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Betty Anderson's Letters to The Commercial Appeal and MATA
Mr. William Hudson
MATA President & General Manager
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
Dear Mr. Hudson:
You really should not tell people, as you have told me that the *MATA-Plus vans will not go faster than 65 MPH because they have governors on them. I talked to James Anglin this morning about the problem listed below. I *am getting very fired of riding with drivers that drive like a bat out of hell.
On Saturday, August 14th, I boarded Van 113 about 9:20 A.M. There was another passenger on the bus that was taken to Humphreys Blvd before I was dropped off at work. After the passenger was dropped of on Humphreys Blvd, the driver got on the expressway to Perkins. During the ride on the expressway the bus speedometer said the bus was traveling 90 miles an hour. This is not guessing, I could see the speedometer. The bus was passing everything on the expressway including tractor-trailers which are notorious for exceeding the speed limit. I told the driver the speed limit was not 90 *MPH and he said the bus speedometer was calibrated differently from others speedometers. SURE, more excuses! If this the case they need to be fixed where the drivers will know what speed they are driving. If I ever get on another bus and travel at this speed again, I will contact someone other than you or anyone else at MATAplus.
There is not a week that goes by that I do not catch a driver speeding. I have been on buses and can see the speed at *60-65 MPH in 30, 40, and 45 MPH speed zones. I know when the bus is speeding when it is passing everything on the streets even though I cannot see the speedometer. I AM NOT STUPID.
Sincerely,
Betty Anderson
cc:
James Anglin
Mr. William Hudson
MATA President & General Manager
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
Dear Mr. Hudson:
It really is no surprise that MATA-Plus doesn't run any better than it does when you have dispatchers that will not or is incapable of doing the job they are supposed to do. I have ran into three incidents of incompetence from *MATA-Plus in less than a week.
Twice last week after I finished my job earlier *than my pickup time, I called Mattle and asked *her to tell my driver I could leave work at any time in case he/she got a chance to pick me up earlier than scheduled. Both times I asked the driver if he was told I could leave early and the answer was "no" both times. How hard is it for the dispatchers to at least tell *the driver what I said. One of the drivers said be could have picked me up about 20 minutes earlier than what he did if Mattie had told him what I said.
A few minutes ago I called and confirmed my pickup times for tomorrow and was told by Joseph that my requested 12:15 P.M. pick up time was scheduled for 12:25. 1 had not been called and told my Pickup time was different than what I requested. Again dispatcher incompetence. Again this has happened twice in about a week. The last time being last Monday, August 2nd.
So Mr. Hudson, if you think your *MATA-Plus dispatchers are negotiating with the riders, maybe your disability is as bad as theirs. They not only do not negotiate with riders, they put riders down for times they want to and do not bother to inform the riders of the time change
When you as General Manager can't see the light before your face and do not have enough management skills to do anything about the problem, then you are not doing your job any better than the MATA-Plus Office Staff.
Sincerely,
Betty Anderson
Mr. William Hudson
MATA President & General Manager
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
Dear Mr. Hudson:
Once again the dispatchers/reservationist are not doing their job and do not know what the word negotiation means. There were no negotiations nor was I called and told that my requested time bad been changed for August 2nd. This is not an isolated incident of this. The reservationist takes a requested time or times and put down what *they want to put down, never bothering to call *the rider to let them know. Then you still have your 30 minute pickup window from your time. This is not night.
On Friday, July 30th, I made a reservation with Denver to be picked up from home at 12:30 *RM. to go to work with a 7:00 P.M. *return home. On Monday morning when I confirmed my reservations with Joseph, I was told my 12:30 pickup was at 12:45. No phone called to let me know.
On Saturday, July 3 1 st, I had a confirmed pickup time from work to my home at 5 *-30 P.M. I called Phyllis about 4:30 to tell her I probably would not be ready until about 5:45 because of a problem with the computer backup. She said she would call me back. Guess what, she never called. The bus showed up at about 4:42 P.M. which was more than 45 minutes before my confirmed pickup time and sat in
front of the clinic until I went out. How many people were waiting to get picked up during this time and were picked up late because the bus was waiting for me? When I called Phyllis back and asked why she didn't call back like she said she would, she said she got busy, and ok'yed me going out later than 5:30 P M. I did go out at 5:38 which was 3 minutes past my 5 minutes to get to the bus. I get busy where I work when I am the only one in the office, but if I tell someone I will call them back, I do them back. You dispatchers are not only apparently not capable of doing their job, they lie very frequently to the riders which this is a prime example-
When I talked to Lawson Albritton about this, I was told that office staff were being retrained again, and things were going to change. My response to that was "I've heard the wind blow from Mr. Hudson for 8 years and I don't believe a word of it."
