M C I L Journal
				MCIL Journal 2007
				MCIL Journal 2006
				MCIL Journal Index

The Memphis Center for
Independent Living Journal

Index
of the MCIL Journal 1998

6/18/98, 2:36 pm

MATA hired a consultant at the beginning of this year to review the paratransit service MATAplus. Many folks were invited by MATA and the consultant to participate in the various training sessions and were told that they would be included in the findings and recommendations of the consultant.

Specifically, the President and General Manager said directly that he would share the consultant's general report, as well as other information with those that participated in training sessions, associated with the consultant's work.

On Wednesday, Mr. Hudson, MATA's GM, made a flat denial to share the Summary Report of Michael Staley with the people he promised to include in the findings. This report is a candid memo of the general impressions of the paratransit service in Memphis. MATA no longer reports its ADA Compliance, even though MATA failed to achieve any of the significant ADA requirements during the transition phase 1992 through 1996. This short report is the only objective review of MATAplus this decade.

Not only is the Summery Report of significant concern to the typical Memphian who pays for the paratransit service, but this essential evaluation has been denied to members of the Specialized Transportation Advisory Committee (STAC) that is charged with providing a community perspective concerning paratransit.

There is a further insidious twist that seemingly makes this short memo so valuable. Mr. Hudson was asked specifically to provide the Summary Report to advocates and STAC members. In place of the report he misleadingly distributed other memos written by the consultant. It was a clear and deliberate attempt to "pass off" the set of memos as the requested material. Mr. Hudson, breaking his promise to share information, further lied to citizens by blatantly misrepresenting the materials he distributed.

What does the report say? People that worked with the consultant and participated in the training sessions can only guess. Michael Staley has worked with paratransit systems in other cities and may provide a comparison of Memphis to other cities around the U.S.

Why is MATA working so hard to protect this short memo? Most likely it says that the problems with MATAplus are a result of poor management, rather than a collection of errors of drivers, dispatchers, and maintenance. New buses and more money in the paratransit system have failed to make the service substantially better. These improvements have failed because there is poor leadership, no administrative know-how, and an attitude of mediocrity.

Memphians that use MATAplus know this. The citizens of Memphis have a right to get an objective opinion concerning the service they pay for.

Here is a copy of the Freedom of Information Act that MATA is going to have to ignore:

June 17, 1998

June 11, 1998

Re: Freedom of Information Act Request

Dear Mr. Hudson

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552. I request that a copy of the following documents be provided to me:

1998 Summary Report of Michael Staley

In order to help to determine my status to assess fees, you should know that and an Independent Living Specialist for the Memphis Center for Independent Living, a non profit organization that works to fully integrate people with disabilities into the community. I desire a copy of the Summary Report of Michael Staley to assess the ADA paratransit service, MATAplus. The Memphis Center for Independent Living works to help individuals live independently, using public transportation is a critical component to our community. To assist providing quality transportation to the citizens of Memphis I have accepted a position as Chairman of the Specialized Transportation Advisory Committee, an consulting group for the Memphis Area Transit Authority consisting of paratransit riders.

This request is made for a scholarly or scientific purpose and not for a commercial use.

I request a waiver of all fees for this request. Disclosure of the requested information to me is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in my commercial interest. As the Chairman of the Specialized Transportation Advisory Committee, a staff member of the Memphis Center for Independent Living and member of the Barrier Free Memphis Society I was promised to have this material to review by the President and General Manager of the Memphis Area Transit Authority.

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

Return to the top of this page

MCIL would like feedback on the accessibility of this website.  Please send your comments and concerns to webmaster@mcil.org

© 2006 Tim Wheat