Metro News Release

For immediate release: June 14, 2007

Metro considers more improvements for MetroAccess

A Metro Board committee has given preliminary approval to make further improvements to MetroAccess, the agency’s transportation service for people with disabilities who are unable to ride buses and trains.

Metro wants to spend $7.5 million to buy new vehicles, upgrade technology and beef up staffing to cut customer wait times for rides and on the telephone. The funding also would increase Metro's monitoring of the contractor who provides the service. Most of the improvements will be paid for by a one-time federal grant that the Board approved in December.

"We are making some changes in how the money will be spent to more effectively meet our safety and operational priorities," said Christian T. Kent, Assistant General Manager for Access Services. "For example, we will be purchasing only new vehicles for our fleet expansion to ensure maximum service reliability and safety. We are also stepping up our safety inspection regimen for our existing fleet, and we will be upgrading our technology for greater scheduling efficiency and shorter ride times."

Metro would add 65 vehicles to the current fleet of 341. Metro also contracts with taxis and other transportation companies to carry passengers.

Managers also plan to hold off on the idea of providing vehicles to human service transportation agencies to help provide rides until there is further regional coordination.

The Board operations committee also approved an increase for the paratransit contractor, MV Transportation, to pay for enhanced staffing to better handle customer calls for reservations, customer inquiries and complaints. The additional staff will cost $2.7 million annually. Last year, the company was paid $46 million to provide more than 1.2 million rides.

Kent noted the changes meet the recommendations made by the Board’s Ad Hoc MetroAccess Advisory Committee last year to improve the service for the 17,500 people who qualify for it.

The agency also plans to switch from providing curb-to-curb to door-to-door service later this summer. Under the new service design, drivers will wait up to five minutes for passengers at their door and then escort them to and from the MetroAccess vehicle. Currently, drivers wait 10 minutes for the customer to board the vehicle, but customers must come to the curbside to meet the driver.

"This is one of the improvements MetroAccess customers are looking forward to seeing implemented," said Kent. A final Board vote on today’s committee decision is scheduled for June 28.

News release issued at 12:00 am, June 14, 2007.