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| SFMTA home > About Us > Meetings > Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC) > June 27, 2007, minutes | |
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Minutes PCC Executive Committee Members Present: Stu Smith, PCC Chair; Cheryl Damico; Laurie Graham, PCC Secretary; Dee Ann Hendrix; Melecio Torres; Ruth Lawner; Olivia Santiago; Claudia Grubler; Michael Kwok; Erica Hamilton; Lisa Rosene; Bruce Oka; John Lazar; Matthew Yamashita; Pat Lovelock; Betsy Eddy; Jacy Cohen; Pam Martinez for Hal Mellegard; Genya Ehrlich; Griff Humphrey; Erma Brim; Byron Yan; Cynthia Petersen PCC Executive Committee Members Excused: Jeanne Lynch, PCC Vice Chair Guests: Wannee Ratanasanguan; Robert Schwarz; Jane Bolig, National/Veteran’s Cab Company; Robert Schwarz; Kaye Griffin; Brian Hunt, Mobility Plus Transportation; Larry Slagle, Mobility Plus Transportation; John Murphy, MV Transportation; Lucky Walker, Yellow Cab Cooperative Paratransit Broker: Marc Soto; Kevin McNay Muni: Annette Williams; Kate Toran Read and Approve AgendaStu Smith, PCC Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:30 am. He read the agenda, which was motioned/seconded and passed (M/S/P) as presented. Approve minutes of May 23, 2007 meetingThe minutes were M/S/P as presented with two corrections – Ruth Lawner should be marked as present, and Griff Humphrey should be marked as excused. Comments from the Chair: Stu Smith thanked the PCC members for attending the June 27, 2007 PCC Executive Committee meeting. At the last meeting, Stu welcomed Olivia Santiago and Claudia Grubler as the two newest PCC Executive Committee members. Today, Stu welcomed Erica Hamilton as the newest PCC member in the Affiliated Elderly caucus, representing the Adult Day Services Network. Kate has the updated PCC roster, which she will hand out. Since our last PCC meeting, Stu stated that the PCC has moved forward on a big initiative, which will be reported on later in the meeting, but he wanted to take a moment to reflect on the importance of the PCC Advisory Committee to the SF Taxi Commission. The fact that the PCC is at the table and is providing direct in-put to the Taxi Commission on the issuance of ramp taxi medallions is a very big deal. The PCC has been working for years to be part of the process, and now it is a reality. This is a real testimony to the work of the PCC members and to our perseverance. Report from the June 6, 2007 PC&O SF Access Subcommittee Byron Yan gave the following report: 1. Service Provider Reports: Mobility Plus- Matt Yamashita, the GM of MPT talked about the following improvements at MPT: A. He said that MPT has been taking numerous steps to improve service quality. MPT has added 20 more vehicles, which were purchased from San Jose Paratransit to keep the service going smoothly. Additionally all of the lifts on these 20 vehicles are being replaced. B. He also stated that vehicle maintenance is MPT’s main focus. Jim Stephens formally with MV Transportation and Veolia Transportation has been contracted to provide additional mechanical support. There will be an inspection of MPT vehicle through the Broker Office at the end of June as a follow-up to the May inspection performed by VTC. C. Driver trainings and safety training are in progress, to make sure drivers are fully compliant with the requirements of the contract and the requirements of the ADA as well as passenger assistance and sensitivity. 2. Broker Report: Marc reported the following: A. He reported that recently Broker Office conducted a train the trainer Passenger Service and Safety Training (PASS). B. He talked about passenger complaints, adding that Broker office and MPT are working to improve the level of service and to reduce the number of complaints. However; he stressed that the number of complaints did not show a significant decrease. He presented the following report as the number of complaints for the past four months: February complaint: 139 counts March complaints were 68 counts, April was 88 and May was 82. There seems to be a significant decline in the number of complaints for the month of June. Marc complimented Brian Hunt for working hard and staying focused on the main problems and finding solutions to them. C. Broker Office checked driver uniforms, where we noticed that 9 out of 10 drivers had their uniforms properly. D. Marc stated that MPT vehicle maintenance had improved. 