides | Clark County DJFS approves riders. One contracted company schedules, dispatches, and drives every RidesPlus trip. |
| Current operator | TAC Industries, Inc. (The Abilities Connection), Springfield, $2,272,398 for January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026 after one amendment |
| Next contract | RFP 27-SFY-01, one award for January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028. Proposals closed September 17, 2026. |
| Money offered | $1.08 million a year, the same figure in every RidesPlus RFP since November 2020 |
| Trips asked for | About 20,000 a year in the 2026 RFP, down from about 35,000 in the 2020 RFP |
| Trips in 2025 | 15,833 trips for 2,525 riders, about 53 a day, averaging 8.68 miles |
| Service hours | 5 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Saturday, with Sunday dialysis trips around some holidays |
| Rider notice | Five business days, through the DJFS Transportation Program at 937-327-1710 |
| Award timeline | Letter of intent planned for October 14, 2026, contract to the commissioners November 18, 2026 |
| Vehicles | No more than three years old when the contract starts, with at least one ADA lift van |

## Who arranges rides here

- [Clark County DJFS Transportation Program](https://www.clarkcountyohiodjfs.gov/187/Transportation): Approves riders for RidesPlus van rides, fuel help, and transit fare help. (937) 327-1710
- [Clark County DJFS Contract Development](https://www.clarkcountyohiodjfs.gov/Bids.aspx): Writes the RidesPlus request for proposals and takes bid questions by email. (937) 327-1700
- [Board of Clark County Commissioners](https://www.clarkcountyohio.gov/AgendaCenter): Approves the RidesPlus contract and each amendment in its public minutes. (937) 521-2005

Clark County, home to Springfield, buys its county van rides through one contract it calls RidesPlus. The Clark County Department of Job and Family Services (CCDJFS) writes the request for proposals every two years, one company wins the whole program, and the Board of Clark County Commissioners signs and amends the contract in its public minutes. For a ride company, that means one bid every two years decides who carries all of it.

## How RidesPlus works for riders

Ohio Medicaid pays each county job and family services office to arrange the rides no health plan has to give, under rule 5160-15-10, and each county chooses how to buy them. The [Ohio guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/ohio/) covers the health plans and their brokers, and [county NET contracts in Ohio](https://nemtguide.com/guides/ohio-county-net-contracts/) compares how other counties buy rides.

The CCDJFS Transportation Program offers three kinds of help: fuel reimbursement, public transit fare reimbursement, and RidesPlus van rides. Each needs five business days' notice, and the program's line is 937-327-1710. Medical rides are only for people with active Medicaid going to a Medicaid-covered service. Work rides follow income guidelines and may carry a fee.

Once CCDJFS approves a rider, the operator gives them a personal PIN, and the rider books each trip by calling the RidesPlus scheduler. The 2026 request for proposals spells out how RidesPlus runs:

- **Hours.** 5 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Saturday, except federal holidays. When a holiday falls on a Monday, dialysis patients get Sunday service, and Sunday dialysis trips can stand in for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day when needed.
- **Booking.** New riders must be in the operator's system within one business day of the referral, and the operator may ask for no more than three days' notice for a trip inside the county.
- **Long trips.** Out-of-county trips need CCDJFS approval case by case. Health plan members with a medical trip of 30 miles or more one way go back to their plan, while riders without a plan get help at any distance.
- **Who rides.** About 75% of riders go to medical appointments, some to [dialysis](https://nemtguide.com/guides/dialysis-transportation/) three times a week, 4% go to work, and 21% go to child care or other programs.

The request explains why the county pays for its own van service: public transit does not reach every part of the county or run around the clock, and the county has no reliable taxi service.

## Who has held the RidesPlus contract

Travel Specialties of Springfield ran RidesPlus before 2023. The county's 2011 NET plan already named it as the operator, with 15 vans and one wheelchair van, and on December 28, 2022, the commissioners approved paying its November 28, 2022 RidesPlus invoice, which had run past the purchase order.

