Metro News Release

For immediate release: January 26, 2006

MetroAccess makes additional changes as efforts to improve the service continue

MetroAccess officials have made additional changes to the service in an effort to further improve its curb-to-curb transportation service for the disabled.

MetroAccess workers are calling people with visual impairments to make sure they know their rides have arrived as they work on developing a new automated call alert system that will be able to phone every customer who is waiting for their ride.

Paratransit customers who call to schedule rides are being advised to consider whether they want to schedule their ride a little differently–by focusing on their arrival time instead of focusing on their pick-up time as customers adjust to having to share more rides than they did under the previous contractor.

“Because of our need to contain costs, we want to remind our MetroAccess customers that we provide a shared ride service,” explained Pamela Wilkins, Acting Assistant General Manager of Customer Contract Services, who oversees the service. “The previous MetroAccess contractor frequently carried customers one per vehicle, much like a taxi service, because that company was paid by the trip and thus did not have any incentive to provide shared trips. The new provider, MV Transportation, is using its scheduling software capabilities to arrange for shared rides to improve efficiency in delivering the service. This is different from what most people experienced in the past.”

Some MetroAccess customers are discovering that while they are being picked up on time, their trip to their destination is not always the most direct route because other passengers are being picked up and dropped off in the same vehicle. Metro officials have directed MV Transportation to require its reservation agents to ask riders what time they require to arrive at their destination to allow the pickup time to be more flexible, and to prevent late arrivals due to shared rides.

MV Transportation is working to provide trips for customers that won’t take longer than one and a half times the length of the same trip taken by Metrobus or Metrorail. So a 60 minute trip by bus shouldn’t take longer than 90 minutes by MetroAccess. 

“We’re meeting this standard with the majority of trips being provided, and we’re working to meet it with the rest,” said Jon Monson, MV Transportation CEO.

“The main reasons for late or missed trips are new drivers and call agents and invalid customer data,” said Ms. Wilkins. “The good news is MV Transportation expects to have most of the data updated by the end of next week.”

Another source of customer confusion has been alerting customers by telephone that their ride had arrived.

“Some customers have pointed out to us that they used to get an advance telephone call from drivers of MetroAccess vehicles when they were on their way to the pick-up location,” Ms. Wilkins said. “This service was not required of the previous contractor but a friendly gesture on the driver’s part, and those types of calls make some sense, but using a cell phone while driving is illegal in the District of Columbia, unless it is a hands-free device, and Metro does not permit its bus operators to use cell phones regardless of the jurisdiction in which they drive, so we are working with MV to develop an automated call notification system.”

Until the new telephone alert system is developed, customer call center agents are personally calling riders with visual impairments to let them know when the vehicles arrive at the address. In addition, drivers are currently going to the door to let the visually impaired customers know their rides have arrived. Once the call alert feature of automated calls to riders is in place, all customers, regardless of their disability, will be called except those in taxis because MV does not have the technology to communicate with independent taxi drivers. Customers will be notified when that feature becomes operational.

Meanwhile, MetroAccess on-time performance for Wednesday, was 88.7 percent, a slight dip from Tuesday’s 89.5% due to the closure of the Capital Beltway which caused many drivers to run behind schedule. Overall, performance has steadily improved since MV Transportation took over service on Jan. 15. Yesterday was also a day in which the highest number of trips were delivered (4,984) since the new contractor began service.

Wednesday’s on-time performance of the federally required curb-to-curb paratransit service is based on preliminary trip information, which may change after official reconciliation of the data. The on-time performance goal for the service, which is measured at the time of pick-up, is 93 percent and above.

Service is improving as rider data continues to be updated and corrected, and as pickup locations are better identified by drivers, who are new to the service.

“Our MetroAccess service is meeting federal requirements,” said Ms. Wilkins. “I recognize this transition is difficult for some of our customers, especially those who have been using this service for some time, but in the long run, we will be able to provide a much more efficient, cost-effective service with this new contractor, operating under this new contract.”

Several improvements have been made to the MetroAccess service since MV Transportation began providing service. They include:

• Verifying customer data which should be completed in the next two weeks.

• MV will host a weekly conference call available to all MetroAccess customers beginning next month.

• Personally made telephone calls to people with visual impairments to let them know that their ride is approaching.

• Drivers going to the door to alert visually impaired customers that they have arrived.

• 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.

• Metro and MV Transportation officials are working to establish an automated telephone calling “alert” service that will place an automated call to a rider to let that individual know when the MetroAccess vehicle is approaching the pick-up location.

• Additional telephone lines have been installed and are functioning in the MetroAccess Call Center to ensure customers can get through to agents (as of Friday, Jan. 20).

• Plans are in place for MetroAccess riders to receive a copy of the MetroAccess Rider’s Guide in the mail to ensure that they know the guidelines for the service as required under the ADA and clarifies what customers can expect.

• MV Transportation hired 10 additional temporary employees and brought over another 10 dispatchers to address the high call volumes.

• MV Transportation has hired more than 200 new drivers with 50 more in training.

• A dialysis center coordinator came on board last week to establish a hot line for dialysis patients and others with emergency transportation needs, and contacted all regional dialysis centers to ensure that MV is aware of all subscription trips which they know about.

News release issued on January 26, 2006.