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Minutes
PCC Executive Committee Meeting
September 19, 2007

711 Eddy Street, San Francisco

PCC Executive Committee Members Present: Stu Smith, Chair; Jeanne Lynch, PCC Vice Chair; Laurie Graham, Secretary; Bruce Oka; Erma Brim; Byron Yan; Ruth Lawner; Melecio Torres; Dee Ann Hendrix; Genya Ehrlich; Ruach Graffis; Silas Telfor; Claudia Grubler; Jacy Cohen; Lisa Rosene; Matthew Yamashita; Tom Stanghellini for John Lazar; Pam Martinez for Hal Mellegard; Patricia Lovelock; Michael Kwok; Cynthia Peterson; Griff Humphrey

PCC Executive Committee Members Excused: Olivia Santiago

Guests: Hansu Kim; Jon Canapary, CC&G Research; John Murphy, MV Transportation; Alex Lodde, MV Transportation; Russell Green; Sam Alicia Duke; Alan Fox, The ARC of San Francisco; Leon Schmidt, North and South of Market ADHC; Jane Bolig, National Cab, Wannee Ratanasanguan; Robert Schwarz

Paratransit Broker: Marc Soto; Kevin McNay; Tulay Atalay

Muni: Annette Williams; Kate Toran

Read and Approve Agenda

Stu Smith, PCC Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:40 am. Jeanne Lynch read the agenda, which was motioned/seconded and passed (M/S/P) as presented.

Approve minutes of August 8, 2007 meeting

The minutes were M/S/P as presented.

Comments from the Chair:

Stu stated that there is a full meeting agenda today and a shortened meeting time, so the discussion will be kept to a minimum today. Stu explained that the meeting is short to accommodate a ramp taxi medallion applicant interview. The PCC is working in conjunction with the SF Taxi Commission to try to get the new ramp taxi medallions into service in a timely manner. The interview today is part of that effort. There is only one driver at this time qualified to be interview by the PCC. Instead of holding a separate meeting for one interview, we decided to hold the meeting at a time when the PCC members were already gathered. So the PCC meeting will end at 12:00 noon and the last half hour will be dedicated to interviewing Mr. Tesfaye Chuffa.

Stu stated that PCC members are welcome to stay and be part of the interview process. Pat Lovelock is the chair of the Taxi Advisory Committee, and in order for the meeting to run smoothly, she will guide the process as appropriate.

Report from the August 15, 2007 Planning and Review Subcommittee meeting

Bruce Oka gave the following report:

The Planning and Review Subcommittee met on August 15th to discuss the PCC By-Laws and plan for the Annual Meeting.
Bruce Oka was voted Chair by acclamation.
The group discussed the PCC Executive Committee composition. There was extensive discussion about the non-profit provider caucus, and if the description in the By-Laws should be clarified. After a long discussion, it was decided not to recommend any changes to the By-Laws regarding the non-profit caucus.
The group also discussed the status of the Adult Day Health Care representative, because the public entity, the Adult Day Health Planning Council, no longer exists. The group decided that there is adequate ADHC representation option in the Affiliated Elderly caucus, so the group voted to propose to eliminate the separate Adult Day Health Care Representative.
The group also voted to re-name the Office on Aging to the Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) and to eliminate the Department of Human Service slot, because DAAS is a part of the Human Services Agency. See below:

ARTICLE VII

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. Creation: There shall be an Executive Committee composed of thirty-six (36) voting members and eight (8) non-voting members. All interested parties shall be encouraged to attend and to participate in Executive Committee meetings.

Section 2. Composition: (Voting Members) The Executive Committee shall be composed of the following categories and numbers of individuals:

a) Affiliated Disabled - six (6) representatives from organizations in San Francisco which work with individuals with disabilities;

b) Unaffiliated Disabled - five (5) disabled San Francisco residents not representing organizations;

c) Affiliated Elderly - five (5) representatives from organizations in San Francisco which work with individuals over sixty (60) years of age;

d) Unaffiliated Elderly - six (6) elderly San Francisco residents over sixty (60) years of age not representing organizations;

e) Non-Profit Paratransit Organizations- three (3)

f) Minority Representative - one (1)

g) Low Income Representative - one (1)

h) Taxi Services Representatives - two (2)

i) Ramp Taxi Driver - one (1)

j) Sedan Taxi Driver – one (1)

k) Paratransit Van Service Representative - two (2)

l) Mayor's Office - one (1)

m) Department of Aging and Adult Services - one (1)

n) Golden Gate Regional Center - one (1)

The Membership Subcommittee also discussed the upcoming PCC Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, November 17th, at 711 Eddy Street. The group discussed awards, fundraising, and catering. Save the date. It will be the PCC’s 29th anniversary.

