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8/19/99, 1:07 amcdt

MATA is unable to respond to the public

Compiled by Tim Wheat
Please feel free to add your own concerns.

Issue 1

MATA's response fails to take responsibility for the stranded rider. The 30 minute window is AFTER the scheduled pick-up time and is not an acceptable excuse. MATA executive staff clearly do not understand their own policy.

What MATA should do is to read the situation and understand what happened to the individual. MATA would benefit from considering the mistakes that may have been made by the paratransit system and the mistakes that could have been made by the rider.

The customer's pick-up time was changed by MATA without his or her knowledge. Can MATA change this time at a whim? Do the procedures at MATA include informing riders of scheduling changes? Is the policy to set and operate with a time unknown by the rider? If a rider cannot be informed of changes, do procedures remain the same?

Issue 2

MATA displays a crude and discriminatory attitude with this response. "MATA has been generous with not penalizing the citizen for no-shows," is the unsolicited opening remark. MATA has not been "generous," they have been administratively inept. For this MATA customers are not "thankful." MATA's own inability to institute and enforce a no-show policy is of no value to riders of the system and contributes to the customers concern that MATA will not be able to improve service with a no-show policy.

MATA's executive staff do not realize that the no-show policy is to improve service and not to punish and degrade the customers.

Next MATA voluntary offers that they have violated policy not to "strand" riders. Management appears proud that MATA cannot either provide customers with a consistent policy or customer service.

Violating policies is a poor management tool to improve customer relations. Obviously, a good manager will know and have authority to disregard regulations when necessary to accomplish the mission of MATA or to cultivate consumer relations. However, it is clear that many of the violations in policy are made because of MATA's history of deficient service. Likewise, the ridership of MATA does not "thank" the executive management for this loose and ad hoc attitude toward providing transportation.

Finally, the MATA response to Issue 2 attempts to shift the responsibility of the no-show policy on STAC. If MATA does not wish to implement a no-show policy, STAC does not have the authority to prevent them.

We suggest that MATA persuade STAC to administer the no-show policy, if STAC is to be responsible for MATA policy.

Issue 3

MATA fails to address how they plan to stop the intimidation of customers, everyone understands that it is not MATA's "intention." Furthermore, MATA needs to explain how an increasing budget will stop the discrimination and lack of respect to customers. It is critical that the executive management make clear to all citizens MATA's commitment to equality and dignity in transportation.

Issue 4

MATA asks for specific information of the rider, and fails to respond to what is known about the issue. The real question raised by page 10 line 22 through page 11 line 9, is why doesn't the Manager of Operations know the most basic details of paratransit?

Issue 5

The number of times a person rides has no impact on the number of certified riders. Again MATA executives do not understand the paratransit system. Why doesn't MATA provide accurate information and what is MATA planning to do to expand the certified ridership.

Issue 7

MATA would find it advantageous to clarify this response. "Drivers have been instructed that a no-show is five minutes after the scheduled pickup time."

What if the bus is 45 minutes late?

What if the bus is 15 minutes early?

MATA does not involve people with disabilities in an operator training on the no-show policy. Apparently the drivers are simply "instructed" on what is a no-show. The customer was actually concerned that the drivers would use the no-show policy to intimidate customers. Does MATA provide any assurances the drivers will not misuse the no-show policy?

Issue 8

Don't be mislead by MATA's ignorance. The third sentence of this response states that: "It is MATA's intent to abide by the rules of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)." The next out of place sentence mentions cancellations, not an ADA issue. Then MATA volunteers that late pick-ups "are due to [a] manpower shortage." There is no "manpower" exemption to the civil rights of the ADA. Furthermore, the ADA is federal law, not "rules."

"Manpower shortage" is mismanagement and poor administration. Citizens with disabilities should not put up with substandard transportation because MATA's executive staff is incompetent.

By this time you can clearly see that the MATA executives have no understanding of how to do their job. It is appalling that these misconceptions and bigoted attitudes still exist at MATA. Unfortunately, there is more.

Issue 9

The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act requires drivers to wear seat belts and to stop before crossing railroad tracks?

MATA cannot answer the question. MATA administration cannot do their job, why will a no-show policy be any different.

Issue 10

"MATA disciplines its employees." Of course earlier MATA admitted to violating their own policies. Who is disciplining the executive staff? Who is taking responsibility for the paratransit system?

Issue 11

MATA states that "attitude plays an important roll in both the drivers and the riders." MATA would like to dictate your attitude. Just what are MATA's criteria for rider attitudes? Are customers on the fixed-route also judged by their "attitudes."

Issue 12

Can MATA back up any of these statements?

1. Ridership has not decreased 75%.

The final ADA Paratransit Plan projects ridership to 4200. Will Hudson reported recently in the Commercial Appeal that ridership was 817. The "MATA Responses" states there are 1361. The drop in ridership therefore has been between 68% and 81%. MATA may have a new set of numbers tomorrow, but rather than asking why the management does not know how many people use the system, the question is why have three to four thousand people given-up on MATA?

2. Many of the former MATAplus riders are riding fixed-route buses.

Does MATA have some proof of this? Do they track ridership? How many people use fixed-route?

Because paratransit service does not exclude using the fixed-route, these individuals could still be certified riders. It is more likely that MATA executive staff simply "made up" this response having no clue of the composition of their ridership.

Issue 13

Again MATA sidesteps their responsibility and blames riders for problems. The issue of curb cuts is a public issue that includes all citizens and the Transit Authority. Where is the MATA representative in the molding of the City of Memphis' ADA transition plan? Transportation is the second priority following access to government in making curb ramps, but MATA tells you that it is not their problem.

Issue 15

MATA will not take responsibility. They justify being four hours late because "the pickups must be at the same time of fixed-route service in that area." This creative reading of the regulations is not only wrong, but completely off topic. The customer still had a pick-up time that MATA ignored, with constant reminder calls, for four hours.

Issue 18

Who are the new staff responsible for safety and training?

Driver and vehicle shortage are due to poor administration of the system. What is being done to change the management?

MATA failed to respond to the question. How does MATA demonstrate to customers they are working to "improve the operation of MATAplus?"

Issue 20

This is the point in the transcript that you have to see to believe. Allison Burton actually repeats that she does not have voicemail. MATA must admit that it is "case closed" if there are any doubts that MATA's management is out of touch. Everyone that had attempted to call Ms. Burton while she was Director of MATAplus remembers that voicemail. And few if any remember getting a return call.

"MATA's service is on time 93% of the time."

Although they have no tracking procedure, they report this as fact. Independent surveys of MATAplus service have reported an on time performance significantly lower and accounts of riders clearly show MATA's statistics to be fiction. MATA has the ability to accurately collect data on this, but management refuses to examine their own service.

Maybe you had a question that MATA did not properly respond to at the public hearing. This overview is certainly not a comprehensive - it is intended to show how poorly MATA responded to the concerns of the riders and the limited and ignorant attitudes of the executive management of MATA. Please read through MATA's responses from that public hearing and determine it you think MATA answered any of the questions.

Please call Tim Wheat (726-6404) at the Memphis Center for Independent Living (tim@mcil.org) to add to this list, and attend the Barrier Free Memphis Society meetings held at MCIL at 3 p.m. on the first Monday of each month. The next meeting however will be Sept. 13, 1999.

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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