Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority 323 Congress Avenue, First Floor ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES May 4, 2005
Members Present: Shelly Brisbin, Ron Burzese, Jerry Doran, Linda French, Randal L. Glock, Julie Maloukis, Scott Meyer, Juan Munoz, Robert Raines, and Judy Watford.
Members Absent: None
Capital Metro Staff Present: Nancy Crowther, Denise Guerrero, and Jane Schroter (for presentation)
Guest(s): Christine Guerva, Susie Angel, and Pam Scott.
The meeting was called to order at 5:03PM. All decisions are voted upon and all votes are unanimous unless stated otherwise.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
The minutes of the April 6, 2005 ACCESS Advisory Committee Meeting were approved as written.
CITIZEN'S COMMUNICATION.
Ms. Linda French discussed her difficulty with being buckled in properly on fixed routes. Ms. Judy Watford stated that this is a continual problem. She added comments about bus drivers having negative attitudes for people with disabilities and about bus drivers failing to call out bus stops for passengers. Every member of the ACCESS Committee agreed with these comments and felt that this topic should be focused on in the future. Ms. French and Mr. Glock also added that when they file a complaint about a particular driver they often face hostility and rudeness the next time they board the driver's bus. Ms. Maloukis stated that fear of retribution was an issue brought up by a citizen attending the recent Community Conversation event at the Marriott.
Ms. Denise Guerrero, Capital Metro Training Department, stated that the issues with the improper securement of passengers using wheelchairs and scooters only occur with a small number of drivers. Members of ACCESS cited many examples and incidents, stating the buses have video cameras and this can or should be checked. Ms. Guerrereo and Ms. Nancy Crowther stated that there will be a refresher training in October for bus drivers and that ACCESS members could attend these trainings. Ms. Julie Maloukis, who has been involved in some of the securement training videos, stated Capital Metro is providing appropriate training but cannot force drivers to follow the rules. She suggested that drivers who receive customer service complaints could be assigned to a camera bus and monitored closely.
As always, passengers are encouraged to report improper or poor delivery of customer service. Also, if possible, it may be helpful to call using a cell phone immediately to report an incident in progress. Both, Nancy and Denise can take calls from ACCESS members. Julie Maloukis noted that it is important not to argue with drivers or make any negative comments as this tends to add fuel to the fire.
PROPOSED AUGUST SERVICE CHANGES
No decisions have been made yet. Capital Metro is still gathering input up though May 23, 2005 Board of Director's meeting. Citizens can call or e-mail Capital Metro about any recommendations they have. Also, citizens can address the Board during the meeting if they arrive at 4:00 p.m. and sign up to speak.
January 2006 Service Changes will be in the works soon. There will be public meetings in June and August. However, the Capital Metro Planning Department will discuss ideas with ACCESS next month in June. Ms. Shelly Brisbin wants to devote most of the meeting to this topic if needed. She also wants to make sure that Service Changes are the first item on the agenda.
Ms. Linda French asked about the progress of the proposed changes to Route 320. Ms. Crowther read a brief note sent by the Planning Department about the possibility of serving the places seniors living in the area often frequent. ACCESS will continue to follow the progress of Route 320 so it does not lose momentum. Also, Linda French will continue to work with Meredith Highsmith and the rest of the Capital Metro Planning Department staff. It was recommended that Ms. French speak to the passengers who frequent Route 151 (Allendale Route) to find out about any issues that may be of importance.
Ms. Julie Maloukis recommended ACCESS recognize the members of the Capital Metro Planning Department. She stated that planning staff members have attended many ACCESS meetings and have done a great job of keeping members informed of potential changes in a timely manner. She specifically complemented planning staff for working to add a curb cut at Hancock Center near the St. David's Wheelchair Fitness Center, for work on Route 252 in far South Austin and for all the assistance they have given Linda French with Route 320. Every ACCESS member agreed. Chair, Shelly Brisbin, asked that this be reflected in the minutes.
Mr. Randal Glock gave some insight into possible changes to Route 1 and Route 27 in January. However, nothing is official at this time. He also spoke about the naming convention of potential new routes. ACCESS will wait to address any January changes until the Planning Department presents them at the June meeting.
IVR PHONE PROGRAM PILOT TESTING RESULTS
Ms. Jane Schroter discussed the recent pilot testing of the IVR system. In the testing, ACCESS noted difficulties with six items. She stated that the Citizen's Service Advisory Committee (CSAC) also experienced difficulties. ACCESS and CSAC were in agreement on four problem items:
- Speech Recognition is Poor.
- Capital Metro will seek 200 volunteers to speak a list of a hundred or more street names to help fix this issue. The contractor has agreed to a 95% recognition rate and Capital Metro is working to come up with a way to measure this.
- Address Direction Issue, Requiring that users say "915 32nd Street East" rather than "915 E. 32nd Street."
- It appears that the IVR system can be changed to allow users to record address in the usual order.
- Address Direction Issue, Requiring that users say a street direction at intersections.