On November 23, 2022, the commissioners approved a contract with TAC, The Abilities Connection, of 2160 Old Selma Road, Springfield, for $2,159,803 from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024 (Resolution 2022-0874). By its fifth amendment, on December 27, 2024 (Resolution 2024-1001), it had grown to $2,268,084.27, and the county administrator said she believed the increase reflected a greater need for rides. On December 18, 2024, the board awarded TAC Industries, Inc. the next contract, $2,225,398 for January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026 (Resolution 2024-0967). On December 30, 2025, its first amendment added $47,000, for $2,272,398 (Resolution 2025-0955).

The vans stay with the county, not the operator. On February 22, 2023, the board took title to twelve Dodge Grand Caravans, model years 2015 to 2019, that Travel Specialties had bought with federal funds for RidesPlus, and offered them to the new operator (Resolution 2023-0121). On February 12, 2025, four of those vans came back from TAC to the county for CCDJFS use (Resolution 2025-0107). The 2026 bidders' conference repeated the rule behind both votes: vehicles bought with contract money remain the county's property, and the 2024 answers advised leasing unless you buy vans with your own money. See [leasing or buying NEMT vehicles](https://nemtguide.com/guides/lease-or-buy-nemt-vehicles/) before you price a fleet.

## How RidesPlus trip counts have fallen

Every RidesPlus request since November 2020 has offered the same $1.08 million a year, while the trips it asks the operator to carry have fallen by more than a third. Each request also reports a recent full year of trips:

| Request (released) | Contract years | Trips asked for | Trips reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21-SFY-04 (Nov. 2020) | 2021 to 2022 | About 35,000 | 34,149 in 2019 |
| 23-SFY-03 (Aug. 2022) | 2023 to 2024 | About 25,000 | 17,041 in 2021 |
| 25-SFY-01 (Aug. 2024) | 2025 to 2026 | About 25,000 | 21,350 in 2023 |
| 27-SFY-01 (Aug. 2026) | 2027 to 2028 | About 20,000 | 15,833 in 2025 |

The riders changed too. The 2020 and 2022 requests also served Veterans Services customers, and the 2024 and 2026 requests do not list them. Trips got longer: the average ran 6.63 miles in 2021, 7.18 in 2023, and 8.68 in 2025, when 2,525 riders took about 53 trips a day and the operator drove 56,601 out-of-county miles. In its 2026 answers, the county named two Medicaid changes that could lower demand: the 30-mile referral back to health plans, and a new work requirement for some members that could shrink enrollment.

The contract pays a monthly base rate on top of its trip and mile rates, so part of the money pays for being ready to drive. TAC's current contract, $2,272,398 after its first amendment, averages about $1.14 million a year. At the 2025 volume of 15,833 trips, that is roughly $72 a trip if the county spent all of it. Test that against your own costs with the [cost per trip guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-cost-per-trip/).

## What the 2027 to 2028 RidesPlus bid asks for

RFP 27-SFY-01 seeks one operator who runs the whole program:

- **A local base.** A physical facility in Clark County, the means to take referrals by email, phone, and fax, and someone answering email referrals from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.
- **A dedicated fleet.** Enough primary and backup vehicles to meet demand, vehicles no more than three years old when the contract starts, at least one ADA lift van, the ability to carry wheelchairs, scooters, bariatric wheelchairs, and oxygen, and car seats with drivers trained to install them.
- **Service standards.** Callers wait no more than five minutes, pickups come no more than 15 minutes early, drivers wait at least five minutes, return rides arrive within an hour of the call, and at least 90% of riders reach their destination before the appointment.
- **Checked staff.** BCII background checks on every worker who serves clients, a certified BMV driving record for every driver, a drug-free workplace, and the state rules in 173-39-02.18, 5160-15-14, and 5160-1-17.8.
- **Insurance.** From the bidders' conference: $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate general liability, a $2,000,000 umbrella, $1,000,000 auto liability, workers' compensation, abuse and molestation coverage when the contract covers children, and the commissioners as additional insured. Compare these limits with the [NEMT insurance requirements guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-insurance-requirements/).
- **Proof you can carry it.** Financial statements audited or compiled by a CPA, three reference letters for similar work (CCDJFS cannot be one), and no exclusion on the Auditor of State and SAM.gov sites.
- **Pay terms.** A monthly base rate, a rate per in-county trip, a rate per mile out of county, and an hourly rate for Sundays and holidays, with administrative costs capped at 15% and invoices due within 30 days of each month.

