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The Memphis Center for
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2/20/00, 4:52 pmc

Who is running MATAplus?

People with disabilities that cannot use the fixed route bus have public transportation service through MATAplus, an independent division of the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA). People with disabilities are accustomed to revolving leadership and changing job responsibilities in the MATAplus division; however, in the wake of a Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) investigation, it appears that no one is in charge.

Creating a MATAplus division allows MATA some advantages. MATA's proud maintenance record does not have to be soiled by MATAplus statistics. MATA can also negotiate a significantly lower pay rate for MATAplus operators. Although MATA bus drivers and MATAplus drivers have similar job requirements, a MATAplus operator makes significantly less than what a MATA operator makes.

This "on paper" division can be seen as a harmless way to manipulate the union and improve the public image of MATA. The phony division however, leaves citizens, operators and MATAplus riders asking: "Who is responsible?"

People with disabilities have asked for years that a rider of MATAplus be recruited for the MATA Board of Commissioners. Not only does MATA not include a MATAplus rider on the board, but also there is no MATA executive over the MATAplus "division."

http://www.matatransit.com/whoweare.htm

No one is responsible for MATAplus.

Lawson Albritton, who was originally hired in 1996 as the Director of MATAplus, was quickly promoted to the Director of Transportation. "MATAplus is not working," said Lawson Albritton in August of last year, "the supervision over there [MATAplus operations] has been little or none." Albritton claimed he was made the head of MATAplus in July of 1999, however, Since MATA has learned that the FTA was investigating MATAplus, Albritton has been insulated from responsibility with the title "Director of Marketing."

It is advantageous to the MATA administration that no one is responsible for the paratransit service. It is unfair to the drivers who deserve to have some executive management in their corner and to the riders who continue to demand some accountability. Most importantly, the citizens of Memphis deserve to have an executive accountable to how our tax money is spent.

MATA attempts to do the absolute minimum in development of MATAplus. Certain of their own failure, MATA works merely to defuse criticism of the paratransit service, and provides citizens with no director to either fail or turn MATAplus into a successful system.

Separate is not equal. To make the paratransit system into a service comparable to the fixed route MATA must:

1. Designate an executive who is responsible for the success and failure. A Director that has decision-making authority, an understanding of paratransit systems and has the trust of riders and operators.

2. End the phony "on paper" division that distorts the maintenance record, public perception and executive responsibility of MATA.

3. Appoint a MATAplus rider to the MATA Board of Commissioners.

Tim Wheat

The Memphis Center for Independent Living
1633 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6404 v/tty (901) 726-6521 fax
mcil@mcil.org 

MCIL is a United Way of the Mid-South member Agency

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