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| SFMTA home > About Us > Boards & Meetings > Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC) > December 6, 2006, minutes | |
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Minutes 711 Eddy Street, San Francisco PCC Executive Committee Members Present: Stu Smith, Chair; Jeanne Lynch, Vice Chair; Griff Humphrey; John Lazar; Ruach Graffis; Genya Ehrlich; Laurie Graham; Byron Yan; Bruce Oka; Cheryl Damico; Gilda Chico; Ruth Lawner; Jacy Cohen; Lisa Rosene; Pat Lovelock; Michael Gurevich; Michael Kwok; Pam Martinez for Hal Mellegard PCC Executive Committee Members Excused: Jewel McGinnis; Luis Calderon; Thomas George-Williams; Dee Ann Hendrix Guests: John Murphy, MV Transportation; W.C. Pihl, MV Transportation; Jane Bolig; Dan Hines Paratransit Broker: Marc Soto; Kevin McNay Muni: Kate Toran; Annette Williams Read and Approve AgendaStu Smith, PCC Executive Committee chair, called the meeting to order at 10:40 a.m. Jeanne Lynch read the agenda. The agenda was motioned/seconded/passed (M/S/P) as presented. Approve minutes of October 25, 2006 meetingThe minutes were motioned/seconded/passed (M/S/P) as presented. Comments from the ChairStu Smith welcomed everyone and reported that we had a very successful PCC Annual Meeting, with over 125 attendees. We honored the drivers, PCC members and voted to amend the PCC By-Laws. Stu thanked DeSoto, Luxor, Medsam, National and Yellow for their very generous donations. Stu welcomed new and returning PCC Executive Committee members, and he announced that there are a few vacancies still – one in the Affiliated Elderly caucus, two in the Affiliated Disabled caucus, and there will be a vote in the For-Profit Provider Taxi company caucus to resolve a tie vote from the Annual Meeting. At the last PCC meeting, the group discussed writing a letter to Willie Brown and Nathanial Ford regarding the status of the debit card project. The letter was sent out, and Stu reported that there has been some movement on the mediation process. Annette will provide an update later in the meeting. Report from the November 1, 2006 PC&O Taxi/Ramp Taxi meetingJohn Lazar provided the following report: • John Lazar stated that the new ramped taxi manufactured by Standard Motors will be on the market in January 2007 • Hal Mellegard stated that Los Angeles and Orange County have a 1.5 cent sales tax which helps fund incentives for their ramped taxi program. With this revenue, the taxi companies purchase and maintain the ramped vans and ramped taxi drivers receive $10 incentive per ride. • Griff Humphrey presented a concept paper which had been sent out with the agenda packet, titled, Ramp Taxi Consolidated Phone Proposal. Under this proposal, individual taxicab companies could choose to set up a separate/ independent telephone entity (Ramp Taxi Express, LTD. (RTEL)). RTEL would be funded on the basis of ramp medallions under that color scheme. RTEL could receive ramp call overflow from companies and also have a direct phone line to public. RTEL dispatch would send out ramp requests via radio, computer and email to every active ramp taxi for acceptance. Cab companies (color schemes) would coordinate among themselves and RTEL for vehicles that would be available at a particular time Broker report • There has been no increase in the number of service complaints received. • SF Taxi Commission meeting on October 24, 2006, was dedicated to paratransit issues. The Debit Card system was discussed among other paratransit issues. • Each taxi rider is assigned a purchase date for buying scrip. Under the current policy, a taxi rider has a 5-day grace period from the purchase date to purchase his/her scrip without changing the purchase date. PC&O and PCC recommended Muni to extend five day grace period to ten days. SF paratransit is waiting Muni’s directive to implement the new policy. • The SF Board of Supervisors approved a $.25 increase on the flag drop rate, effective November 1, 2006. It is estimated that this increase will impact the paratransit taxi costs approximately $180,000 to $200,000 a year. • The next PC&O Taxi/Ramp Taxi meeting will be on Wednesday, February 7, 2006, at the Paratransit Broker’s office, Conference Room A, which is located at 68-12th Street in San Francisco. Report from the 2006 PCC Annual MeetingKate Toran stated that the 2006 PCC Annual Meeting was a success. There were over 120 people in attendance, including the award-winning drivers, PCC members and van and taxi company representatives. Many drivers and PCC members were honored, the food was delicious and the By-Laws were updated to reflect the new PC&O structure. Kate passed out copies of the updated By-Laws. Kate welcomed new PCC Executive Committee member, Melecio Torres. Mr. Torres was voted into the Unaffiliated Elderly caucus. Kate welcomed back Michael Kwok, who was voted into the Unaffiliated Disabled caucus. At the PCC Annual Meeting, there was a tie vote in the For Profit Provider caucus, and the PCC Executive Committee will vote today to break the tie. John Lazar and Jane Bolig each received 4 votes at the Annual Meeting. There was discussion about whether John should be able to vote as a member of the PCC Executive Committee, since he was not re-elected at the Annual Meeting. The agreement was that since the vote was a tie and he was not re-elected, then he shouldn’t be able to vote in this election. Kate stated that each candidate could make a brief statement about their qualifications and why then want to run for the position. Jane Bolig stated that she was asked by her peers to run, and that many taxi representatives feel that John Lazar doesn’t represent their interests on the PCC. Jane stated that she will represent the taxi industry, and not just her company. Jane added that she has many years of experience in the taxi industry, and that she was a vocal advocate for the paratransit community when she was a member of the SF Taxi Commission. A few years ago, Jane was elected to the PCC but was not able to serve at the time. Jane stated that she knows how to be a good representative and that she has new ideas about improving the ramp taxi program. John Lazar stated that he was been a member of the PCC Executive Committee for many years, and before that his brother was a member, and before that his father was a member. Luxor Cab Company operates 21 ramp taxis and provides good service. John stated that he has been isolated by his peers because he has supported the debit card project. John cares about the community and wants to continue his work with the PCC. John Lazar was re-elected in a 12 to 6 vote.