3. Public Comments: Ruth Lawner asked if the MPT phone service has improved. Brian responded that phone operators are doing their best to keep up with the flow of calls. But when calls come in rapidly, operators can get behind and it can take a few minutes to get things back to normal. He said MPT will have a newer more advanced phone system by the end of June, which will advance the quality of service. Byron Yan expressed his concern in regards to some of the MPT vans missing shoulder belts and asked if MPT is going to correct the problem. Brian assured Byron that it will be taken care of, ASAP. Tulay asked Byron if he was satisfied with MPT services lately. Byron responded that the service has improved. 4. Announcements: Kate announced there will be a PCC luncheon meeting. Date: June 20th Time: 11:15 am Meeting place: Legion of Honor The next PC&O SF Access meeting will be held on September 5, 2007. Following the report, Kate stated that MPT would like PCC representatives to attend their driver safety meetings. The following PCC members volunteered to be part of the MPT driver safety meetings: Dee Ann Hendrix, Stu Smith, Erica Hamilton, Cheryl Damico. Report from the June 14, 2007 PCC Advisory Committee to the SF Taxi Commission Pat Lovelock provided the following report: The SF Taxi Commission requested that the PCC set up an advisory committee to interview new applicants for the 25 newly issued ramp taxi medallions and make recommendations to the Taxi Commission on their qualifications to serve the disabled community. The PCC developed a set of guidelines for the interviews and a script. The first two interviews were held on June 14. The PCC Advisory Subcommittee met prior to the interviews to elect a Chair, discuss the process and the script. Pat Lovelock was elected Chair and Dee Ann Hendrix was elected Vice Chair. The group discussed the provision of references from the applicants, that members should recuse themselves from voting when a potential conflict of interest exists, and that the PCC interviews are conducted after the SF Taxi Commission has determined that the individual meets the basic qualifications to become a ramp taxi medallion holder. The two drivers were interviewed; they were asked a series of questions and they had a chance to ask the PCC questions. Both drivers were recommended for approval. The SF Taxi Commission will make the final determination regarding the disbursement of the medallions. The tentative schedule for the next interviews is:
Kate will coordinate with SF Taxi Commission staff on scheduling the interviews, and notices will be sent out to all PCC Executive Committee members when the meeting dates have been finalized. Pat added that the process went well overall and that the drivers were good candidates for ramp taxi medallions. Dee Ann stated that she didn’t think that the driver training came through at the meeting because one driver stated that he would escort a blind person with his hand instead of his arm. Kate responded that the driver made the correct gesture to demonstrate how he would escort a blind person, and it was probably just a language issue because English was not that driver’s first language. Pat added that there are different ways to ask questions and that the drivers may be nervous at the interview. Good interviewing skills are needed and the PCC needs to figure out how to elicit the best information from the drivers. Stu added that it’s a learning process, and this was the first meeting. Overall it’s an excellent process and a great opportunity to participate. PCC Appreciation Luncheon: Kate reported that the PCC Appreciation Luncheon was a great success. The luncheon was held at the Legion of Honor, and the PCC had lunch and then a docent-led tour of the museum. It was a chance for the PCC members to socialize, be appreciated, and to enjoy the beautiful art at the museum. The docent-led tour was particularly sensitive to access issues, and the museum provided a “touch/feel” tour for the PCC’s blind representatives. Iona stated that she particularly enjoyed Rodin’s ‘Prodigal Son’ sculpture. Paratransit Broker Report: Marc Soto asked that Cheryl Damico provide the report on dialysis service. Cheryl provided a summary of items that need to be followed up on and to address before the next dialysis meeting on July 12, 2007: 1. Anchoring dialysis trips – Brian Hunt committed that all dialysis trips will be anchored within 2 weeks 2. Every day, except Thursdays, a designated MPT road supervisor will make random visit to dialysis centers to survey the quality of service. 