Sincerely,
Betty Anderson
Mr. William Hudson
MATA President & General Manager
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
Dear Mr. Hudson:
On August 29th, I made a reservation with Joseph requesting a 12:15 PM. pickup to work and a 7:20 P.M. return home for Tuesday, August 3 1 st. The 7:20 P.M. pickup was confirmed as 7:15 by Phyllis.
About 7:22 PM., I called Mattie for an ETA and after being on hold for a few minutes I got cut off. I called back and was once again put on hold for a total of about 10 minutes. The clinic was closed and everyone wanted to go home so I hung up and left, waiting outside the clinic until about 7:45 when I found a business that was closed but someone was still inside. I went in and tried once again to call Mattie for an ETA. I tried for 10 minutes and all I ever got was the answering machine. The van finally arrived at 7:59 which is past your 30 minute pickup window and I wasn't even on this driver's trip sheet. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of this.
Sincerely,
Betty Anderson
Mr. William Hudson
MATA President & General Manager
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
Dear Mr. Hudson:
This is in response to your letter dated July 27,1999. The major problem that I have Is not with scheduling multi trips as you stated. Many times that I have problems I am dropped off and picked up at the same location (or supposed to be). There are times when the address will be reversed such as was mentioned in my letter dated June 25th. This also happens with other riders.
Mr. Hudson, do you live your life on a schedule? I don't think so. Why should you expect me to live mine on a schedule? I can't FAX you my schedule because I do not have one. Even my work hours are not the same every week and I do have other things to do even though the staff at MATA-Plus seems to think that people with disabilities have nothing important to do. There is nothing in the ADA *that requires me to send you my schedule even if I did have one.
The simple truth is, if your dispatchers/receptionists would listen when requests are being made instead of assuming in a lot of the cases, many of these mistakes would not be made.
Sincerely,
Betty Anderson
Mr. William Hudson
MATA President & General Manager
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
Dear Mr. Hudson:
In an article entitled "Chronic problems plague *MATA-Plus, say disabled users" that appeared in the Commercial Appeal on July 26th, you said MATA-Plus cannot deny a ride to anyone who requests one because of ADA regulations. Rides are being denied to MATA-Plus riders on a regular basis. The ADA is being disregarded everyday and below are just 2 examples of this.
You have told me in the past if something didn't happen to me, it was none of my concern. I am making this my concern because apparently no one at MATA-Plus is concerned about these problems. On Monday, July *26th, I was told by Pat Pugh that she had a confirmed pick up time on Thursday, July 15th, to go to a doctor's appointment. Despite repeated calls for an ETA and being told the bus was coming, the bus never showed up. Ride Denied.
Today I received a call from Patricia Curry who said she has been late to work everyday for the past 2 weeks. Her confirmed pick up time to work was supposed to have been at 6:15 A.M. Denver called her today to say he didn't have a bus to get her and didn't know when he would. Again a disregard for ADA regulations. The bus finally picked her up at 7:25 A.M. which is well past the 30 minute pick up window and she was late to work again. She lives in Millington and before you go to looking for excuses, she said she was told by Henry Wilson that she was 3/4 mile from the mainline and in the pickup zone.
Sincerely,
Betty Anderson
cc:
Lawson Albritton
James Anglin
Tim Wheat
Mr. William Hudson
MATA President & General Manager
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
Dear Mr. Hudson:
Once again talking to your MATA-Plus dispatchers is like trying to communicate with a wall. On Sunday, July 25th, I made reservations with Mattie for Monday, July 26th, for a 3:30 pickup from my home to 61 S. Main and a 7:30 P.M. from 160 N. Main. I told Mattie the latter address was City Hall and I wanted to be picked up on the Front Street side of the building. When I confirmed my reservations with Denver on the morning of July 26th, I told him I wanted to be picked up on the Front Street side of the building. The driver (Dorothy) of the van that picked me up was not told that I was to be picked up on the Front Street side because I asked her after boarding the bus where she was parked at the corner of Main and Adams. This is another prime example of dispatcher incompetence after they were told not once, but twice where I wanted to be picked up. When the no-show policy takes effect, it is also a good example of why some people will be left and have to appeal their being put down as a no-show. There is no excuse for a dispatcher not telling a driver where a passenger is supposed to be picked up.
