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Minutes
PCC Executive Committee Meeting
June 29, 2005
711 Eddy Street, San Francisco
PCC Executive Committee Members Present: Laurie Graham, PCC Executive Committee Chair; Griff Humphrey, PCC Executive Committee Vice Chair; Bruce Oka; Jeanne Lynch; Genya Ehrlich; Erma Brim; Vincent Behan; Luis Calderon; Patricia Lovelock; Jewel McGinnis; Michael Gurevich; Lisa Rosene; Patty Clement; Jim Gillepsie for John Lazar; Byron Yan; Elizabeth Boardman
PCC Executive Committee Members Excused: Hobart Banks, Cheryl Damico; Sam Alicia Duke; Jacy Cohen
Guests: John Murphy, MV Transportation; Derik Calhoun, MV Transportation; Nikki Frenney, MV Transportation; Carolyn Devine, Commission on Aging and Adult Services; Cynthia Davis, North and South of Market ADHC
Paratransit Broker: Marc Soto; Kevin McNay
Muni: Kate Toran; Annette Williams
Read and Approve Agenda
Laurie Graham, PCC Executive Committee chair, called the meeting to order at 10:40 a.m. Kate Toran read the agenda. Griff Humphrey moved to add an agenda item, Comments from the Vice Chair.” The agenda was motioned/seconded/passed (M/S/P) as amended.
Approve minutes of May 25, 2005 meeting
The minutes were M/S/P as presented.
Comments from the Chair
Laurie stated that it was announced at the June 28, 2005 Taxi Commission meeting that Kelly Castagnaro was resigning from her position as the Executive Director of the Taxi Commission. With Kelly’s resignation, there will be nobody else on staff except a secretary. A new ramp taxi company has been formed by three medallion holders called Comfort Cab. They are using Black and White Checker Cab company’s dispatch service. Patricia Lovelock stated that John Lazar had expressed a concern with this new company at the last PC&O Systemwide meeting because all the cabs are single shifting at this point so they do not have to pay worker’s compensation. Bruce Oka stated that all three drivers/owners are driving the day shift and when they hire more drivers they will get worker’s compensation for those drivers. Marc Soto added that the Broker’s office did confirm that the drivers forming Comfort Cab do pick up wheelchair users.
Laurie also stated that Ruth Kim passed away, and that she would like to convene the meeting in her honor.
Comments from the Vice Chair
Griff Humphrey announced that Michael Burns has resigned as Director of the Municipal Transportation Agency, and that he has been a friend of paratransit and accessible transportation at Muni. It’s important that his successor appreciate the value of paratransit and the PCC. Griff suggested that the PCC present Michael Burns with a memento, some way to say thank you.
Annette added that during the last selection of the Muni General Manager, the disability community was able to provide some in-put. It was suggested that the PCC might want to write a letter to the mayor to request that he consider experience with accessibility as a factor in the new selection process. There was consensus that the PCC would write a letter to the mayor and present Michael Burns with a certificate of appreciation.
Elizabeth Boardman asked if there was any news regarding the Paratransit Working Group. Laurie Graham stated that she has not heard from the Transportation Authority (TA) staff. Elizabeth stated that the PCC should write a letter to the TA about the status of the Paratransit Working Group.
Report from the June 23, 2005 PC&O Systemwide meeting
Kate Toran summarized the last PC&O Systemwide meeting:
The group discussed the history of the taxi freeze, some of the effects of the freeze on the overall paratransit program, and then brainstormed goals for the new policy and policy recommendations. Kate also emphasized that any policy recommendations will need to be approved by the new Muni General Manager, since Michael Burns is leaving Muni soon. The new manager may be hesitant to approve policy changes at this time due to the budget climate that Muni is currently in. So Kate stated that the PCC should keep that in mind when developing a policy recommendation.
The group discussed the first policy suggestion which had been brainstormed at the previous meeting: Maintain program as it is now, but after one year in the program active ADA Access consumers are offered taxi service. The group defined ‘active ADA Access’ user as a person who has taken at least 24 trips in a year.
Many people felt that since the on-demand taxi service generally better meets paratransit riders needs for immediate service, particularly for medical trips, when it may be hard to know when a return trip should be scheduled, due to that taxi service should be available after six months, and not one year. The group voted, and it recommended to change the working recommendation to state that taxi service should be offered to active ADA Access riders after six months in the program.