3. MPT will provide dialysis centers a Nextel phone for them to talk to MPT directly 4. Brian Hunt will check the after-hours cancellation message box and update Marc if it is working properly 5. Saturday service still continues to be unsatisfactory. MPT will make sure that there is a supervisor on site on weekends 6. Broker staff will set up procedures for pilot program for dialysis centers to take digital pictures to be used for paratransit photo ID. 7. Marc will meet with Matt Yamashita and Brian Hunt to understand the functions of the new AVL system 8. Go-back trips - Brian Hunt will retrain MPT dispatch on go-back trips. The center will call ETA/Dispatch line when: • the patient is picked up late in the morning, the return trip has be adjusted; • the patient is not ready to leave the center (e.g. bleeding patient, etc.). In this case, MPT has an hour to send a van or arrange for a taxi from the patient is ready to leave the center After Cheryl’s report, Marc added that the dialysis centers have clients that are eligible for paratransit taxi service, but who can’t purchase scrip because they do not have their paratransit photo ID. For many dialysis clients, it is hard to take trips outside of the dialysis trips. The Broker is working on a pilot program to allow dialysis center staff to take digital pictures of the riders for the photo ID. The Broker’s IT manager will establish clear guidelines for this process. The next dialysis meeting is scheduled for July 12th. Brian Hunt reported that the group van trips were anchored and that Nelson Sosa is now scheduling full time. MPT has assigned a road supervisor to specifically monitor service to dialysis centers. Brian has re-trained dispatch on go back trips. Also, dialysis centers have been given hand held radios to communicate directly with MPT. Marc provided the following report:
• Hired an excellent chief of maintenance • Adjusted driver and management wages • Acquired additional vehicles • Implemented a new Nextel radio system • Updated driver records and files • Increased staff training • Issued new ID badges and uniforms • Executed agreements with Yellow, Luxor and Paratransit Taxi Services for back up service Marc added that the complaints and missed trips are still too high. There are still some open maintenance issues. On June 13th, the Broker sent MPT a formal letter which stated that the initial 90-day period was over. There has been significant movement in the right direction, and the Broker will give MPT an additional 60 days to tie up loose ends. The Broker expects to see a reduction in formal complaints and missed trips and an increase in on-time performance in the next 60 days. On August 16th, the Broker will meet with MPT to review the final contract compliance items. After Marc’s report, Michael Kwok stated that the ETA line is very important to riders, and needs to be improved. There should be an option for a caller to hold for an operator, and currently there is not. Marc stated that he will follow up with MPT to make sure that callers do not need to press a button to speak to a person. Pat stated that she has problems with the taxi stands at the Hyatt on the Embarcadero. Some of the drivers from the small companies say that they do not accept scrip. Marc stated that he would report Pat’s comments to the SF Taxi Commission office. Public Comment: Wannee stated that sometimes she calls MPT to cancel her ride and they still show up. Most of the drivers do not get the information about the cancelled trips. Wannee asked if she could purchase scrip anytime between the 1st of the month and the 15th so she won’t have to make two trips to the Broker’s office for ride tickets and scrip. Annette suggested that Wannee make a request to the Broker that her scrip purchase date be changed to better accommodate her schedule. Stu Smith asked that taxi issues be added to the PCC agenda as a standing item. Erica Hamilton requested that an item be added to the PC&O Group Van agenda regarding the group van MoU. Michael Kwok stated that there should be more consumer orientation, and that this should be discussed at the PC&O SF Access meeting. John Lazar announced that Yellow, Luxor and Arrow are being sued by United Taxicab Workers (UTW) for overcharging on shifts. John stated that the cab companies have not been overcharging. They charged higher rates because they provide worker’s compensation. Jane Bolig added that the lawsuit is absurd, and that full service companies should not be penalized for providing the full services.
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