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
- Jane Lansaw, Chair Fixed Route Subcommittee
- Mary Ward, Chair MetroAccess Subcommittee
- Sandra Seekamp, Member Fixed Route Subcommittee
- Malcolm Graham, Member MetroAccess Subcommittee
Capital Metro Staff Present
- Rafael Villarreal, Assistant Director of Paratransit
- Dianne Mendoza, Director Business and Community Relations
- Bill Predmore, IT Department
- Olivia Jones, Assistant Manager of Operations for Star Tran
- Betty Craven, Paratransit Road Supervisor
Guests Present
- Michael Zitz-Evancih
- Carlos Aleman
- Pat Bartel
- Larry Graunard
Call to OrderThe meeting was called to order at 5:31 pm by Chair Diane Bomar-Aleman.
Citizen’s CommunicationCarlos Aleman expressed his thanks to the volunteers of the Access Advisory Committee and the Capital Metro staff for their hard work in making the MetroAccess System work. He is a member of the pilot group for the previous day email ride notification system and he is hoping that after all of the kinks are worked out, the system is rolled out on a large scale. However, the system currently has some flaws. He got an email stating his ride for the next day was scheduled for 7:15 am, although the actual ride was scheduled for 8:15 am. In some of the emails he receives, some of his rides don’t appear and if one of the rides is a cab voucher, the email does not list it as such. He said it was good that the IVR system is now stating scheduled ride times again and that the last few times he has ridden a fixed route bus, the enunciators have been working well.
Sandy Seekamp spoke as a rider of MetroAccess and her challenges on a recent trip. She had a ride scheduled from her apartment across Woodward to the Howardton Eye Clinic. Although the ride was just across Interstate 35, the ride time was scheduled as an hour and two minute trip. She arrived at her appointment 45 minutes early. Chair Aleman stated that the National Transit Institute considers a ride that arrives more the 30 minutes early the same as a ride that arrives late.
Michael Zitz-Evancih said the Board of Director’s had been discussing things before making any changes to Capital Metro services. He also said that Board Members Martinez, Cowman and Manor briefly talked about Manor’s proposal to exempt some riders who are near the federal poverty level from paying fares.
Several members of the Access Committee restated that the Committee had previously passed a resolution stating that Disability Fare Card holders and MetroAccess riders should pay the same amount as seniors when using a fixed route bus.
Approval of Minutes for August 5, 2009Jane Lansaw moved and Malcolm Graham seconded that the minutes from the August 5, 2009 Access Advisory Committee meeting be approved. The motion passed.
AnnouncementsDianne Mendoza from Capital Metro announced that Kirk Talbott, from the Capital Metro IT Department, and his wife recently had a new baby girl. The Access Committee will send Mr. Talbott and congratulatory card to the Capital Metro office at 2910 East 5th Street.
Secretary Boone Blocker announced that Council Member Laura Morrison had nominated, and the City Council had approved him for membership on the Urban Transportation Commission. Also, he announced that he is now an Associate Member of the Mayor’s Committee For People With Disabilities.
On September 14, 2009 at the 2910 E. 5th Street office, Capital Metro will be having a Public Hearing to hear comments on the proposed changes to the MetroAccess services.
In addition to the Public Hearing on September 14, 2009 on the proposed changes to the MetroAccess services, Capital Metro will be having their overall Budget Hearing on September 21, 2009 at 2910 E. 5th Street.
Access Committee ReportsVice Chair Patterson reported that the next Customer Satisfaction Advisory Committee (CSAC) will be held on September 9, 2009 at City Hall in the Staff Bullpen Room. He said CSAC was glad that the Destinations Schedule Book would continue to be printed, although it will only be on a limited basis. Malcolm Graham moved and Sandy Seekamp seconded a motion to express the gratitude of the Access Committee to the CSAC Committee for their efforts in getting the Destinations to continue to be printed.
Chair Aleman said that the Metro Mobility Working Group (MMWG) and recent Capital Metro Board of Director’s Board Report was already in the possession of the Access Committee.
Jane Lansaw spoke about the last Comprehensive Operation Analysis (COA) Meeting and that she got the notes from Ron Lucey. She said Lucey touched on 3 major points during the meeting: canceling routes on the fixed route service would affect MetroAccess, he asked about whether UT Shuttles were used for regular fixed routes and he also spoke about the upcoming public meetings around town. Perteet Consulting will take the information from the public meetings and report them back to Capital Metro in January. Several members of the Access Committee noted that there are substantial changes to some fixed route services and that they should be monitored closely.
Capital Metro Staff ReportsBill Predmore of the Capital Metro IT Department gave an update on the repair status of the IVR System. Last month Capital Metro entered into a contract with a new company, Product Support Services (PSS), to fix the IVR System. They were trying to upgrade the system in 4 hours, but because of a memory leak, the software on the servers and other problems, that didn’t happen. Accordingly, the company brought in workers to address the challenges. He apologized for the problems and stated that Capital Metro was committed to fixing the issues. He stated that the IVR System is now back to stating scheduled times for MetroAccess trips.
