MATA agrees to fix flaws in the Paratransit Rider's Guide

Certified riders on MATAplus fell from 4,200 to less than 1,000 between 1997 and 1999, and MATAplus service dropped over 52,000 trips although MATA increased its budget and bus fleet.

Advocates maintain that the lack of information and misinformation have been a barrier to public transportation for many persons with disabilities. "No one has the same information about MATAplus," said rider Judy Neal. "Some riders will repeat rules that must have gone out-of-date ten years ago." Without a customer handbook to the system, riders had little direction and agencies, including MATA, had no comprehensive manual to help explain the intricate system.

An informative and accurate Rider's Guide has long been a goal of advocates who deal with an enormous set of paratransit regulations. In June of 1999 MATA held a public hearing to finally get the customer guide in print, but MATA administration missed deadline after deadline to publish the handbook.

More than a year after the public hearing, MATA eventually published a Rider's Guide; however, MATA administration altered the text of the publicly approved guide. Advocates that had worked for months and waited for years were disappointed to see wildly contradictory statements and misleading information.

Actually, MATA administration had inserted only a few unapproved sentences to the Rider's Guide, but the result was damaging to the consistency of the original draft. The basic objective of the customer guide is to inform and explain the paratransit system, yet the current Rider's Guide on page 24 states that "Customers WILL NOT be given a precise pick-up time;" and the next page makes three references to a specific pick-up time.

"There is a serious problem with catching a bus," explained Judy Neal, "when the bus company keeps the scheduled times secrete from the riders."

Mr. Hudson agreed to change those contradictions in the Rider's Guide.
Specifically MATA agreed to:

• Change the error on page 10 that seems to create a "scheduling window."

• Correct the Saturday office hours

• Remove the contradictory sentence on page 24 about the "Ready Time."

• Remove redundant sections

• Correct the contradictory no-show information

Mr. Hudson read from a letter he prepared to BFMS advocates that detailed each stated error in the Rider's Guide. On the issue of "Complaint Procedure" Mr. Hudson wrote, "this section is correct and works well in daily operation."

Advocates called the number listed for making complaints and the entire group of BFMS members and MATA administration listened to the phone ring about 17 times with no answer. "If the supervisor or other information staff is not available," read one advocate from the Rider's Guide, "the call will go to VoiceMail [emphasis in original; page 39].

Mr. Hudson said that phone tracking information kept by MATA will help him determine who was on the phone at that time and why the call was missed. BFMS will make sure to ask Mr. Hudson before the next meeting.

MATA also announced:

• MATA will produce a new Rider's Guide with BFMS approval

• MATA will have 20 new buses by next summer

• MATA has doubled the air conditioning output on vehicles

• MATA will have a person with a disability appointed to the Board of Commissioners in three months

The September 11th Barrier Free meeting will be remembered for the power the disability community showed. MATA came to us with basically all of the changes we asked for.

BFMS must stick together and stick to the mission. We all still have a long way to go, but with the organization and strength we showed September 11th, ALL AMERICANS are closer to the goal of inclusion.