The group then decided to eliminate the following policy recommendations from the discussion:
- Have a specific application for taxi service
- Lower the age exception to 75 years and severely disabled
- Create a lottery for scrip
- PCC volunteers make decisions about who can get taxi service once a month
- Provide taxi service for short trips
The next meeting will focus on the remaining policy recommendations:
- Lower the age exception to 75 years
- Phased approach – one book of scrip when a person is certified eligible, more at 6 months and then full amount at one year in the program
The Broker’s staff will bring data to the meeting regarding the number of active ADA Access users over 75 years old.
Luis Calderon asked how many people would be eligible to purchase taxi scrip under the policy under discussion. Kate Toran responded that she will ask the Broker’s staff to bring that information to the next meeting.
Report from June 1, 2005 PC&O Lift Van/ADA Access meeting
Kevin McNay gave the following report:
1. Dialysis Service Update:
Pat York from Potrero Hill Dialysis reported that MV has made improvement in service except that there is no designated Dialysis Driver for the return home route. Vincent Webster has been very responsive to this problem and gets it corrected immediately. TransMetro service has been spotty with some late trips.
Atea Koon, CPMC Dialysis, reported that the on-time problems with MV in April had been corrected in May and ETA calls are no longer the standard “The van will be there in 15 minutes. Vincent has done a great job in correcting these problems. She asked that drivers be reminded to call the unit on the lobby phone when making pick-ups at the Davies campus.
Elizabeth Wong, Ocean Garden Dialysis, says due to the designated drivers on the routes service has improved but service has suffered due to driver turnover and van issues. She requested regularly scheduled meetings with her providers rather than filing complaints.
2. Muni Report
Kate solicited comments from the group to improve the Lift Van/ADA Access Secret Rider Program. Byron Yan said that he thought the time on and time off the van should be included in the report. It was pointed out that that can be part of the comment section. Cheryl also pointed out that adding more questions could reduce participation. The program needs more participants to make it meaningful. Kate will be redrafting an updated form for future group input.
3. Contractor Reports:
MV Transportation: MV is experiencing high driver turnover currently but is hiring new quality personnel and there is a focus on training on wheelchair securement procedures for new drivers. MV continues to search for an Operations Manager so that Vincent can concentrate on safety and training.
Derik stated that the ETA line is jammed because people call in early to check on rides to see if they will be on time.
MV is now using the Schedule Feasibility Report in Mobility Master which is a tool to assist in scheduling. They are also using a “PST” system of cross checking schedules. Primary, is the scheduler reviewing the finished schedules, Secondary, the driver reviews the schedule before the start of his run and Tertiary, the dispatcher makes decisions at the beginning of the day and throughout the day if rides need to be moved to other routes. Also, MV has contracted with a new company to detail the vehicles.
TransMetro Express: Michael Gurevich announced that due to increased demand TME has added new 2005 Braun conversion vehicles to its fleet and is retiring older non-complaint vehicles. He has also added personnel to assist with keeping the vehicles clean.
ATC: Tulay reported that the RFP for Lift-Van and ADA Access service is being reviewed by the legal department of ATC and Muni staff. Vehicle specifications will be incorporated for approximately 20 “cut-away” vehicles for use in Lift-Van and ADA Access. January 1, 2005 is the planned date for commencement of the new contracts.
The new San Francisco Paratransit office will be located either at 989 Market St. (between 5th and 6th), or 68 12th St., a final decision is pending. There is no parking available at either location.
Tulay stated that in April MV and TransMetro had combined rides of 11,885, compared to 9,996 for March. There were 7,382 lift-van trips in April compared to 7,408 in March.
The next PC&O Lift Van/ADA Access meeting will be September 7, 2005 from 10:30 am until 12:30 p.m.
Jewel McGinnis stated that she heard that there had been a couple of accidents with MV and she was concerned. The PCC should be getting accident reports. Jewel is particularly concerned about accidents that cause harm to riders, and she had heard that MV had a fatal accident. Annette responded that there was an accident in the East Bay involving MV, but it was reported that the accident was not due to the fault of the driver.
Erma stated that the PCC should get an accident report every three months, and that this had been discussed a few years ago. Kate responded that this item can be on the agenda for the next meeting, and a thorough report can be provided, including definitions of accidents and incidents. This information can be provided to the PCC every three months, as had been decided.
