Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
323 Congress Avenue, First Floor
ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES June 1, 2005

Members Present: Shelly Brisbin, Jerry Doran, Linda French, Julie Maloukis, Robert Raines and Judy Watford

Members Absent: Ron Burzese, R L. Glock, Scott Meyer and Juan Munoz.

Guests Present: Pat Bartel, Audley Blackburn, Kathy Blackburn, Tom Griffen, Christine Guerva, Paul Hunt, Marilyn Rogers and Pam Scott.

Staff Present: Nancy Crowther, Denise Guerrero and Jan Johnson.

Call to Order: Ms. Shelly Brisbin, Chair, called the meeting to order at 5:01 p.m.

Approval of Minutes: The minutes of May 4 were approved without question.

Citizen's Communication: Ms. Shelly Brisbin began this topic by reiterating the rules for Citizen Communication as stated in the Access Bylaws. Questions may or may not be asked by advisory members following the statement. Access members are asked to refrain from interrupting citizens during citizen communication and citizens are asked to refrain from interrupting the meeting.

1. Mr. Paul Hunt, former chair of MISAC, spoke about the difficulty obtaining STS paratransit trips outside of the ADA corridor. He suggested that more fixed route service would be ideal but stated STS taxi vouchers are needed for grocery shopping trips and medical related trips. He suggested that perhaps four STS taxi vouchers be given per day to those living outside of the ADA corridor. He also said that "take backs" (additional charges by the taxi company for service out of the Austin area) should be eliminated and that passengers should only pay for the actual cost of the trip.
2. Mr. Audley Blackburn, former chair of MISAC, applauded the procedures set forth by Ms. Brisbin at the beginning of the meeting. He then asked about the status of mobile data terminals that were promised after efforts were coordinated with the City of Austin. He said that these are needed on both fixed route and STS vehicles and enunciators are needed on the STS vehicles. Mr. Blackburn also stated that bus attendants are needed at all transit stations to facilitate traffic, parking and efficient boarding/deboarding. He stated that other cities have such employees at transit stations. In addition, Mr. Blackburn called for more security at bus stops to cut down on the number of "undesirables" hanging out at the stops and using the benches as beds and resting places. He spoke about one particular location that he has reported several times but nothing has changed.
3. Ms. Pam Scott stated that she is a cancer survivor needing frequent trips to the doctor, labs, hospitals etc. She stated that she often goes to two grocery stores in one day to obtain both regular foods and "specialty" foods. She suggested that Capital Metro deal with the ten individuals who are abusing the STS taxi vouchers rather than to adopt a blanket policy that would affect all passengers. She stated that all new rules should be in writing and suggested that the changes being made to the STS taxi voucher program are perhaps illegal and in violation of the ADA.
4. Mr. Pat Bartel stated that he is also a cancer survivor. He referred to the STS memo Mr. Johnson wrote on November 17, 2004 and stated that it has recently affected his ability to get add-on taxi vouchers. He said, "People are being told to call 911" rather than getting vouchers when requested (referring to medical emergencies). Mr. Bartel said that last fall he could get a taxi voucher trip within an hour but more recently he has waited up to two hours or longer to get a ride. He suggested that this is "unsanctioned by ADA." Mr. Bartel also stated that until May 9, 2005 you could get a STS Taxi voucher to go from the doctor to the lab to the pharmacy, for example, but this is no longer possible.

STS Taxi Voucher Program: Ms. Brisbin opened the discussion by reminding members and guests to participate in an orderly fashion. She then asked Mr. Jan Johnson to provide a brief report on this issue to update members.

Mr. Johnson began his account by stating that the taxi voucher program was more than 55% over budget on April 30, 2005. He quoted both budget and ridership figures.

Annual Taxi Voucher Program Budget $1,564,497

Budget through April 30, 2005 $912,625

Expenditures through April 30, 2005 $1,410,009

Variance (Budget Overrun) $497,384

Taxi Ridership (# of trips) through April 30, 2005 41,449

Average Daily Ridership (# of trips) Over Budget 206

Mr. Johnson stated that it is Capital Metro's intent to work with passengers on an individual basis to assure that needed services are provided. However, he stated that recent trends are disturbing. For example, some passengers are booking trips to the pharmacy or grocery store and then asking taxi drivers to take them somewhere else not authorized by the program policies.