After Bruce read the report, the PCC voted to approve the suggested By-Laws amendments, and forward to the PCC Annual Meeting for a vote from the full committee. Kate announced which PCC Executive Committee seats are up for re-election this year.

Report from the September 5, 2007 PC&O SF Access Subcommittee meeting

Byron Yan gave the following report:

Kevin McNay gave a brief report on the dialysis center meeting.
Service Provider Reports: Mobility Plus- Matt Yamashita, the GM of MPT talked about the following improvements at MPT:

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.
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.
Driver trainings and safety training are in progress, to make sure drivers are fully complaint with the requirements of the contract and the requirements of the ADA as well as passenger assistance and sensitivity.

Broker Report: Marc reported the following:

He reported that recently Broker Office conducted a train the trainer Passenger Service and Safety Training (PASS).

Marc stated that the Broker’s staff and MPT are working competently to improve the service quality and to reduce the number of complaints. Marc complimented Matt Yamashita for working hard and staying focused on the main problems and finding solutions to them.

Broker Office checked driver uniforms, where it was noted that 9 out of 10 drivers had were wearing proper uniforms.
Marc stated that MPT vehicle maintenance had improved.

After Byron gave the report, Ruth Lawner stated that she has been having a hard time getting through on the where’s my ride line. Matt stated that he may add an extra staff person to handle the volume of phone calls. Ruach Graffis stated that she also has a hard time getting through on the phone. Silas Telfor stated that he visited MPT and that he has seen some improvements but there are still some outstanding problems with dispatch and where’s my ride.

Debit Card Update

Annette reported that the debit card project is moving forward in a positive direction. The project has been re-structured and there is a new project manager, Fariba Mahmoudi. SFMTA staff is working with Booz, Allen, Hamilton (BAH) to develop the technical specifications. Hansu Kim is working with BAH as the liaison to the taxi industry.

There are three major components to the debit card project:

Paratransit Broker software
debit card software
debit card hardware (In Taxi Equipment)

The reconfigured project will allow taxi companies the choice of In Taxi Equipment. Hansu Kim set up a Taxi Advisory Committee (TAC) with key stakeholders to keep the industry informed of the progress of the project and to solicit in-put as appropriate. Hansu stated that the TAC is a very important group and he is confident that all stakeholders are supportive of the project.

Genya Ehrlich stated that the paratransit customers need to be prepared for the change from scrip to debit card. Jane Bolig thanked Hansu and the SFMTA for moving the project forward in this new direction.

Annette added that there is one other item that she wanted to report on. The Department of Aging and Adult Services has earmarked $300,000 to expand the taxi service. Therefore, the pilot program that started originally with 100 participants, then was expanded to 200 participants, can now be further expanded.

Paratransit Broker Report:

Marc Soto provided the following report:

Paratransit Customer Satisfaction Survey – An independent research firm, Cory, Canapary and Galanis, administered the 2007 survey. The Broker and Muni staff have met to discuss the survey results and possible follow up steps. Jon Canapary gave a brief summary of the survey results. He stated that the respondents were randomly selected and there were interpreters available for individuals who do not speak English. The surveyors were also trained to recognize a TDD tone and to call back on the California Relay Service. The survey base was: 177 Paratransit taxi riders, 51 ramp taxi riders, 123 lift van riders, 70 ADA Access, 65 Group Van riders and 15 Group Van program directors/coordinators. Jon reviewed some of the specific data points, and the survey overview was handed out for PCC members to review.

After Jon provided the report, Silas stated that since he understood that the Broker’s office had been broken into a few months ago, he didn’t feel comfortable answering survey questions. Marc responded that there was a theft of computer hardware, and that he’s sorry that the theft and the survey phone call came close to each other. Alex Lodde asked Jon who hired and paid him. Jon responded that he was hired by Veolia with approval of the MTA. He added that his firm has been in business since 1933 and that unless you’re unbiased you don’t last. A survey firm has to stand on its own reputation, and that Cory, Canapary and Galanis is the oldest research firm in California. Jacy Cohen stated that there was a discrepancy between the group van rider’s satisfaction levels and the agency satisfaction. She explained that some developmentally disabled clients and there families weren’t surveyed. This issue has been addressed, but it may have had an impact. Jon responded that the surveyors are trained to only interview people who actual rode on the surveyed trip. It was suggested to include family members, even if they didn’t go on the surveyed trip. Marc thanked Jon for his work and for helping the Broker and Muni understand where improvements in service need to be made.

Stu Smith then adjourned the meeting so that the ramp taxi medallion interview could take place.

The next PCC meeting will be held on
Wednesday, December 12
10:30 am – 12:30 pm at 711 Eddy Street.

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