Update on Debit Card Project
Annette Williams reported that the last step before the debit card contract can be certified is for the vendor to bond the project. Muni met with the vendor and clarified the deadline to provide a letter stating that GPS Data Solutions will be able to provide the bond by June 15 and the actual bond is due by June 30. A letter was provided by June 15 and Muni is anticipating that the bond will be completed tomorrow. If GPS Data Solutions cannot provide bonding for the project, Muni needs to examine the second ranked proposal.
Update on the Vehicle Procurement Process
Annette reported that Muni is in the process of purchasing 20 Ford Econoline vehicles which will be included as part of the bid for the Lift Van/ADA Access contract. The vehicles will be purchased through the Caltrans procurement and will have transit doors, high tops, two securement areas and will be able to carry up to 12 ambulatory passengers.
Paratransit Broker’s Report
Office relocation: Marc Soto reported that the Broker has submitted proposals to two landlords, 989 Market Street and 68 12th Street. Both offers have been accepted and both are within the budget. The Broker is in discussions with Muni regarding the final offer. There are different proposals on the table for the length of time for the lease. Jewel McGinnis asked if the Broker has tried to re-negotiate a lower lease payment on the current space. Marc responded that the Broker has been in discussions with the current landlord, but that a reasonable cost has not been put forth. The potential new office space will cost approximately half of what the Broker currently pays for the office space.
Customer Satisfaction Survey: The Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey this year will focus on just the Lift Van and ADA Access services. Marc made a site visit to Corey, Canapary and Galanis on Monday to listen in on the survey as it was conducted. The survey may be completed by next week and then the analysts will prepare a report.
Lift Van/ADA Access RFP: The Broker has nearly completed the draft of the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Lift Van/ADA Access services. The Broker has worked to take into concerns that have been raised by the PCC. The goal is to start the first day of service under the new contracts on January 1, 2006.
Information Technology (IT) Update: Jay LaViolette has left the Broker’s staff and no new IT staff person has been hired yet. Marc has interviewed many applicants and has narrowed the field down to two finalists. ATC’s corporate IT department has moved from Pittsburgh to Chicago. The Broker’s office will upgrade their hardware when they relocate to the new office. The Mobility Master software will also be upgraded to accommodate multiple providers.
Pat Lovelock asked why the hardware was being upgraded. Marc responded that the hardware is over 5 years old and is now obsolete. The technology has changed rapidly, and there is now a less expensive to host multiple users rather than the virtual private network (VPN).
Public Comment
Erma Brim stated that when the Regional Center re-negotiated their contract, her granddaughter Sharon was not part of it. She is considered private pay and she’s paying the highest fare. Erma would like to get Sharon included with the others on the van at the Rec Center. Lisa Rosene responded that this service is paid for by the regional center through contracts with providers other than SF Paratransit and that the SF Paratransit service is at its maximum average daily attendance. She noted that Erma’s concerns need to be taken to the Regional Center by asking for and IPD meeting with Sharon’s social worker.
Nikki Frenney with MV Transportation stated that the incident in the East Bay which was discussed earlier was a heart attack, and that she had spoken with both the family and their spiritual advisor.
Jeanne Lynch stated that she has been getting calls from clients who get taxi scrip and they haven’t been receiving their scrip for the past few months. Is there some new policy? Marc stated that there have been no policy changes and that Jeanne should give him the names of the individuals who have been having problems and he will look into their situations.
Jim Gillespie stated that he is speaking for John Lazar, who has a concern with Comfort Cab not providing worker’s compensation to their drivers. John was surprised at the Taxi Commission meeting when nothing was raised concerning the taxis single shifting and not providing service during all shifts. John had thought that there would be more opposition from the PCC. Laurie Graham stated that the community wants to give them a chance before speaking out against them. Jim responded that they’re good guys, but that’s not the issue. The issue is that the ramp taxis will only be on the street for 10 hours a day.
Laurie Graham stated that she will be out of town on August 31st which is the date of the next PCC meeting. Bruce moved that the PCC meeting date be changed from August 31 to August 24. The motion was seconded and passed.
The next PCC meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 24, 2005
10:30 am – 12:30 pm at 711 Eddy Street.
Please note that this is a new meeting date.
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