MATA-Plus would and could be a better running system if the dispatchers would simply do the job they are supposed to. The dispatchers do not care about MATA-Plus riders because we have disabilities. The truth is the dispatchers are the ones who are truly disabled when they can't take simple instructions. They are the ones who are pitiful.
Sincerely,
Betty Anderson
cc:
Lawson Albritton
James Anglin
Mr. William Hudson
MATA President & General Manager
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
Dear Mr. Hudson:
lt seems to me that MATA-Plus is on a downhill slide once again. Every time there is any improvement, it doesn't last.
I am really concerned that some of the drivers and/or dispatchers lie to riders the way they do- On Saturday, June 5th, a few minutes after 5:00 P.M. the clinic was closing and I called Phyllis for an ETA and was told that the bus was out front. I told her bus was not out front Then she told me the bus was on the parking lot which was another lie and can prove it by one of my fellow workers who was with me when this conversation was taking place. A few minutes later the bus turned into the driveway of the parking lot and the driver had a smart remark to make after I boarded the bus and told her to put the front tie down strap on the main frame of my chair after she had put it on the left foot-rest (Van 114)
On Friday, June 4th, I made reservations with Mattie for Monday, June 7th, to be picked up from my home at 10:00 A.M. to 5000 American Way, 1:00 P.M. from American Way to 1633 Madison Avenue with a
7:00 P M. return home. On Sunday, June 6th when I called Denver to confirm today's reservations, I was not down on the schedule for my 7:00 P.M. return home from 1633 Madison Avenue . This is the third time in about 10 days that my reservations have been incorrect The last two incorrect reservations were taken by Mattie. It would seem that she needs more training before she should be allowed to take reservations.
By the way, your rule regarding the use of the lap belts is not working either. There are very few of the older drivers who use them on a regular basis and often when they do use them, the belt is fastened incorrectly. Once last week there was a trainee with the with the regular driver showing him how to tie down my chair. The driver did not put a lap belt around me at all which is the case about 90% of the time. This is like saying to the trainee, the belt is not necessary. If you are going to have a rule, every one should follow it or it should be abolished.
Sincerely,
Betty Anderson
Mr. William Hudson
MATA President & General Manager
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
Dear Mr. Hudson:
On Wednesday, June 2nd I made reservations with Mattie for Saturday, June 5th for a 6:30 A-M. pickup to work at 5189 Winchester and a 5:00 P.M. return home. On Friday night, June 4th, I called Phyllis to confirm my Saturday pickup times and location. Guess what? I wasn't down for a Saturday pickup at all.
Last Saturday I was down going to 4075 American Way instead of to work and this Saturday not down for a pick up at all. Phyllis told me she though they (MATA-Plus) was going a good job picking me up. I wonder if she thinks they (dispatchers) are doing me a favor. I thought picking passengers up and dropping them off at the correct locations was MATA-Plus' job. Of course, according to the dispatchers mistakes are always the blame of someone or something besides them.
Sincerely,
Betty Anderson
Mr. William Hudson
MATA President & General Manager
1370 Levee Road
Memphis, TN 38108
Dear Mr. Hudson:
On Wednesday, May 27th, I made reservations with Mary to be picked up from my home at 6:30 A.M. on Saturday, May 29th, to go to work at 5189 Winchester with a 5:30 P.M. return home. After boarding the bus, I found out that I was on the trip sheet (Operator 991 -Steve) going to 4075 American Way. I had confirmed my Saturday pick up times and location with Denver on Friday, May 28th and was
quoted the correct times and pick up locations from the computer. How could things get so screwed up from when he confirmed my reservation Friday morning until the schedule was printed out the same night?
