Access meetings Minutes
Members Present: Shelly Brisbin, Scott Meyer, Juan Munoz, and Robert Raines.
Members absent: Randall Glock (excused), Jerry Doran (excused)
Capital Metro Staff Present: Dwight Ferrell, Jan Johnson, Nancy Crowther, Renee Brill, Denise Guerrero, Betty Cravens
Guest(s): Julie Maloukis, Michael Zitz-Evancih, Cathy Jackson, Audley Blackburn, Kathy Blackburn, Susie Angel
All decisions are voted upon and all votes are unanimous unless stated otherwise.
Meeting was called to order at 5:06PM.
Minutes.
The minutes of the June 2, 2004 ACCESS meeting were approved with the notation that the June Subcommittee meeting date was incorrect.
Citizen Communication:
Ms. Cathy Jackson:
Ms. Jackson had several issues regarding STS Policies and Procedures. The key issue was in regards to changes in pick-up times. She stated that cancellations should be made at least one day before, but it is not always possible to get the message if busy or out of town. This is especially difficult if changes are made on the same day. She was stranded. Also, she was unable to contact an operator and was frustrated that she could not find someone and had to pay for a cab.
Jan Johnson, Capital Metro, stated that they have been short a dispatcher, but will have the position filled in about three weeks, which should help guarantee that a supervisor will be there during all specified business hours. He provided recommendations, suggesting that she call if coming in from out of town to make sure STS pick-up time is the same and/or to use taxi vouchers when possible/allowed. STS Procedures and Policies will be examined by the STS Subcommittee, but this will take time.
Shelly Brisbin asked that a note be placed in the minutes that the next ACCESS STS meeting agenda include an action Item to discuss resolution to the citizens' issues.
Automated Trip Planning System (ATPS) Demonstration:
Ms. Renee Brill, Capital Metro, IT Department
Ms. Brill gave a presentation of the ATPS system and provided members with printed documentation from the website. The presentation was very informative and inspiring. In summary this is a web link Capital Metro will have for people to plan bus trips on-line. Customers will have access to routes, maps, chose times, have choices of routes, etc. The software is very advance. Riders can enter their destinations using street addresses, intersections, landmarks, building names, etc. and the system will be able to understand it a wide variety of formats, even if words are misspelled! Then, it will provide an itinerary and offer choices, if available, so Riders can review possible routes and get where they need to go.
The website is:capdev1.capmetro.org The site should be ADA accessible and ACCESS members and guests were encouraged to check out the site, offer suggestions. Ms. Brill reported that JAWS screen reading software is used to check for ADA compliance. Julie Maloukis noted that additional format screening may be important to address users with cognitive disabilities. Many questions were raised during the presentation and Ms. Brill was able to answer them. In addition, a number of formatting suggestions were made to assist users with disabilities and Ms. Brill stated that many will be incorporated into the system. Formal requests for feedback on the site will be made on Wednesday, July 14, 2004. It is important to note that this will be a work in progress it is still limited compared to what they envision in the future.
Introduction of Capital Metro Chief Operations Officer:
Mr. Dwight Ferrell, Capital Metro Chief Operations Officer:
ACCESS was introduced to Mr. Dwight Ferrell. He is Capital Metro's new Chief Operations Officer in charge of all Operations, including Labor Relations. He offered his support to ACCESS.
Subcommittee Reports:
Special Transit Service (STS): (report by Jan Johnson on behalf of Jerry Doran)
Mr. Bill Johnson, a citizen who attended the meeting, reported continuing trouble boarding STS buses with his wheelchair. Jan Johnson stated that all the bus/STS operators will receive further training in July on how to properly load and unload passengers using wheelchairs, scooter, etc. They will see videos on the wrong way to do it and the right way to do it, and they will come away from the training with the knowledge to do it correctly.
More discussion took place about STS services and trying to work on policies and procedures: the continuing issue of not billing customers for no shows and last minute cancellations, the abuse/potential abuse of taxi vouchers by customers requesting rides at the last minute, etc. Additional comments were made about riders needing same day service and stranded riders. Working on STS policies and procedures is a goal for the STS subcommittee.
Shelly Brisbin asked that a note be placed in the minutes that the next STS Subcommittee agenda include an Item to discuss STS Procedures and concerns raised by Ms. Jackson.
A question was asked about the progress of the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Jan Johnson stated that IVR did not work well when tested and that a lot of kinds still need to be worked out of the system. It may not be up and running until September. ACCESS agreed that it is important to wait until the system is really ready to go before Capital Metro starts using it.
Fixed RouteADA Subcommittee: (report by Shelly Brisbin)
A report prepared by Nancy Crowther, Capital Metro, was distributed. It listed statistics on fixed route bus ridership, wheelchair boardings and mobility impaired bus ridership. Overall, more and more people with disabilities are using fixed routes and all of Capital Metro's services as a whole.
Shelly Brisbin stressed the importance on getting ready to interview new members for October 2004. ACCESS has four positions available.
Capital Metro Staff provided general information about a new contracted company taking over some of the smaller bus routes in Austin (#9, #14, etc.). The new contractor is Connex.
All Systems Go.
There was discussion about the Open Houses and Workshops held in June. Julie Maloukis reported on the format of the Open Houses. She stated the presentation was similar to that provided by Nancy Crowther at the last ACCESS meeting. Nancy Crowther reported on the format of the Workshops and stated that approximately 40 maps were created and further information will be distributed in late July and August.
Fred Gillian, Capital Metro's Chief Executive Officer, will be available to attend the ACCESS meeting in September. ACCESS will welcome Mr. Gillian's attendance and will take the opportunity to learn more about All Systems Go! It was decided that the format should include a presentation by Mr. Gillian followed by a question/answer period. ACCESS members will prepare questions in advance, centered on All Systems Go, in order to best utilize meeting time. Member should submit questions to Julie Maloukis and Scott Meyer within the next two weeks for review and editing. (Julie will take most of the lead on this as Scott will be unavailable during much of this time.) An action item has been placed on the August Agenda to review the questions and to discuss the format in which they will be asked.
Announcements
Vacations: Announcements were made about vacations scheduled by ACCESS members and Capital Metro staff. Specific dates will not be listed in the minutes but this information will be made available to ACCESS members.
ADA: The 14th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act is July 26, 2004.
Meeting Dates: The ACCESS Advisory meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month. The STS and Fixed Route Subcommittee meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday (which is not always the last Wednesday) of the month.
July 26, 2004 Capital Metro July Board of Directors Meeting July 28, 2004 STS Subcommittee Meeting July 28, 2004 Fixed Route Subcommittee Meeting August 4, 2004 ACCESS Advisory August Meeting August 25, 2004 STS Subcommittee Meeting August 25, 2004 Fixed Route Subcommittee Meeting
The meeting was adjourned at 6:57 p.m.
Any future agenda items should be submitted to Shelly Brisbin.
Capital Metro and/or the chairperson will communicate any changes to upcoming meetings via e-mail.
Respectfully submitted by Scott Meyer Julie Maloukis
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
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