We were nothing short of ecstatic to work with the National Park Service and to provide superlative transportation for the 3 million visitors that come to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park each year. The park is one of the most beautiful and notable sites within the national park system. Its rich history, during and after the Civil War, along with recreational opportunities that include fishing, white water rafting, and hiking make it an ideal place to visit.. It’s always a privilege to serve an institution that has historically and tirelessly supported the African- American community and has been an exemplar for diversity, equity, and inclusion for those pursuing higher education.
Joseph Jacovino
Managing Partner Charter Linkz
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (HAFE), located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers in and around the historic town of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It is one of 425 national park sites in the United States. The park, established in 1963, is run by the National Park Service under the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Harpers Ferry has been described as an oasis for visitors and historians because of its well protected culture, African-American heritage, and multi- layered history on several fronts. Harpers Ferry witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable manufacturing, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, and the education of formerly enslaved people in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States.
HAFE consists of almost 4,000 acres with the Appalachian Trail passing right through it. The park is serviced by the HAFE visitor transportation system that has been in operation since 1990. The visitor transportation system consists of 12 ADA-compliant shuttles. These shuttles provide transportation for over 3 million visitors annually along two different routes between the park and the historic town of Harpers Ferry. The shuttles operate 365 days per year during park hours.
In July 2020, HAFE issued a request for proposal (RFP) seeking a new partner to manage the HAFE visitor transportation system. The partner would be fully responsible for managing the operations of both routes and the maintenance/repair of all HAFE vehicles and equipment. The initial contract would commence in November 2020 and continue for a year.
Charter Linkz, a national ground transportation and logistics company, headquartered in New York, submitted a competitive response to HAFE’s RFP and Performance Work Statement. The contract was ultimately awarded to Charter Linkz which for decades has been providing safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation services for municipal and federal government agencies as well as private industry.
Upon being awarded the transportation management contract, Joseph Jacovino, President and Managing Partner at Charter Linkz, said “We were nothing short of ecstatic to work with the National Park Service and to provide superlative transportation for the 3 million visitors that come to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park each year. The park is one of the most beautiful and notable sites within the national park system. Its rich history, during and after the Civil War, along with recreational opportunities that include fishing, white water rafting, and hiking make it an ideal place to visit.”
Charter Linkz immediately went into action and successfully took ownership of all the following at the HAFE visitor transportation service:
Hired/managed appropriately licensed drivers to provide round-trip shuttle services on two different routes, including going between the park and the historic town of Harpers Ferry.Utilized all prerecorded messages on the buses at the correct locations to inform visitors of places with historical significance along the routes.Adhered to all rules, regulations, and procedures regarding the use of the National Park Service video monitoring system.Prepared and submitted one-week driver work schedules five days prior to the first day of the work week.Hired/managed a bus mechanic responsible for fueling buses in accordance with environmental regulations as well as providing daily maintenance, routine services based on factory-established mileage, and making all necessary repairs by submitting work order tickets.Ensured on a daily basis that all shuttles and buses have clean interiors for park visitors while following current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state, local, and National Park Service guidelines for disinfecting.Provided all exterior cleaning for shuttles/buses at a minimum of once a week.Maintained daily inspection logs and up-to-date records of all routine and emergency maintenance repair work for each bus/shuttle.Tracked and delivered all time cards/attendance for employees including the filing of daily shuttle time sheet logs.Established and maintained a complete quality control plan to ensure successful service performance.
Charter Linkz is a national bus charter rental company based out of New York/New Jersey. We have been providing premier ground transportation services for decades (and counting) and pride ourselves in being able to make traveling and event-planning easy for our customers that include corporations, non-profits, schools, and government agencies (federal, state, and local). Charter Linkz is also a registered government provider for disaster recovery and emergency services transportation. We work with FEMA and the federal government to bring first responders directly to the source.
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