Given that WMATA has stated to DC ParaTransit Info it considers burying notification of the FY2007 Proposed Budget meeting deep within their site to be “adequate” notification whilst not mentioning it in their news pages, we note with great amusement the appearance, a day after the event, on the news section of WMATA’s site a press release soliciting comments and questions via email.
We regret that WMATA seems to have made sure that the MetroAccess ridership, through lack of effective notification of this meeting, were unable to face the Board to ask their questions or make comments in person.
The press release does provide a link to submit such comments or questions to WMATA, as well as providing .pdf versions of the Proposed budget, a rather nice looking 8-page brochure, and the executive summary - all of which they’re now quite happy to promote at the front of their site. It is regretable that they were unwilling to do so before the meeting.
WMATA effectively made sure that the Board would not have to answer to the MetroAccess riders and justify in person their rationale for providing such a poor level of service, their rationale for deciding to disenfranchise MetroAccess riders in an effort to cut costs, and their rationale for treating MetroAccess riders as an overhead, instead of as customers (not to mention taxpayers).
DC ParaTransit Info, therefore, will be quite happy to enable MetroAccess riders to offer their questions and suggestions through this site, as well. We also wonder if the Washington Post, DC Examiner, and other local media outlets would also be willing to step forwards and allow the MetroAccess riders to very plainly offer their questions and comments in a public forum that WMATA’s “adequate notification” denied the ridership so effectively.
It is very difficult for DC ParaTransit Info to give any credence to WMATA’s claims of a willingness to work with the MetroAccess ridership to move forward, resolve the service issues, and work together to help make the Metro DC Area’s ParaTransit service a shining example of what can be accomplished when we witness the same tricks that have been used over the years being recycled once more.
The Board might have dodged the bullet on this one, but in doing so it has made its opinions of the MetroAccess ridership quite clear. The ridership is quite likely going to remember such stunts when WMATA next claims to care what we think.