PCC and PC&O 2007 Meeting Calendar The draft PCC and PC&O 2007 meeting calendar was approved as presented. Update on Debit Card Annette Williams reported that at the last PCC meeting, the group had decided to send a letter to the mediator, Willie Brown, to inquire on the status of the debit card project mediation. Annette read the letter that was sent. At this point, it is Annette’s understanding that Willie Brown has completed his outreach to the taxi industry and vendor and that his report will be ready by the end of December. Jane Bolig stated that there are still questions that need to be answered, specifically regarding choice of equipment for each company. Lisa Rosene asked if the debit card program will be systemwide. Annette responded that all cab companies must participate in paratransit, and also the debit card program. Cab companies can choose to provide their own debit card equipment if they don’t want to use the equipment provided as part of the contract. Lisa then asked if there will be safeguards to ensure that the equipment is appropriate if companies provide their own. Annette stated that the equipment will need to meet the specifications outlined in the RFP, and will need to have the same functionality, just like the systems at Luxor and Yellow. Jane Bolig stated that there is no reason that the taxi industry should have to buy their own equipment and that the city is trying to impose out-dated equipment. Stu responded that the community wants the debit card program and that Willie Brown is mediating this, and the issues won’t be resolved at the PCC. Paratransit Broker Report Marc asked Cheryl Damico to provide a brief report on the meeting with dialysis center representatives which was held on November 30, 2006 at the Paratransit Office. Cheryl provided the following report: The dialysis centers reported that there is inconsistent service to all centers. Service is fine for a couple of weeks and then it deteriorates. Agency representatives also report that patients say that many drivers do not provide door-to-door service. The worst day for on-time service is Saturdays. TME is working on setting up fixed routes for dialysis. The following actions were agreed to by both the centers and TME
Then Marc Soto provided the following report: Taxi/Ramp Taxi: On November 29, 2006, the San Francisco Taxi Commission held an awards luncheon to recognize local taxi companies and drivers for service to our community. Marc reported that he was able to attend for the first 90 minutes of the event, and that it was great seeing so many familiar faces and some new faces. Marc reported that he had an opportunity to meet the Commission staff and the new SFPD Taxi Detail unit officer that will be assigned to work with the paratransit program. Marc reported that he does not have an update on the status of the recommendations/initiatives submitted to the Taxi Commission by the ramp taxi working group but he understand that the staff and Commission are giving the recommendations of the working group their due consideration. Annual Meeting: Marc reported that it was great seeing many PCC members at the 28th annual PCC meeting. He reported that Veolia Transportation was honored to be part of the event which honors the best drivers, service providers and PCC members. Marc thanked the PCC for the recognition of two staff members Sasha Khizver and Cheryl Hac. They were pleasantly surprised at the PCC’s recognition of their work and both DAJA and Veolia are proud of Cheryl and Sasha and all our employees. Miscellaneous Broker Activities: The Broker continues to evaluate their current Information Technology (IT) software and a proposal brought forward by Trapeze on possibly migrating to another software platform in the longer term. The Broker hopes to focus on this critical part of their long term planning particularly as they simultaneously focus on the implementation of the paratransit taxi debit card. The Broker’s newsletter is currently being put together. Realistically, they anticipate a 30-60 day timeframe for publication and mailing. And the Broker is in the process of revamping the San Francisco Paratransit website, which will be unveiled on or around January 1. There have been some training efforts underway recently at the Broker’s Office. The Broker has been discussing with Muni their wish to see some additional training made available to members of the Eligibility Appeals Hearing panel members. With the philosophy of “you can’t ever train enough,” they have been working with the staff at Orthopaedic Hospital in Los Angeles to develop an effective curriculum that might be helpful and meaningful to the appeals hearing panel members. The Broker anticipates that the training will take place on January 23rd. Also, the Paratransit Broker’s staff participated in a comprehensive Disability Awareness & Sensitivity Training on November 10. This training was delivered by Cheryl Damico and the staff founded it helpful and informative. The Broker is working on extensions of the current group van contracts for both Muni Paratransit and the OOA transportation program. The Broker is meeting later this week with the OOA team to discuss year-to-date expenditures for their group van program and the shopping trips and will work with them to make the projections for expenditures related to these services for the remainder of the year. And the Broker continues to work with the Muni team on the next procurement of paratransit vehicles. The next order will most likely consist of a mix of cutaway buses and ramp-equipped minivans for use in the ADA Paratransit program although they haven’t ruled out the use of any of the buses in our group van program. They believe once they have some fleet planning details resolved, the order can move forward. Status of the TME Transition and Performance Issues: Marc reported that, in terms of performance, TME continues to perform at about the levels of our paratransit services prior to April 