DC ParaTransit Info

WMATA seems to have taken on board at least one issue raised at the Advisory Committee meeting, and have added new content to their web site regarding the timing issues of that meeting raised in a previous article here.  The following information has been added:

The MetroAccess subcommittee of the Elderly & Disabled Transportation Advisory Committee meets on the first Monday of every month at 4pm just prior to the meeting of the E&D committee that starts at 5:30pm. The MetroAccess subcommittee addresses issues that are specifically related to the MetroAccess service. These meetings are are open to the public, and time is devoted in each meeting for public comment on any aspect of the service. All are welcome to attend.

Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago | No Comments
Categories: General , WMATA | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post

WMATA released a press release the day after the Advisory Committee meeting, entitled “MetroAccess service improves“.

Most of the content is a rehash of previous press releases, but a few questions come to mind with this latest set of intentions.

A MetroAccess ride guide, which explains the curb-to-curb transportation service’s guidelines, is being updated and resent to users.

There’s no mention if the guide is accessible - i.e. is there a braille version being sent out, or large print?  We realize that the logistics of deciding who needs what version may make it impossible to accomodate the needs of all riders with this project, so when we receive our copy, we’ll ask WMATA for permission to reprint it on this site in multiple accessible formats, including aural.

Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago | No Comments
Categories: WMATA | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post

It certainly was an interesting evening.

The original purpose of the meeting was apparently to discuss changes to the eligibility requirements, in accordance with the 2003 task force recommendations, but that was deferred to address the “operational issues”.  Some people were kind of put out with that it seemed, they’d travelled specifically for that discussion.

We would like to correct a previous posting regarding the meeting times, based on information the board chairman provided.  Apparently, the web site lists the official committee meeting time, not the pre-meeting discussion and testimony times (the 4pm meeting).  In the end, it started earlier than that (3:30pm).

Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago | No Comments
Categories: WMATA | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post

At this rate MetroAccess is going to end up being a regular fixture in the Washington Post, with yet another story appearing today - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/05/AR2006020501111.html A MetroAccess Rider Is Left at the Curb (although such stories weren’t exactly that uncommon when Logisticare had the contract).

How long are WMATA and MV Transportation going to continue to claim that this is all the fault of Logisticare, the software, the drivers, and even the riders?  At what point are they going to go “Hey, we screwed up, how do we make this right?”

Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago | No Comments
Categories: In The Media , WMATA | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post

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.

Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago | No Comments
Categories: WMATA | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post

For unspecified reasons, MetroAccess is not accepting any new subscription trip entries until February 20th 2006, according to reservation agents.

Even allowing for the avoidable issues with the data migration post-Logisticare this doesn’t make any sense.  Surely new subscription trips should be able to be entered with no difficulties, as they are new.

A thought that has been on my mind ever since the start of all this has been about the software MV Transportation is using.  I’m wondering if they’re using software that’s been proven elsewhere, because a lot of the information and actions involved so far are very reminiscent of beta-testing software.

Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago | No Comments
Categories: WMATA | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post

WMATA has put a news article on its site at http://www.wmata.com/about/met_news/story.cfm?ID=558 entitled “MetroAccess makes additional changes to improve service”.

It’s definately interesting reading, and there are some questions that can be raised in response, but before going into those, this part seems to be WMATA shooting themselves in the foot.  In the news release, WMATA says:

A new on-line service has been established that allows MetroAccess customers to log on and check their personal and trip data to help ensure greater accuracy. MetroAccess patrons can enter their personal and trip data themselves with the new easy-to-use data screen at http://www.wmata.com/metroaccess/paratransit_update_form.cfm. This process of updating customer information is seeing immediate improvements in service for those riders who are providing updated data.

Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago | No Comments
Categories: WMATA | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post

Listening to the annoying “On Hold” announcements this afternoon whilst calling in to try and track down yet another late pick-up, it struck me as ironic - there is one recording that tells “customers who abuse the service” may be removed from the list, and goes on to list the three main examples - Late cancellations, no-shows, and being abusive to staff.

My question is, what happens to MetroAccess when it abuses the customers?  We’re subject to late cancellations (usually discovered when our ride’s haven’t shown up), no-shows (the trip is on the manifest but the transport never actually arrives), and abusive staff (usually when called wondering where the ride is and being told to “deal with it” before being hung up on).

Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago | No Comments
Categories: WMATA | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post

So far this week I’ve had one MetroAccess trip show up on time.  I go to the same place every morning and return from there every evening, Monday through Friday.  MetroAccess calls this a subscription trip.

The time for my ride was more than an hour past the “late window” and I had called the “Where’s My Ride Line” four times.  The phone bank operators used their “Magic 8 Ball” number generators to give me varying times that I could expect a ride (15 minutes, 20 minutes, 10 minutes) with the last one not even able to determine a time - I was told someone would call me if they found anything out.  More or less par for the course with what has been happening to my homeward bound subscription trips since MV took over.

Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago | No Comments
Categories: WMATA | Tags: | By: Patrick.    Print This Post

Has anyone else encountered the mysterious drifting schedules?

That’s where you have your pick-up scheduled for, say, 2:30pm, and your ride is late, but when you call MetroAccess an agent tells you that according to the computer your ride is actually in it as being at 3:00pm, and that your ride isn’t late?

I have to wonder just how dynamic and adaptive the new computer system is … the new Ranger MDT systems that manifests are being tracked on seem quite capable of being re-scheduled on the fly, since add-ons are able to be pushed out to vehicles so fitted.

Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago | No Comments
Categories: WMATA | Tags: | By: miika.    Print This Post