Metro News Release

For immediate release: November 19, 2008

Independent review finds significant progress in MetroAccess service

Despite rapid increase in ridership, on-time performance remains high

Metro has made significant progress during the last two years in addressing MetroAccess service quality and management, according to a report released today by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board.

While challenges still remain for Metro's service for people whose disabilities prevent them from using Metrobus or Metrorail, the independent review found that Metro has made considerable improvements in the following areas:

· MetroAccess on-time performance (for pick-ups, missed trips and no-shows) has improved over the last year.
· Staffing levels for reservationists, schedulers, dispatchers and contract monitoring has vastly improved since 2006.
· Customer complaints are being tracked and responded to more efficiently.
· Metro is doing a better job communicating with customers about MetroAccess policies like the move to door-to-door service.

"We heard from riders while doing the review, and they are noticing improvements," said Wendy Klancher, Senior Transportation Planner for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which commissioned the report.

The report gave Metro high marks for expanding the MetroAccess fleet, increasing staff for operations and contract oversight, increasing the integrity of data, successfully implementing door-to-door service and adhering to on-time performance standards.

"We are pleased Metro was recognized for its sizeable investments in resources and policy commitments that have produced higher quality service for our paratransit customers," said Christian T. Kent, Metro's Assistant General Manager of Access Services. "It is also important to note that the service improvements took place even as ridership climbed by up to 20 percent from the previous year. I think that’s a good indication that our efforts to improve service are working."

In addition to noting improvements, the report identified several areas that still remain a challenge for MetroAccess, including employee turnover, the structure of the MV Transportation contract, long ride times and excessively early and late drop-off and pick-up of customers. Metro has already begun to address these challenges, and is working with MV Transportation to better manage the service.

"We recognize that there is more that we can do to make MetroAccess even better," said Kent. "Management of employee turnover and balancing trip length with on-time arrivals and departures will be two major areas of focus in our ongoing relationship with the contractor," he said.

News release issued at 4:53 pm, November 19, 2008.