I did go to 4075 American Way on Thursday, May 27th, but not at 6:30 in the morning. If you are going to tell me the error was caused by a computer glitch as you usually do, my response is that you need to have your computers fixed, because this kind of thing is happening way to often. What is going to happen when a situation such as this happens to someone who cannot communicate and they are left someplace they are not supposed to be and gets lost in the confusion?
Sincerely,
Betty Anderson
A Rewarding Fight
Betty Anderson's Letter to The Commercial Appeal
Sept. 8, 1996
To The Commercial Appeal:
In her letter published Sept. 1, Carole Blackburn stated that her students of religion had questioned why people would want to live with the debilitating diseases suffered by the people that Dr. Jack Kevorkian has helped to commit suicide.
It sounded as if these students of religion think that everyone who has a debilitating disease should commit suicide. These students must be terribly pessimistic; I wonder what they will do when they come face to face with the problems that all of us face during our lifetime.
I have been a wheelchair user for nearly 40 years. I was happily married for more than 21 years, until my husband passed away nearly three years ago. I now live alone, do my own housework, have a job, do volunteer work and all the things that go with daily living. Life is not always easy, but many times people give up and take the easy way out by committing suicide, rather than fighting to live.
People with disabilities have the right to live and do the same things as those without disabilities. Some of us may do things differently, but they get done. We may have a different means of mobility, but we get to where we are going.
These differences do not make us any less human, nor do they make us want to end our lives because of our disabilities.
Nov. 2, 1996
To the Commercial Appeal:
All of the improvements that are taking place at MATA are great for them, but something should be done to improve MATAplus and make it stick. This system will get better for short periods of time, then the same problems start recurring.
I am a wheelchair user and ride MATAplus from 4-10 times a week and I know what is going on. Three times in the past five days I have gotten a pickup 55 minutes to an hour later than my quoted pickup times. Two of those times made me 45 minutes late to work. Today when I would not pay but for one way, I was told that when I didn't pay, it made the driver look bad. It apparently doesn't matter how bad it makes me look when I arrive at work 45 minutes late two or three times a week, besides losing money.
In the past three weeks I have been late to work several times, put on a bus with a passenger going to Hillhaven nursing home when I was going downtown, canceled off a diver's manifest and no one knew to pick me up until I called, and put down wrong on a manifest and was not changed when I told the dispatcher what time it was supposed to be, forcing me to leave work more than an hour earlier than I should have. I* have talked to some other riders who are also having major problems.
In a recent article in the Memphis Flyer, William Hudson, president and general manager of MATA, stated that "anyone eligible for MATAplus will be guaranteed a ride once three new 'low floor' vans hit the streets in January, 1997." Maybe this will be so, but he didn't say how late you will get that ride or that you will get to where you need to be, on time.
There should be some penalties on those people who make the same mistake over and over again. Instead, the riders of MATAplus are the ones paying the penalties.
July 22, 1997
To The Commercial Appeal:
From articles that I have read during the past few months, there are some great plans being made for the various transportation systems in Memphis. Mr. William Hudson, President and General Manager of MATA, and Mayor Herenton, seem to be very proud of what is being done. It appears to me that no one is aware of the fact that the MATA buses that are now on the streets of Memphis are supposed to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by the year 2002 and there is no way that this is going to happen at the rate progress is being made with them.
The MATA budget is constantly being cut and the problems with the MATAplus System are getting much worse every the week, not better. Mr. Hudson's favorite expression concerning MATAplus is:
"We're doing the best we can."
This is absolutely not true. If he were riding the buses every day as I am, he would see many areas where improvements could be made to help cut down on the cost of running the buses and help the riders as well. Mr. Hudson or anyone else who does not have to use MATAplus for transportation doesn't have any idea how bad the problems really are, nor do they care.
Recently a rider who uses MATAplus to get to dialysis was refused rides on two separate occasions, despite her pleas. Had she not found someone to carry her for treatment, her life could have been endangered. The lives of others are being endangered every day from lack of air conditioning in the summer and lack of heat in the winter, and the fact that riders in wheelchairs are not being properly strapped down on the buses.
Promises by Mr. Hudson during the past year to make changes have gone nowhere because no actions have been taken. The problems continue to get worse and the riders of this system are the ones who pay the penalties.
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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