DC ParaTransit Info

WMATA Office of ADA Programs Press Release:

MetroAccess Set to Begin Door-to-Door Service on June 30, 2008

Starting on Monday, June 30, MetroAccess will begin providing door-to-door service. Under the new initiative, drivers will meet customers at the first exterior door of a building and escort them to the vehicle.

Metro’s Department of Access Services wants to make it easy for MetroAccess customers to learn more about door-to-door service. MetroAccess will host three Public Information Sessions to discuss the implementation of door-to-door service. Customers who attend will hear complete details about the new service and have a chance to ask questions. Please plan to attend one of the following sessions:

Posted: 4 months, 3 weeks ago | No Comments
Categories: MetroAccess , WMATA | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post

The Washington Post’s Lena Sun has an article in today’s issue regarding the mess that is MetroAccess’ certification process:

Nadia Ibrahim, a policy adviser for the Labor Department, gets to work from her Rockville home by taking MetroAccess, a paratransit service operated by Metro. Ibrahim, who has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair and a service dog.

Her disability is permanent.

But every three years, she must go through a time-consuming process that will cost Metro more than $1 million this year to prove a basic fact of life for her and thousands of other riders: Her disability makes it difficult for her to ride Metrorail or Metrobus and therefore qualifies her for curb-to-curb MetroAccess service.

Posted: 4 months, 3 weeks ago | No Comments
Categories: In The Media , MetroAccess | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post

One of the few “nice” things about Logisticare’s handling of the MetroAccess contract was the diligence and compassion many drivers displayed towards providing practical levels of service to MetroAccess riders, informal assistance that was effectively stopped quite hard when MV Transit took over the service.

Part of that compassion and provision of practical service was the pseudo “door-to-door” service many drivers gave riders, as opposed to curb to curb.

Whilst WMATA initially tried to include this in their “perks” accusations of the time, the simple fact of the matter remained that this informal arrangement drivers offered to riders was, in many cases, the only way the service could be made to work efficiently.

Posted: 5 months ago | No Comments
Categories: MetroAccess | Tags: | By: Kathi.    Print This Post

Presumably, since both my husband and myself received them, MetroAccess has sent a mailshot to all MetroAccess riders containing the new Customer Guide booklet.

The accompanying letter is reproduced below - spelling errors are ours as a result of the scanning process.

April 18. 2008

To our valued MetroAccess customers:

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve service, beginning June 30, 2006, we will require all MetroAccess customers to show their valid MetroAccess ID card 100% of the time.

Posted: 5 months ago | No Comments
Categories: MetroAccess | Tags: | By: Kathi.    Print This Post