According to WMATA’s website with regards to the Elderly & Disabled Transportation Advisory Committee:
People with disabilities and their advocates are welcome to attend committee meetings. They are held the first Monday of each month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the lobby level Meeting Room at Metro’s Headquarters at 600 Fifth Street NW. Please call 202/962-1100 for more information.
Given this is the first meeting since MV Transportation took over the contract to provide MetroAccess services, and since the re-launch of this site, we decided to attend.
However, it seems WMATA aren’t entirely sure about the meeting either. When we called that number given this morning, the person who answered it claimed she’d never even heard of an “Elderly & Disabled Transportation Advisory Committee”, and suggested instead calling 301/562-4640. We did so, and ended up leaving voicemail.
After a few hours with no call-back, we tried the process again, calling
202/962-1100 once more. The person we spoke with (different than before) said the meeting might be around 3:30pm - 4pm. We told her that WMATA’s own website gave the time for the meeting as between 5:30pm - 7:30pm, she responded that she didn’t know, and also suggested we call 301/562-4640.
Calling 301/562-4640, we were told it’s at 4pm in Jackson Grand Bldg but the person we spoke with didn’t have an address. We were transferred to someone who answered as being “Front Desk”, and that person confirmed the location as being 600 5th Street NW, where the website lists the meetings occur.
The problem is, “Front Desk” also confirmed that the meeting is scheduled to start at 4pm, not 5:30pm as advertised on the website. The person on the phone was unable to explain why this discontinuity between times.
So the question is, why does WMATA’s website list a later time for the start of the meeting? And why does an employee at the number given to ask about such meetings deny there even is such a meeting, or the existance of the Elderly & Disabled Transportation Advisory Committee?
Anyone relying on WMATA’s website for information on this meeting is going to miss it, because it starts earlier than WMATA states, and they have to fight for accurate information from the phone number WMATA itself provides to get “more information” from.
It does make you wonder, why the difference in times? It does give the impression WMATA might not want people to attend the meeting this month.