Mr. Johnson stated that he has cleared up the misconception with STS reservation staff that a passenger's first trip of the day must be via an STS service/vehicle. Passengers can in fact obtain their own private ride to their first location or travel there by fixed route bus and then receive an STS taxi voucher ride home.

Mr. Johnson distributed a copy of the November 17, 2004 memo referred to earlier by Mr. Bartel and reiterated that no policy changes were made. Mr. Johnson then asked Ms. Nancy Crowther to speak about the ADA requirements of the taxi voucher program.

Ms. Crowther stated that Capital Metro is federally obligated to provide a curb to curb paratransit program. She stated that ADA does not require Capital Metro or any other transit system to provide a taxi voucher program. Thus, Capital Metro can develop guidelines for the program which goes beyond the ADA requirements and can prioritize trip requests for vouchers. She stated that Capital Metro is providing the taxi voucher program at will in an attempt to better meet the needs of its passengers and it is a premium service.

Mr. Johnson resumed the discussion by providing examples of potential abuse of the taxi voucher program by individuals which are under investigation.

Voucher Trips by One Individual during the 1st week of May 2005

• 7 returns from 3 different grocery stores
• 7 returns from 3 different pharmacies

Voucher Trips by the Same Individual during the 2nd week of May 2005
• 6 returns from 4 different pharmacies
• 7 returns from 3 different grocery stores

Mr. Johnson stated the bottom line: "ADA does not mandate or regulate the taxi voucher program." We have an obligation to our taxpayers to use the funds appropriately and within guidelines. If there is abuse by either the taxi companies ort the customers or both, we have a responsibility identify the problems and fix them.

Ms. Brisbin asked Mr. Johnson to elaborate on the specific STS policies that deal with passengers found to be abusing the taxi voucher system. He stated that STS has the generic policy to suspend passengers from the STS program. Ms. Maloukis suggested that passengers would be better able to follow the policy and that abuse would be more clearly defined if the STS policies include simple, step-by-step procedures to follow. She added that the Access Committee has been talking about revamping the STS policy manual as a committee goal.

Ms. Maloukis then made a motion that the Access Advisory Committee assign a high priority to the revision of the STS policy manual and that work on the project begin as soon as possible. The motion was seconded. A brief discussion followed. It was decided that a "ad hoc" group be appointed to work on the project. The group would report to the STS Subcommittee on a regular basis. Ms. Maloukis called the motion and it passed unanimously. Ms. Brisbin appointed Ms. Maloukis and Ms. Watford to work along with her on the ad hoc committee.

Mr. Johnson stated that the previous revision to the STS policy was a monumental task. Ms. Crowther stated that it took 18 months and was out of date before it was finished. They suggested that the task force prioritize policy issues rather than attempting to work on the entire manual. Ms. Maloukis agreed that while it is important to prioritize, it is also important to write the policies in a clear, consistent, easy to read and understand manner. She said that she has no intention of "reinventing the wheel."

IVR System Updates. Mr. Johnson provided a brief update on behalf of IVR Project Manager, Jane Schroter. He stated that the vendor is currently revising the script and this is expected to take about three weeks. Access members will have an opportunity to test the system again once the scripts are changed. He stated that the plan is to phase in both the Fixed Route and STS IVR Systems in gradually, hopefully by the end of the summer. He also added that Ms. Michelle Smith, IVR Programmer/Analyst is no longer with Capital Metro and that a replacement will be sought.

Subcommittee Reports.
STS Subcommittee: Ms. Maloukis gave the report on behalf of Mr. Munoz.
Status Update: Mr. Johnson gave reported that STS is almost fully staffed. He stated that ridership and requests for taxi vouchers are up. He also reported that Capital Metro is in contract negotiations with StarTran. He serves as Vice President of the Board of StarTran and is an agent working for Capital Metro in the negotiation process so he is unable to comment on issues discussed.
Taxi Voucher Program: Mr. Munoz spoke about a serious issue regarding the taxi voucher program. Mr. Johnson provided background. With only 7 out of 12 months this year, the STS taxi voucher program is already over budget by $468,000. Stricter control over the taxi voucher program is being enforced.

