Members Present: Julie Maloukis, Chair, Juan Muñoz, Mary Ward, William Brown, Scott Meyer, Josè Loera, R.L. Glock, Shelly Brisbin
Absent: Jerry Doran (Cathie Shumaker proxy), Judy Watford,(Mary Ward proxy)
Capital Metro Staff Present: Nancy Crowther Rafael Villarreal , Andrew Murphy, Betty Cravens
Guests Present: Roger Cauvin, Dadnab David Patterson Wayne Spahn Kim Howard Kay Inmon Cathie Shumaker, Proxy for Jerry Doran Diane Bomar Carlos Aleman Christine Guvera
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:05 p.m. by Chair Maloukis with a quorum.
Ms. Maloukis reported that the minutes need to be done by April 13 so they can be reported to the Board of Directors. Ms. Maloukis apologized for the miscommunication last week and the cancellation of the subcommittee meetings.
Approval of Minutes: Ms. Shelly Brisbin moved that the February Minutes be approved. Will Brown seconded the motion and the minutes were approved.
Ms. Brisbin also moved that the March Minutes be approved, Mr. Jose Loera seconded, and the March minutes were approved.
Citizen Communication: Mr. Patterson voiced concerns as to the Access committee agenda, the room configuration and responses to community concerns.
Mr. Spahn asked why time changes are done in STS.
Ms. Dial was referred by STS to come to the meeting to get better access to CARTS and STS service to Leander. With new Park and Ride and future Rail, service should be better. Referred also by Mayor John Cowman.
Ms. Bomar reported concerns with the Access by-laws, prioritization of trips in STS, the Project ACTION People on the Move Conference, negotiated times for scheduled rides in excess of one hour on STS, incorrect information on STS driver manifests from the IVR and driver courtesy and behavior toward customers.
Ms. Howard (via letter) requested that the phone listings for all CMTA services be on the front page of the webpage.
Mr. Aleman reported inconsistencies with the use of annunciaters and sidewalk needs in his neighborhood.
Anouncements: Mr. Meyers reported that on (04/04/07) at 4:25pm at 23rd and Guadalupe, the number 5 bus went around the 982 bus and caused him to miss the #5. He requested that Operators be reminded that they should not go around other buses.
Additionally Mr. Meyer reported that he, Kathy Young and Juan Munoz participated in the focus group for the bus stop signage on March 27.
Dadnob.com—Mr. Roger Cauvin Mr. Cauvin with Dadnab.com presented on the text messaging program that help persons who want to receive bus itinerary information on their cell phone. This service works when you don’t have access to the internet and you are needing route and schedule information. There are no walking directions at this time due to the text limitations and data (160 characters). There has to be web access to the information in order for the program to be able to text message the customer. Mr. Cauvin reported having marketing assistance with Capital Metro and is developing a Memorandum of Agreement. He requested a letter of support from the committee directed to Mr. L’Amie and Mr. Gilliam. Dadnab.com is available in Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Seattle and the NY/NJ tri-state area. The website has a demonstration module if you do not have a text phone.
ACCESS Advisory Committee Chair Report—Julie Maloukis Ms. Maloukis attended two CMTA Board meetings scheduled to resolve the work-force structure of Capital Metro. She also attended two days of presentations regarding the Ticket Vending Machines. She was pleased that Access had the opportunity to be involved with the process. As an update to Andrea Lofye’s Legislative update last month, Ms. Lofye reported that House Bill 504, introduced by Representative Eliot Naishtat, (which would require reimbursement to Capital Metro from cities Capital Metro is serving with STS and have withdrawn from the service area). HB 504 is awaiting full Senate passage to become law.
Bus Stop Signage Focus Group—Scott Meyer Mr. Meyer reported that he, Kathy Young and Juan Munoz attended the focus group for the bus stop signage. He said the group likes the new flag signs, they are three times bigger—easier to see, the Braille will be on all signs and the spider maps work well. Feedback on the placement of the poles, the height of the Braille, the contrast, the glare and the lighting was discussed. He expressed his appreciation to CM staff for spending two hours with the group for the feedback.
Update on New Transit Vans Presentation on the current status of the new transit vans, which were slated to be purchased and running by September, 2007, was given by Andrew Murphy, Project Manager for Replacement of Paratransit Vans. The staff had begun the procurement process to purchase the 48 STS replacement vehicles. One manufacturer was selected that was similar to the one the ACCESS Committee had been shown several months ago. Ford had become involved in a legal case with the engine supplier. Mr. Murphy committed to the maintenance of the current vehicles until the replacement fleet is delivered. After some discussion of the vans, the committee agreed to wait until later for a report. Mr. Ferrell’s attendance at the May meeting was requested to discuss this and other operational issues.
2007 Local and State Roadeo results Ms. Crowther provided the list of the Capital Metro and State bus Roadeo competitions held this past weekend in Leander. The Local and State winners were: STS Sedan: first place: Benjamin Schmit, 2nd place: Ezekiezl Almanza, 3rd place: Loma Woodworth STS Van: 1st place: Sammy Langford; 2nd place: Pete Alvarado, Jr.; 3rd place: David Ortega. 35’ Bus: Aurthur Murillo; 2nd place: Juan Maldinado; 3rd place: Ronald Wiesenfeld
Access passed a resolution to recognize and applaud the Roadeo winners for their outstanding work in the competitions (s) and recognized the Training staff for the coordination of the two events.
Subcommittee Reports (March 28, 2007) There were no meetings held March 28 due to scheduling conflicts. Ralph Villareal gave an STS update regarding the progress on the staff training to address the resolution by Access to improve communication between departments. He also reported that the cabs are unable to assist with the transportation demands of our customers and that Capital Metro is seeking other providers with dedicated service to assist STS with the rising demand. Mr. Villarreal also addressed the enforcement of the fare policy with Capital Metro service including STS.
Fixed Route Committee: Ms. Brisbin apologized for the short notice in the cancellation of the meeting. She reported that there is a standing agenda of the Disability Fare Card updates and planning related to Fixed Route services and MetroRail (Planning staff).
The ad hoc Rail Committee and the ad hoc Technology Committee has been abolished and the items will be included in monthly/quarterly agenda items on the Access agendas.
The next scheduled subcommittee meetings will be held April 25 from 5-7pm.
At the request of the chair, the meeting was temporarily adjourned at 6:20pm to allow members to discuss committee issues related to the Access By-Laws, service to the public/addressing needs and communication. The meeting was called back to order at 6:50pm.
Adjournment. Scott Meyer moved that the meeting be adjourned, and Juan Muñoz seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
The next scheduled Access Committee meeting will be held May 2, 2007.
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
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