In the 2024 bid, the county answered that subcontracting is not permitted under the contract, so RidesPlus has no smaller piece to bid.

## When RidesPlus is bid again

The 2026 request ran on this schedule: released August 17, bidders' conference August 26, questions closed September 9, answers posted September 11, and proposals due at 10:00 a.m. on September 17, 2026. CCDJFS planned to issue its letter of intent on October 14 and send the contract to the commissioners on November 18, for service starting January 1, 2027. A protest of the award is due by 9:00 a.m. on the seventh calendar day after the letter. If the county keeps the pattern of its 2022, 2024, and 2026 requests, the next one comes in August 2028 for 2029 and 2030.

To be ready:

1. **Sign up for bid alerts.** The CCDJFS bids page sends a text or email when a new bid is posted.
2. **Read the last contract.** The request itself says copies of past proposals, score sheets, and contracts are public records you can request from CCDJFS.
3. **Set up locally.** Line up a Clark County facility and a fleet that will be no more than three years old on the next contract's start date.
4. **Get your paperwork early.** Ask for CPA-prepared financial statements and three reference letters for similar work well before the next release.
5. **Go to the bidders' conference.** Attendance is optional, but questions asked there go into the official answers.
6. **Stay quiet during the bid.** From release to award, the request bars talking about the bid with county staff outside the bidders' conference and the written questions, and breaking that rule disqualifies the proposal.

For other public contracts, see [government NEMT contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/government-nemt-contracts/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Who runs RidesPlus in Clark County, Ohio?

TAC Industries, Inc., known as The Abilities Connection, at 2160 Old Selma Road in Springfield, under a contract for January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026 that was raised to $2,272,398 in December 2025. The county took proposals for the January 2027 to December 2028 contract until September 17, 2026, and planned to issue its letter of intent on October 14, 2026.

### How do riders get RidesPlus rides?

Riders apply through the Clark County DJFS Transportation Program at 937-327-1710 with five business days' notice. Medical rides are for people with active Medicaid going to a Medicaid-covered service. Once approved, the rider gets a personal PIN and books each trip by calling the RidesPlus scheduler. For a trip inside the county, the operator may ask for no more than three days' notice.

### How much does the RidesPlus contract pay?

The 2026 request offers $1.08 million a year for 2027 and 2028. TAC Industries' current contract started at $2,225,398 for 2025 and 2026 and was raised to $2,272,398 on December 30, 2025. Its 2023 to 2024 contract grew from $2,159,803 to $2,268,084.27 by its fifth amendment. The operator is paid a monthly base rate, a rate per in-county trip, a rate per mile out of county, and an hourly rate for Sundays and holidays.

### Can a small company subcontract RidesPlus trips?

Not as of the 2024 bid, when the county answered that only one provider is awarded and that subcontracting is not permitted under the contract. The 2026 request again seeks one award. A small company's way in is to bid the whole contract itself, with its own vans, staff, scheduling, and Clark County facility.

### Does RidesPlus take Medicaid members out of Clark County?

Sometimes. DJFS can approve out-of-county trips case by case, and the operator drove 56,601 out-of-county miles in 2025. Medicaid health plan members with a medical trip of 30 miles or more one way are sent back to their plan for that ride.

### When will Clark County bid RidesPlus again?

The 2027 to 2028 contract is set to end by December 31, 2028. The county released its last three RidesPlus requests in August 2022, August 2024, and August 2026, each due in September, so expect the next one around August 2028. Sign up for bid alerts on the DJFS Contracts and RFPs page.

## Official resources

- [Clark County DJFS: Current and closed bids, with bid alert sign-up](https://www.clarkcountyohiodjfs.gov/Bids.aspx)
- [Clark County DJFS: RFP 27-SFY-01, the full RidesPlus request for proposals](https://www.clarkcountyohiodjfs.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1702)
- [Clark County DJFS: RFP 27-SFY-01 questions and answers, with trips by ZIP code](https://www.clarkcountyohiodjfs.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1709)
- [Board of Clark County Commissioners: Agendas and minutes](https://www.clarkcountyohio.gov/AgendaCenter)