Mr. Pat Bartel, a citizen, attended the meeting and presented a document of the subject: "ADA Violation of Title III - Illegal Policy Pertaining to Taxi Vouchers Consequence: Probable Class Action Lawsuit & Congressional Action." The document outlined his recent difficulties obtaining taxi vouchers. Mr. Bartel initiated a discussion with Mr. Johnson. When questioned by subcommittee members, Mr. Johnson stated the STS policy on taxi vouchers has not changed. Subcommittee members felt the issue should be addressed by the Access committee as a whole.

American Cab Issue: Ms. Watford asked for more details about the American Cab situation in which drivers were charging Capital Metro incorrectly for vouchers. Mr. Johnson provided information. Ms. Maloukis said there would appear to be a need for tighter purchase order and vendor payment controls. Ms. French and Ms. Watson called for internal auditors.

Requests: Members asked Mr. Johnson to provide the following items prior to the next meeting:

• A written copy of the STS policies in larger print.
• A written copy of his memo stressing operators follow policies mores strictly in large print.
• Braille copies of the agenda and budget documents on the agenda.

Access Committee Discussion

Budget: Ms. Brisbin asked about the status of STS Budget discussion. Mr. Johnson stated that Capital Metro is still in the initial stages of developing its budget across all departments. He reported that a draft will probably be presented to the committee in late August. Ms. Brisbin stated that she is being proactive to assure that Access is involved from the beginning rather than being asked to rubber stamp a finished product.

Taxi Company Negotiations: Ms. Watford made a motion that Access be involved in the contract negotiations with the taxi cab companies and that more money is allocated to the taxi voucher program, especially for those living outside of the ADA corridor. She also discussed the poor relationships between drivers and passengers and situations of alleged abuse by drivers. Ms. French asked that more information be provided to Members prior to further discussion. Ms. Maloukis questioned the charge of the Access committee as related to negotiations with any entity. Mr. Johnson clarified that the negotiations are strictly controlled by the procurement department for contract ethics and cannot be jeopardized by public input except that public input via comments and complaints are taken into consideration. The motion was not seconded and was later withdrawn.

Fixed Route Subcommittee: Ms. Brisbin gave the report on behalf of Mr. Burzese. Members heard reports from several different Capital Metro departments.

Signage: Ms. Cynthia Lucas attended to discuss signage. She stated that the City of Austin will govern the sign pole. It must be designed to break away when hit by a car to eliminate damage to both the vehicle and the pole itself. She reported that Capital Metro is in the process of taking bids for another prototype and that members will be given an opportunity to provide comments later this summer.

Route 320: Ms. Meredith Highsmith and Mr. Roberto Gonzales presented information about the proposed updates. A circulator type service is being planned to work in tandem with Route 151. Ms. French was especially pleased with the work in progress.

Customer Service: Members of the Customer Service department attended to provide information about the customer service process. An informative presentation was given along with a question/answer session. Members asked staff for a more accessible internet comment form.

Service Changes: Mr. Roberto Gonzalez will attend the June Subcommittee meeting to report on service changes.

Chair Report: Ms. Brisbin spoke to the Committee about her desire to develop a list of Goals for the Committee. She asked members to provide input to her before the next meeting. She also reported that she is beginning to work on a calendar template to help plan meeting agendas throughout the year. She welcomed comments from both members and staff.

Announcements.

1. Ms. Crowther announced that Capital Metro has renewed its contract with the Disability Assistance of Central Texas to continue services such as the Bus Rider Training Program.
2. Ms. Crowther distributed information about the upcoming Senior Olympics and encouraged eligible members to participate.

Calendar.

Adjourned Ms. Brisbin adjourned the meeting at 6:35 p.m.

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
2910 East 5th Street | Austin, Texas 78702 | (512) 389-7400
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