Members Present:
- Diane Bomar-Aleman, Chair Access Committee, Member MetroAccess Subcommittee
- Dave Patterson, Vice Chair Access Committee, Member Fixed Route Subcommittee
- Boone J. Blocker, Secretary Access Committee, Member Fixed Route Subcommittee
- Malcolm Graham, Member MetroAccess Subcommittee
- Mary Ward, Chair MetroAccess Subcommittee
- Amy Litzinger, Member MetroAccess Subcommittee
- Sandra Seekamp, Member Fixed Route Subcommittee
Members Absent
- Jane Lansaw, Chair Fixed Route Subcommittee
Capital Metro Staff Present
- Inez Evans, Director Paratransit
- Julie Martin, Staff Liaison
- Rafael Villarreal, Assistant Director of Paratransit
- Doug Allen, Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer
- Dianne Mendoza, Director Business and Community Relations
- Kirk Talbott, Chief Communications Officer
- Chad Ballentine, Superintendent Paratransit
Guests Present
- Michael Zitz-Evancih
- Carlos Aleman
- Sarah Grant
Call to OrderThe meeting was called to order at 5:34 pm by Vice Chair Patterson.
Citizen’s CommunicationCarlos Aleman spoke of his good experience with most drivers and said that it is rare to get a bad MetroAccess driver. He is still waiting on some communication regarding several issues. How much can a negotiated ride time be changed by? If a call is started before 5:00 pm and picked up after 5:00 pm, can the ride still be scheduled? Also, can two seeing-eye dogs be taken on a trip with only one person? Mr. Aleman thought that a ride could only be changed by 15 minutes or less from the negotiated time. He also thought that if a call was started before 5:00 pm and the call is picked up after 5:00, the client could still successfully schedule a ride. He also doesn’t understand why one person couldn’t take two guide dogs on a trip to the vet. He would like some MetroAccess policy clarifications in these areas. Access Vice Chair Dave Patterson said that the 5:00 pm call issue should be discussed in the Metro Mobility Working Group (MMWG) and suggested that a second supervisor should be on duty until the call center closes. Access Chair Diane Aleman thought that during the June Access Advisory Committee Meeting this issue was addressed and Inez Evans had clarified the MetroAccess policy. She mentioned that MetroAccess supervisor Tony might benefit from coming to an Access Advisory Committee Meeting so he could hear personally the correct policy himself.
Michael Zitz-Evancih talked about how public entertainment was being used to promote public transportation, one of which had cowboys in Montana with some snow storm action between bus stops. He also still has bus pass ID questions.
Access member Sandy Seekamp has two complaints and was given a reference number by Capital Metro. However, she received no follow-up email and is still waiting on a response. Access liaison Julie Martin will look into this situation.
Approval of Minutes for May 6, 2009Mary Ward moved and Malcolm Graham seconded that the minutes from the May 6, 2009 Access Advisory Committee meeting be approved. The motion passed.
Approval of Minutes for June 3, 2009Mary Ward moved and Sandy Seekamp seconded that the minutes from the June 3, 2009 Access Advisory Committee meeting be approved. The motion passed.
Announcements Budget hearings are currently underway and Access liaison Martin stated that this information was listed on Capital Metro’s website (capmetro.org).
Capital Metro Staff ReportsKirk Talbott took questions about the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Inez Evans spoke to Mr. Talbott about the reservation queue and next day reservations. Currently, there are two sections in the call queue, one section for next day reservations and the other for future reservations. However, the system doesn’t show what kind of particular call is in the queue and all of the calls are in the same group. Chad Ballentine also stated that Capital Metro can’t get the particular number of a call in the queue. He has spoken to agents about this situation and is trying to formulate a manual way to see which calls are for next day reservations and which calls are for future reservations.
Access member Mary Ward has experienced extremely long hold times in the IVR system and she advises people not to use it
Vice Chair Patterson was concerned that there was only one supervisor on duty at a time during the heaviest call volume period and suggested they stagger their shifts to ensure better coverage at the 9310 McNeil Drive call center.
Chair Aleman informed Kirk Talbott that the MMWG has a 4 page list of issues dealing with the IVR, but that she would cover some of the major ones in this Access Meeting. Clients are still having a problem of going all the way through the reservation process and then at the very end the IVR gives a denial of the trip booking. She stated that the IVR is still giving estimated times instead of scheduled times and that no-shows are happening because of this issue. Malcolm Graham stated that on several occasions he has called the IVR to confirm his trips and the system has given him incorrect taxi voucher information. Sandy Seekamp said that she is still having problems with the IVR adding an extra number to her ID even though she speaks clearly and slowly. She also expressed frustration with getting near the end of her reservation and the address message gets stuck causing an abandonment of the trip booking.
