The Barrier Free Memphis Society
				MATAplus.com
				The REAL Rider's Guide
				Letters of Betty Anderson BFMS President

Betty Anderson 743-0224
Tim Wheat 726-6404

New evidence will update an administrative complaint that can effect the Federal funding of transportation in Memphis. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) establishes service criteria for public transportation systems that operate paratransit service to augment a partially accessible fixed-route system. The service criteria aim is to assure that persons with disabilities receive paratransit service that is "comparable to the level of service of the fixed-route."

Although paratransit eligible persons are charged more per ride than a trip on fixed-route buses, MATAplus services are not comparable to the level of transit services provided to individuals without disabilities. Specifically,

• persons with disabilities are routinely unable to obtain MATA paratransit services when they request such services the day before the service is needed;

• persons with disabilities routinely have untimely late MATA paratransit pick-ups. In fact, a recent survey revealed that 18% are more than 30 minutes late. MATA's own reports, although undependable, seem to show that more than half (55%) arrive more than 16 minutes late.

• persons with disabilities routinely experience excessive trip length, e.g. taking an hour or more for a ten minute ride.

  

• MATA paratransit ridership has significantly decreased from 3800 to 970 since MATA has no longer been required to report ADA compliance to the Department of Transportation.

• MATA has no consumer information guide to explain policies and procedures to paratransit eligible persons;

• MATA has taken no actions to institute changes recommended by an independent paratransit consultant to correct the "lack of a commitment of quality. The absence of leadership, a failure to participate, and an inability to determine where it is and where it is going," wrote the consultant in May of 1998, "limits MATAplus' ability to provide the disabled community in Memphis with a service that is safe, reliable, customer-oriented, and cost effective."

• Reporter Steve Dawson of Fox Television in Memphis uncovered in November 1997 that transportation for people with disabilities is not a budget priority compared to the trolley;

• MATA has no "travel training" program to facilitate paratransit users to use the fixed-route buses.

The personal experiences of MATAplus riders indicate that persons with disabilities are treated by MATA in a way that nondisabled persons would never accept.

Betty Anderson: 365-1979 (day) 743-0224 (home)

The Memphis Center for Independent Living

• 1633 Madison Avenue , Memphis TN 38104
• voice and TDD: (901) 726-6404
• fax: (901) 726-6521
• e-mail: mcil@mcil.org
• internet: www.mcil.org

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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© 2006 Tim Wheat