- It appears that the IVR system can be changed so that users will not be required to record a street direction for intersections. (Congress at Barton Springs as opposed to South Congress at Barton Springs.)
- Difficulties Handling Interruptions to Speed Transactions
- People had difficulty when trying to give commands before the IVR finished giving instructions. It was also noted that the instructions are so long that many people don't remember the question. A solution was not discussed.
ACCESS will have more opportunities to test IVR. Both the Chair and Vice Chair asked that future pilot testing not take place during another ACCESS meeting. Instead, members offered to attend pilot testing sessions on a different day and/or to test the system at home. All members asked to be given more notice prior to testing and that more time be given for the testing.
A discussion followed about the pre-registered destinations or "favorites" on the STS side of the IVR system. Ms. Schroter reported that it's possible to have up to 99 pre-registered destinations for each customer. However, a customer will need to use general terms such as "Doctor 1" or "Doctor 2" instead of "Dr. Jones" or "Dr. Smith". This is still being worked out.
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS.
STS Subcommittee
The STS Subcommittee did not meet due to the IVR pilot testing. Mr. Juan Munoz reported that the STS Subcommittee will be discussing the STS Budget at the next meeting. All ACCESS members are encouraged to attend the meeting as this is an important topic. Mr. Munoz states that Julie Maloukis will give the STS Subcommittee report on his behalf at the June ACCESS meeting.
Fixed Route ADA Subcommittee.
The Fixed Route ADA Subcommittee did not meet due to the IVR pilot testing. Mr. Randal Glock reported some potential January 2006 route changes. Fixed Route Committee will discuss budget issues in August. Mr. Glock stated that Ron Burzese has been elected to serve as Vice Chair of the Subcommittee and stated that Mr. Burzese will run the meetings during his absence.
CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT
Ms. Shelly Brisbin stated that the Board appeared responsive when she reported on the IVR testing that has taken place.
There will be no additional public hearings on proposed August 2005 Service Changes, but people are encouraged to call, e-mail, and/or attend the next board meeting on May 23, 2005 to provide input.
Ms. Brisban wants to create a template calendar of recurring annual events. Everyone agreed that this will help ACCESS stay on top of issues such as service changes, budget, etc. Ms. Brisban is working with Nancy Crowther on this. Members are encouraged to give her any important dates so ACCESS can be prepared each year to do the best job possible and have time to advise the board.
Shelly reiterated previously stated concerns about ACCESS not receiving information with enough lead time to adequately advise the Board on ADA issues and proposals. She said that adequate time to advise board as ACCESS does not get sufficient notice on proposals. Members concurred.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ms. Judy Watford recommended that ACCESS have a couple of work session a year to stay ahead of the game in dealing with regular issues. She also expressed a concern that not enough information is available in Braille or in print. She feels that people without adequate access to the internet are being left out of the loop.
Ms. Watford asked Nancy Crowther to provide information in Braille and in large print when ACCESS meets to discuss important topics. She especially asked that Braille information be available when budget topics are on the agenda. Everyone agreed.
Ron Burzese stated that the bus company in Minnesota had a monthly magazine that passengers could grab on the bus and that the blind community put into a text speech system which could be accessed by touch phone. Everyone thought it would be great for Capital Metro to do this in order to keep passengers better informed.
May 7, 2005, elections will take place for three city council seats. Early voting has begun.
Jan Johnson is ill and may be out for a few weeks. Everyone asked that he be given Best Wishes from ACCESS members.
Capital Metro will have to search for a new vendor source for Rapid Bus purchases. Previously they were considering a vendor outside of the United States that, in their opinion, has the best rapid bus designs. However, Capital Metro must Buy American.
The Legislature voted to allow Capital Metro Board Members to serve an unlimited number of terms on the Board. Thus, Mr. Lee Walker will not have to step down.
Fixed Route Bus Drivers will undergo refresher training in October.
The Labor Contract is up for negotiations. It appears that there are some issues brewing and it is likely that things will get worse before getting better as workers express concerns and negotiate salary and benefits.
Scott Meyer reported that he will likely miss the June meeting. He will also miss will also be away during the latter part of July. He should be able to send a proxy in his absence except for the June 1, 2005 meeting.
2005 Access Advisory Committee Meeting Schedule
| Main Access | STS Subcommittee | ADA Subcommittee | |
| 2005 | 1st Wednesday | 4th Wednesday | 4th Wednesday |
| June | 1 | 22 | 22 |
| July | 6 | 27 | 27 |
| August | 3 | 24 | 24 |
| September | 7 | 28 | 28 |
| October | 5 | 26 | 26 |
| November | 2 | 9 | 9 |
| December | 7 | 14 | 14 |
The Chair adjourned the meeting at 6:41 PM.
Respectfully Submitted by:Scott Meyer, Secretary Julie Maloukis, Co-Secretary
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
2910 East 5th Street | Austin, Texas 78702 | (512) 389-7400
Specific Route Information | (512) 474-1200 | (800) 474-1201