1. Marc has reported previously that this is unacceptable because the Broker entered into new service provider contracts with the expectation that service would improve not stay the same or get worse. To that end, the Broker has been working extensively with TME to identify specific areas of their performance that need improvement and then making recommendations for how to improve these areas of performance. A matrix of these specific areas of performance was created and supplied to TME. Very quickly, those areas of performance include on-time performance, customer service including complaint investigation and resolution, proper scheduling of demand and subscription trips including ensuring adequate vehicle capacity, timely reporting, vehicle maintenance, driver recruitment, training and retention and all aspects of call handling including “where’s my ride” and reservations calls. The Broker has been meeting with TME regularly in the past several weeks reviewing their progress with respect to these areas of performance. The Broker remains dissatisfied with their progress. Consequently the Broker is now reviewing and discussing internally options for getting the service where it needs to be. Marc remains committed to the community to working with TME and through whatever resources are necessary to ensure that service is delivered at the standard the community expects. In terms of contract administration, top-level management at TME has failed to respond either timely or in a satisfactory manner on critical issues related to performance and/or contract administration, although front-line staff at TME is working hard to address our concerns. Marc has asked TME to recruit and hire an experienced, seasoned, knowledgeable and qualified paratransit general manager to assume the daily leadership function. This is necessary for the relationship to continue and for progress to be made in terms of satisfactory performance. This past week, Marc has spent the better part of the week working with TME to address some insurance problems. Finally, Marc reiterated that he remains committed to ensuring the highest service quality on the street, and that he intends to keep the PCC informed as to the relationship with TME and the status of progress on these very serious issues. Marc is working hard with his team at Veolia and Muni, to review all of the Broker’s efforts, options, progress (or lack thereof) and next steps. After Marc’s report, Ruach stated that she continually has problems getting through to TME on the phone. It typically takes 3 to 4 minutes to get through. Marc responded that he is disappointed with TME’s phone system. They had a recent T1 failure that caused the phones to be down for most of a day. Overall, there is lack of day-to-day leadership and management at TME. John Lazar stated that it cost money to do business in San Francisco and that the cost for fuel, parts and labor have increased. Michael Kwok stated that he agrees with John and that he thinks that TME underbid the contract and is facing financial challenges. Byron Yan asked Marc if a back up provider could be added as an option. Marc responded that the Broker is looking at many options, and that a back up provider may be an option. Ultimately, the Broker expects service to be up to contract standards. Bruce Oka stated that there’s a problem when he thinks he can run the company better than Michael Gurevich. Public Comment Jane Bolig thanked everyone who voted for her and she added that these issues aren’t going away. Willie Brown does not have a magic wand. Jane asked that John Lazar communicate better with his peers and she suggested that he hold regular meetings with the taxi industry. Pat Lovelock stated that there is a problem at the Embarcadero BART station; illegal limousines use the space that should be for taxis and the taxis can’t pull up to the curb. Also, drivers sit there in their vehicles and eat, which also blocks access to working cabs. Laurie Graham stated that there is a rule which states that drivers still must accept the fare; otherwise it’s known as “failure to convey.” Pat can call the Taxi Detail to report this type of situation at 553-1447. Jane Bolig stated that it would be helpful for more PCC members to attend the Taxi Commission meetings, which are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. Ruach added that there is a bridge line for those who want to participate but can’t attend in person. Jacy Cohen suggested that a list of concerns and issues be developed at the PC&O Taxi/Ramp Taxi Subcommittee and then a representative could attend the Taxi Commission meeting with this list. Jacy stated that she would volunteer to attend one Taxi Commission meeting. Bruce Oka stated that the program is about to lose a few more ramp taxi drivers this year, and that the PCC needs to be more involved with who gets the ramp medallions. Annette stated that this was included in the package of recommendations that the PCC made to the Taxi Commission. Ruach stated that ramp taxi drivers are required to pick up three requests from service from wheelchair users per shift, and that this needs to be better monitored. Griff stated that one proposal discussed at the PC&O Taxi/Ramp Taxi Subcommittee was to pay the ramp taxi drivers an incentive of $5.00 - $10.00 per wheelchair pick up, and the thought is that if the incentive is implemented the drivers will rush to pick up orders from wheelchair users. Melecio Torres stated that there should be more taxi stands in the city. Pat Lovelock stated that it would be helpful to know exactly how much of an incentive ramp taxi drivers need. Announcements Jeanne Lynch stated that Senior Action Network will be holding their Holiday Party on December 14th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Everyone is welcome.
The next PCC meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 10:30 am – 12:30 pm at 711 Eddy Street. |
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