------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NewsBank, inc. - The Commercial Appeal - 2000 - Article with Citation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Headline: DISABLED RIDERS TAKE AIM AT MATA Date: November 17, 2000 Section: News Page: A15 Edition: Final Length: 431 words Author: Blake Fontenay The Commercial Appeal Index Terms: MEMPHIS TRANSPORTATION DISABLED DISPUTE Text: An advocacy group thinks the Memphis Area Transit Authority is making it too tough for disabled riders to get the photo IDs they need to use paratransit buses. A representative from the Memphis Center for Independent Living complained that MATA is setting impractical rules for scheduling rides to the center where the photo IDs are made. MATA officials plan to meet today to determine if any policy changes are needed to address the complaint. Sandi Klink, who walks with a cane, recently made an application to start using MATA's service. After receiving a letter from MATA acknowledging her eligibility, she tried to schedule an appointment for a ride to MATA's customer service center to get an ID. Klink, who is also the center's program director, said she was told she couldn't book a ride in advance. Klink said a MATAPlus dispatcher told her to call between 8 and 8:30 a.m. on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and she would get a ride whenever a bus became available that day. "I'd have to drop everything when they wanted to schedule me," she said. "I can't do that. Most people can't do that." Under federal law, transit systems are required to provide service to documented paratransit customers who book rides at least a day in advance. Cheryl Hershey, acting director of the Federal Transit Administration's office of civil rights, said the law doesn't specify what constitutes proper documentation. However, once riders have been properly certified, Hershey said, "they are entitled to next-day service." In an assessment of MATAPlus service released this year, the FTA noted many people who received certification approval letters never picked up IDs. According to the FTA review, 331 approval letters were sent out from August 1999 to January 2000, but only 180 riders picked up IDs. "We thought this could be a problem," Hershey said. "We are following up and addressing it" with MATA. Alison Burton, a MATA spokesman, said the dispatchers don't dictate when people may get rides for photo IDs, but merely make suggestions based on staffing. "I regret if what we're doing is perceived to be discriminatory in nature," Burton said. "We don't want to be perceived as doing that." To reach reporter Blake Fontenay, call 529-2386 or E-mail him at fontenay@gomemphis.com Copyright 2000 The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN Accession Number: 0011170111 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------