Members Present:Jose Loera, Juan Munoz, Julie Maloukis, Mary Ward, Judy Watford, R. L. Glock, Scott Meyer, William Brown, Shelly Brisbin.
Absent: Jerry Doran (excused)
Capital Metro Staff Present: Nancy Crowther, Terry Siems, Rafael (Ralph) Villarreal, Lenora Givens.
Guests Present: Adrianne Hogan, Christine Guevera, David Patterson, Hanna Reddering, Chris Eads, and Ed Kunz.
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chair Julie Maloukis at 5:00pm
Minutes: The January 3 minutes were presented for approval. The minutes were tabled until the March meeting.
Announcements: No announcements were reported.
Chair Report: Julie Maloukis
Ms. Maloukis gave a report of the January 22 Board of Directors meeting. She presented the report she gave to the Board. She reported on Dwight Ferrell’s presentation and the following issues: Ticket Vending machines and voice guided technology; GPS Technology; the progress on the STS move to Burnet Road facility; problems with the taxi providers and his commitment to continue working with the committee to improve productivity of Paratransit. Ms. Maloukis also reported on the activities of the Board consent items.
Staff Report: Nancy Crowther
The Chair introduced this item, stating that she asked Ms. Crowther to speak about her role at Capital Metro for those who may have missed it during the January meeting. Ms. Crowther reported her primary obligation is to be sure that Capital Metro is following ADA regulations. She is also responsible for ensuring that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is followed. She has a very large authority and works with every department in Capital Metro. It is also her role to coordinate Access meetings, rooms and the like. Her job is to keep open communication between the Committee, the Board and Capital Metro Staff. She serves as the in-house advisor or consultant to Capital Metro on accessibility-related services. She deals with accessibility issues such as signage for bus stops, STS vans, and services for people who are elderly or who have disabilities. She encourages customers to call her or Rafael Villarreal about issues and concerns.
Citizen Communication (taken early due to scheduling conflict)
Ms. Hanna Reddering, Yellow Cab taxi provider, expressed her concerns regarding the limitations placed on families who have children and need to ride on STS. She expressed some examples of public relation issues that may hurt STS and Capital Metro.
Mr. Ed Kunz, STS customer, reported having concerns regarding the recent limitations placed on customers with multiple children who need to travel together. The enforcement of the escort policy and traveling with children reduces productivity and customer satisfaction. STS needs to focus on optimal customer service and keeping families together.
Subcommittee Reports
Fixed Route Subcommittee: Shelly Brisbin reported on the meeting held January 24. She reported that the Disability Fare Card program will be monitored monthly on the committee agendas. The agenda for the February 28 meeting will include the proposed August Service changes by Planning staff. She requested that all materials/handouts be sent in accessible formats.
STS Subcommittee: A report from the January 24 meeting was not available. Julie Maloukis asked Nancy Crowther to read her notes of that meeting but no official record was made. The STS Subcommittee chair will prepare a report for the March meeting.
Rail ad hoc: Judy Watford reported that the committee has not met recently. The voice guided ticket vending machines and signage are issues they are focusing on and will set a meeting when staff can report on the progress.
Technology ad hoc: Shelly Brisbin reported that the group has not met. They are developing agenda items so as to schedule appropriate staff resources. It was requested that the GPS technology be placed on the agenda. A company called Sendero is working with Capital Metro staff to download GPS information for use in navigation for persons who are blind. Sendero’s representative, Mike May, is coming to town April 26 to demonstrate the program.
Staff Report: Mr. Rafael Villarreal
Ridership figures for December, 2005 and December, 2006 were compared. 44,938 trips provided, a decrease of 1.6 percent. The number of rides provided in sedans over the same period increased by 8.34 percent, and vans: 5.21 percent. Taxi rides decreased by 23.25 percent. The cancellations and No-Shows were down by 18 percent with 15,615 reported. It was requested that the data be collected for the number of stand-by trips were able to be filled by slots made available through advanced cancellations.
Mr. Villarreal also reported problems with the delays in service to taxi voucher customers and difficulties with the providers. He stated that Capital Metro Staff met with the taxi company managers to discuss the reported complaints and non-compliance issues with hopes for improvement. He gave a brief report on the status of the IVR system. Customers continue to report problems with background noise, location files, building names, etc. Shelly Brisbin requested to see some IVR data. She also suggested that a customer satisfaction survey be issued to customers. This will be a topic in the STS subcommittee, February 28th.
Citizens’ Communication
Ms. Adrianne Hogan reported the impact of the Paratransit escort enforcement on her and her children. A letter was sent to all Access members to assist in the policy redefinition between the escorts and family members/children.
Diane Bomar reported concerns with the IVR, voice guided technology for the ticket vending machines, the reliability on GPS technology and affordability.
Chris Eads voiced concerns on his service to the Lighthouse for the Blind and the worsening issues with scheduling in STS.
Mr. David Patterson reported he took his concerns to the STS subcommittee. He requested that the Cancellations AND No-Show Paratransit policy be based on a percentage of trips instead of a particular number. He also reported problems with the taxi voucher program and requested consideration that the mileage variances between the cabs and STS be allowed.
Ms. Maloukis thanked the staff, members and citizens who participated in the meeting and reminded everyone that the subcommittees meet February 28.
Adjournment.The meeting was adjourned at 6:07 p.m.
The next Access Advisory meeting will be March 7, 2007.
Respectfully Submitted, Nancy Crowther for Mary Ward, Access Secretary
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
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