| Members present Judy Watford, Chair Diane Bomar, Vice Chair Mary Ward, Secretary, Chair STS Subcommittee Jane Lansaw, Chair Fixed Route Subcommittee Josè Loera, Member Fixed Route Subcommittee Amy Litzinger, Member STS Subcommittee Malcolm Graham, Member STS Subcommittee Members Absent Cathie Shumacher David Patterson William Brown | Capital Metro Staff Present Nancy Crowther, Capital Metro Liaison Inez Evans, Director STS Rafael Villarreal, Assistant Director, STS Barney Sifuentes, Revenue and Fares Manager Denise Guerrero Andrew Murphy Guests Present Pam Scott Scott Meyer Linda Litzinger Audley Blackburn Cathy Blackburn Bob Chavarìa, ARCIL |
- Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Chair Watford with seven members present. Introductions were made by going around the room.
- Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Diane Bomar and seconded by Malcolm Graham to approve the minutes for the October meeting. The motion carried.
- Disability Fare Cards: A presentation was made by Barney Sifuentes to explain the function of the Disability Fare Cards and to answer questions from the Committee as well as the public. Capital Metro began issuing the cards as a way to track usage of the fixed route buses by people with disabilities, senior citizens and students, all of whom are allowed to ride the buses for free. Capital Metro has no plans to track use of the fixed route system by particular individuals or to disqualify people from using STS based on these data. Malcolm Graham reported that in some cities, fixed route riders’ use of fixed route is being tracked by transit authorities using cards so that fixed route users can be made ineligible for STS service. Nancy Crowther acknowledged that some transit authorities are engaging in such practices and reiterated that Capital Metro staff do not feel that disqualifying riders of fixed route from Paratransit service makes sense either for the riders or for Capital Metro itself since removing all known fixed route users from the Paratransit service would in effect discourage the use of fixed route buses.
- Subcommittee Reports.
- Fixed Route, Jane Lansaw: The subcommittee meeting was held on November 28 with all members present. Because the Subcommittee is actually supposed to name the chair, a vote was taken and Jane Lansaw was formally chosen as chair. David Patterson has offered to attend meetings of CSAC and will be reporting back to the entire ACCESS Committee. The Disability Fare Cards were discussed. Jane Lansaw reported a driver felt the wheelchair lifts on the Dillos were old and possibly unsafe. Andrew Murphy said that the lifts are monitored for safety and that if a driver feels they are not, he or she may opt not to drive the bus out of the yard. The Dillos may soon be retired, according to Andrew Murphy, but this is uncertain because the downtown business owners like their quaint look. However, the seats are uncomfortable, and Cap Metro is trying to find ways to update the fleet and still keep the look.
- STS Subcommittee, Mary Ward: Much of the meeting was taken up with discussion of a scheduling procedure which was adopted by Capital Metro approximately two weeks before the subcommittee meeting which involved scheduling trips of fifteen miles or greater with at lest two hours time. Inez Evans said that this was done due to the expectations of some riders that were unrealistic. Committee members found this new policy to be objectionable, and there were many complaints of people arriving too early at their destinations and having to wait outside in inclement weather, unsafe neighborhoods and the like until they could go inside. Committee members and Capital Metro staff discussed the issue at the meeting and it was agreed that Capital Metro would include the Committee and ask for input before making changes to policies and procedures such as scheduling. The policy had been rescinded before the Subcommittee meeting. The usual Paratransit ridership statistics were provided by Rafael Villarreal.
The wheelchair lifts are frequently tested with 600 pound weights both to ensure that they not fail and that even if they do, no injury will result.
The enunciators were also discussed. Inez Evans informed us that 75% of the buses had enunciators that could be turned off by the drivers, but the drivers are supposed to announce the major stops if they do this. Members reported this is not happening. If complaints are lodged against a driver, a progressive series of disciplinary actions are being followed, which can lead to termination. Andrew Murphy acknowledged that this system is not very effective, and they have asked the manufacturer to address it.
The new budget includes placing Braille on the buses with the number of the bus, and Capital Metro will take input from the Committee as to where to put the Braille and what to include. Committee members also asked that along with the PowerPoint presentations being used, that people with disabilities be part of training for bus drivers, especially people who use service dogs.
The next subcommittee meetings will b held on January 23, with both subcommittees agreeing to cancel the December meetings.
- Staff Reports.
- STS Vehicles: Inez Evans reported that on the Monday before the full committee meeting, it was decided that they would have to not do another full competitive bid or the vans. However, they will be able to find a way to amend the RFP to ask the original bidding parties to submit another bid on the chasse. They will have until next Friday. Then a committee will meet, approve and go to the Board in January .
- Online Reservations and Web Accessibility: Two RFPs were put out for a web-based reservation system. . The bidders will need to make the system available for 30 days at their own expense for evaluation. Committee members and 30 other persons will evaluate it. Mary Ward mentioned a problem she had had with purchasing an STS pass online .
- New Business.
Training: Diane Bomar asked if committee members could help with training fixed route and STS drivers. Problems persist, especially for those using service dogs. Capital Metro plans to combine the Safety Training for STS and fixed roué drivers.
By-Laws: The ad hoc committee discussed changes to the by-laws. Most of these were relatively minor, although Malcolm Graham has discussed the possibility of asking to consider abolishing the two-year term limits. However, the changes being proposed currently are not substantial and will not require a vote of the full committee.
- Citizens’ Communication: Speakers included Pam Scott, Linda Litzinger, Audley Blackburn, and Cathy Blackburn.
- Announcements: Starting January 2, 2008, the full committee meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7:30. The Board Meeting is December 12 at 4:00.
There was also some discussion of the fixed rout training formerly contracted out to Disability Assistance of Central Texas, now contracted out to ARCIL and Bob Chavarìa. Nancy Crowther, Project Manager, stated that these referrals are people for whom Capital Metro staff feel they do not have enough information to make a sound eligibility decision, so they are referred for the training to help make this determination. Chair Watford asked if the trainer’s and Cap Metro’s decision could override that of the doctor, and Ms. Crowther replied that the decision depends on an assessment of all available information, including distance from the bus stop, availability and quality of sidewalks and other medical and non-medical information.
Member Jane Lansaw pointed out that some people with disabilities opt not to accept the free fare, especially those who are working. These people would, of course, not be able to be accounted for by the current system of using the Disability Card to track use of fixed route buses by people with disabilities, potentially skewing any statistical data on use of fixed route buses by people with disabilities.
Adjourn: Malcolm Graham moved adjournment, Diane Bomar seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 6:38 p.m.
The next Access Advisory Committee is scheduled for January 2, 2008
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Ward, Access Secretary
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
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