Once the system has been stabilized, Capital Metro and PSS will look into the logic of the system and try to make it work better. As such, there might be a slight interruption in the system in the coming days and weeks. Vice Chair Patterson asked if the IVR System was separate from Trapeze and if the two interfaced with each other and about the possibility of the system using touch tones. Mr. Predmore stated that the IT Department was aware of the interest in this feature and although he couldn’t guarantee that it would work, Capital Metro was looking into this. Malcolm Graham mentioned that if a trip was late and it was past the time of the scheduled trip, the IVR System would not list the trip. Mr. Predmore answered that it might be possible to have the IVR reflect a larger time window so that these trips might be listed. He also talked about how Capital Metro, using CAD-AVL, was trying to get more a more accurate scheduled time arrival for fixed route buses.
Chair Aleman stated that her phone number is getting dropped from the pilot program that is being tested to notify MetroAccess riders when their rides are nearby. She asked if Capital Metro was committed to getting the call notification system to work. She also asked whose job it was at Capital Metro to make sure the notification system was working before the proposed 30 minute pickup window was implemented. Dianne Mendoza of Capital Metro stated that Kirk Talbott of the IT Department was in charge of the IVR. There is an internal steering committee comprised of Kirk Talbott, Dottie Watkins, a Project Lead, a Project Champion, Inez Evans and a Project Manager, Chair Aleman asked to be put in touch with the Project Manager so that her concerns, and others like it, could be addressed.
Vice Chair Patterson asked how no-shows are tabulated. He was told that Veronica Davis runs a monthly report and that the driver usually enters it into the on-board vehicle system or calls it into Trapeze. Vice Chair Patterson also asked how the riders on MetroAccess where notified of their no-shows. Is it in some cases by email? Pat Bartel asked if Capital Metro would be interested in being contacted by a consulting company that might bring some more ideas about these issues to the table. Mr. Predmore said they would be interested in talking to anyone about possible solutions.
Olivia Jones, Assistant Manager of Operations for Star Tran, gave a presentation of the responsibility of operators to pickup up passengers, disabled and non-disabled alike. The operators work with a set of instructions that encompass two sets of directions. The first requires the passenger, if possible to stand up near the bus stop and wave to flag down the bus. The second requires the bus operator to slow down, stop, and open the door to engage the enunciator to ascertain if the rider wants that particular bus. Jones is working with a skeleton crew of only ½ her normal field supervisors. However, the field supervisors do make site evaluations and try to listen to the bus stop conditions and do an overall check of the operator. The drivers are given a set of ADA requirements and are told that compliance is not a choice but the normal operating procedure. Jones realizes that not all of the riders have the capability to stand which is why she spoke of the responsibility of the drivers to stop and open the doors at each stop to see if a person at the stop wants to ride the bus.
She also stated that in some cases a bus may be full and the operator is allowed to pass a person at a stop, but usually a sub or overflow bus is close behind. She mentioned that she sometimes personally goes by a transit center to check on the general security of the facility. If a rider notices a problem at a stop or at a transit center they are encouraged to call the Capital Metro Go Line at 512.474.1200. Sandy Seekamp spoke of woman in a wheelchair who was unable to board a bus in Leander for over 3 hours and Jones said she would look into the matter. Malcolm Graham asked if this set of operator instructions also applied to the 1st Transit and Veolia drivers. Jones stated that although these operators and buses are separate from Capital Metro and the Star Tran drivers, the set of instructions should be the same. Jones stated that the Star Tran drivers go through at least a biannual refresher on operator responsibilities. The shadow evaluations performed by the field supervisors and on-board bus cameras also help with this area.
Chair Aleman talked about some indigent or other fixed route riders bringing unauthorized “service animals” onto the bus. Jones said that she was aware of the problem, but because of the instructions set forth by the ADA, it was difficult for the bus operators to ascertain or screen which animals are actual service animals.
Ralph Villarreal gave an update on the proposed changes to MetroAccess that would take place when the new fiscal year started in October 1, 2009. The upcoming public hearings will cover the 30 minute pickup window, the no-show policy and the revision to it of a fineable threshold of 4 missed trips per month, the reservation call center hours and the advanced reservation days. The Committee discussed their concerns with the proposed policy changes. Chair Aleman spoke of a notification call that stated her MetroAccess ride was changed to a cab voucher ride in which the message only gave the option of pressing 2 to repeat the message or pressing 5 to cancel the ride, neither of which are viable options.
Villarreal also told the Access Committee that the overflow contract with PTS was being recommended to the Capital Metro Board of Directors that it not be renewed, to which the Access Committee expressed their great relief.
Several Access members talked about MetroAccess riders that had contacted them and told them of a new recertification procedure for the MetroAccess services. Since this issue has not been discussed in the MMWG, the Committee expressed their extreme displeasure with this development. In addition to requiring the MetroAccess user to go through the entire medical recertification process, the notice to renew the person’s MetroAccess eligibility was not sent in an accessible format.
Old BusinessVice Chair Patterson spoke of the need to make sure that information coming out of the MMWG is in writing as to avoid any future misunderstandings between Capital Metro, Access Committee members and MetroAccess users in general.
New BusinessSandy Seekamp reminded the group that no cost of living increases were being made to those on Social Security and that prescription drugs through the Medicare system would be costing more the coming year.
AdjournmentJane Lansaw moved and Sandy Seekamp seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed and the meeting was adjourned at 7:32 pm.
The next Access Advisory Committee Meeting will be held October 7, 2009 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the 314 W. 11th, Ned Granger Travis County Commissioner’s Courthouse Building.
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
2910 East 5th Street | Austin, Texas 78702 | (512) 389-7400
Specific Route Information | (512) 474-1200