Kirk Talbott said that a live reservationist always has more flexibility than the IVR system. He stated that the estimated times vs. the scheduled times issue was on Capital Metro’s radar. He stated that they are currently looking for other companies to deliver IVR support which would be vendor agnostic and not necessarily just pushing their own product. During the first part of September, the first round of IVR fixes will take place with the goal of stabilizing the system hardware. Currently the IVR system is crashing 2-3 times per week, which is unacceptable. Mr. Talbott said that during the first round of fixes, Capital Metro will be able to test the different functions of the IVR system which will include switching back to scheduled time reservation method. Several Access members asked about moving to a new software support vendor. Mr. Talbott said that Capital Metro would not be paying part of their final bill to the current vendor due to poor outcomes and support. Chair Aleman asked that when the new software was being rolled out she be contacted for training purposes.
Chad Ballentine then commented on the status of the web reservation method for booking MetroAccess trips. He stated that his team was reviewing some of the test data for this operation. Mary Ward relayed that the web form was not labeled properly and asked that the labels go on the line before the edit field. In addition, she stated that there should only be one field per line, and that it work similarly as JAWS.
Vice Chair Patterson asked if it would be a stretch to have account information listed when someone logged on to make a web reservation, which might include a person’s no-show fees. Mary Ward stressed that the system make it better for all involved.
Recruitment of New Access Committee MembersCurrently there are 10 Access Advisory Committee applicants, including one attending the meeting tonight, Sarah Grant. The new applicant brochure is in English and Spanish and has a tear-away portion for the application. It also lists the extended application deadline of July 21, 2009. Application information is listed on the front page of capmetro.org and it is also listed on the IVR. Vice Chair Patterson inquired about putting a PSA on the KUT radio station.
He also asked about MetroAccess drivers serving on the Access Advisory Committee. Access liaison Martin asked whether the drivers had any restrictions in their labor contracts about performing this kind of task. Mary Ward asked if this kind of task would be considered a potential conflict of interest. At the very least, several members asked about posting a standing invitation notice in the driver’s cafeteria to come to Access Advisory Committee meetings.
Sarah Grant asked if MetroAccess employed any human schedulers. She stressed the benefit for her vocational students in riding with other people on their trips. She was informed that yes, while Capital Metro does use scheduling software; they also employ human schedulers for the shared ride service.
Sandy Seekamp asked about the brochures in the MetroAccess vehicles. She was informed that the recruitment information was only placed in the vehicles for one day due to budge constraints. Vice Chair Patterson moved and Sandy Seekamp seconded that a motion to be made to at least put the brochures in MetroAccess for 10 days or longer before the application deadline of July 21, 2009. Dianne Mendoza of Capital Metro then announced that for the last 2 weeks of the application period, the brochures and accessibly formatted recruitment information would be placed in the MetroAccess vehicles.
Moment of SilenceSecretary Blocker asked everyone to participate in a moment of silence for Mr. Will Brown who recently passed away. He stated that Mr. Brown’s memorial service would be held the following Tuesday at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church on Mesa Drive. Inez Evans stated that a shuttle would be leaving from the Capital Metro Building at 2910 E. 5th Street and would make several steps along the way to pick up any Access members who would like to attend the memorial service.
Access Committee ReportsVice Chair Patterson said that the next CSAC Meeting will be on July 8, 2009 at City Hall from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. On July 17 a meeting with Elaine Tims and Allen Walker will have a presentation on a new customer satisfaction index with the hope of one day putting all client concerns and compliments under one roof.
Chair Aleman stated that the MMWG meetings have now been moved to the day after the Access Subcommittee meeting. The MMWG has met twice since the last Access meeting and passed the policy that ride scheduling cannot be moved to more than 15 minutes away from the negotiated time. The IVR and no-show policy was not finalized and no resolution was passed by the group. The next meeting is July 23, 2009 at 323 Congress from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.
Old BusinessSecretary Blocker addressed Dianne Mendoza, Julie Martin and the rest of the Capital Metro Staff and stressed the importance of open lines of communication. While some may have thought 323 Congress was a good place to have the Access Meetings, he relayed the trouble of properly operating a wheelchair in the limited confines of 323 Congress. It was agreed by both the Access Committee and Capital Metro Staff that communication goes both ways and that the parties will strive to properly talk to each other.
New BusinessThe Access Committee informed Dianne Mendoza, Julie Martin, Inez Evans and the rest of the Capital Metro Staff that they wish to submit 2 additional names, on top of the 3 upcoming vacancies, to the Capital Metro Board for approval. After the interview process is complete, the 2 additional persons will stand approved in case of any Access Advisory Committee attrition. The motion passed by a vote of 6 to 1 and Dianne Mendoza will take the motion to the board.
AdjournmentSandy Seekamp moved and Mary Ward seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed and the meeting was adjourned at 7:33 pm.
The next Access Advisory Committee Meeting will be held August 5, 2009 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the 314 W. 11th, Ned Granger Travis County Commissioner’s Courthouse Building.
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