The Alternative Transportation Program has been operational for four years through a contract that began with G4S Secure Solutions in May of 2019. In October of 2021, G4S was purchased by Allied Universal Security (AUS) who continues to operate the program today. The initial contract period will end in September of 2024 and DBHDS will issue a new Request for Proposals as required by procurement regulations prior to the expiration of the current contract.

While the current service was designed to be a less restrictive alternative to a law enforcement transport and provide trauma informed and recovery-oriented support to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, it has not realized the initial target capacity to transport 50% of individuals under a Temporary Detention Order (TDO) statewide.

Since the beginning, the alternative transportation program has seen success in limited parts of the Commonwealth, has completed over 6,500 successful transports and traveled over 1.6 million miles. Utilization has been inconsistent across the Commonwealth and there has been an overall decline in the percentage of TDO transports since AUS acquired the contract in fiscal year 2022. The reasons for this decline are multifaceted including staff recruitment and retention challenges, increasing clinical acuity of individuals under a TDO making it unsafe for them to be transported without restraints and systemic challenges resulting in state facility bed shortages and waiting lists.