Accessibility Advisory Committee (Aac)

ATTACHMENT 1

REGULAR MEETING OF THE AC TRANSIT ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (AAC) APRIL 12, 2005

Chair Abelson called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m.

1. Roll Call and Introduction of Guests AAC Members: Janet Abelson, Chair Sandy Bishop Joseph Chianese Margaret Edgelow Jim Gonsalves Burrill Hansen Frank Lucero (1:15 pm.) Margot Maurer (1:20 p.m.) John Partridge, Vice Chair Ronald Timpson Hale Zukas (1:35 p.m.) Staff: Mallory Nestor-Brush, Accessible Services Manager Guests: Director Joe Bischofberger, AC Transit District Board Peter Crockwell, CCB Alameda Chapter Jerry Grace, Oakland Resident Charlie Cameron, Hayward Resident Judy Jackson, Berkeley Resident Gary Larsen, Resident 2. Order of Agenda MOTION: BISHOP/TIMPSON approved changes in the Order of Agenda to accommodate staff. Unanimous [Note: Item 11 was taken out of order, as indicated in the Minutes]

3. Approval of Minutes: March 8, 2005 MOTION: PARTRIDGE/GONSALVES to approve the minutes. Carried with S. Bishop abstaining.

4. Public Comments Jerry Grace reported he would be playing in a basketball tournament in Berkeley on April 23rd. He stated a group would be traveling to Sacramento in May or June to express their concerns regarding proposed cuts by the Governor. Jerry will report back with a specific date and time for the trip to Sacramento. Peter Crockwell reported a member from his CCB chapter experienced some difficulty catching the bus due to a lack of advance notice of changes in bus schedules and routes on April 3, 2005.

5. Chair’s Report The Chair welcomed the new members and thanked them for their commitment to participate on the AAC. She stated the AAC advises the District Board on policy matters that affect the District, and Director Bischofberger, Board Liaison, regularly attends the AAC meetings. The AAC also works collaboratively with District Staff on many issues facing the District, including bus procurements, bus equipment and access issues. Mallory Nestor-Brush, staff liaison for the AAC, works admirably with the members and District Staff to coordinate the work of the Committee, provide the materials for the meetings and arrange staff presentations for the AAC. The Chair felt confident the members would find the AAC a place where they can provide input to positively improve the agency.

11. Discuss Fare Proposal and Public Hearing Dan Lillin, AC Transit Treasurer, reported that following the Board Workshop on Fare Increases, Staff had been directed to develop more options for the Board to consider at the May 18th Public Hearing. The Public Hearing will be held at the Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, at 3:00 p.m. and again at 6:00 p.m. There will be shuttle service from 14th Street and Broadway. Mallory will provide specific information regarding the shuttle at the next meeting.

Mr. Lillin reported the financial situation for the District is tentative, and the District is hoping to increase their fare box revenue by increasing fares. He provided the following information on the 5 proposals:

Proposal 1 – Eliminates all pre-paid tickets, passes and transfers, except for the senior/disabled monthly sticker and the 10-ride ticket. All boardings would be $1.00. Staff is proposing a 4-month pilot beginning in September 2005. Staff will have revenue information on the pilot proposal within a day or two of its implementation, and be prepared to implement Proposal #2 should the revenues not meet the expectations.

Proposal 2 – The traditional fare increase would raise fares in all categories, except senior/disabled monthly sticker and Youth 31-Day Ticket.

Proposal 3 – This proposal increases fares in all categories, but transfers would be issued free with fare payment and would be valid for 2 uses within an hour and 30 minutes. This proposal also includes the senior/disabled monthly sticker and the youth 31-day ticket. Proposal 4 – This proposal maintains the current fares, but introduces a weekly- unlimited ride ticket. In staff’s analysis of this proposal, few new riders are expected; existing riders may use the media; and staff anticipates a $300,000 reduction in fare revenues.

Proposal 5 – This is the same as Proposal 1, but would also offer a10-ride ticket and the Youth 31-Day tickets, and propose a ballot measure for a new parcel tax, which would provide free rides to all youth in the service area.

MTC and Translink plan to implement Trankslink this fall, but Mr. Lillin suggested this might be as late as March or April 2006. Mallory stated the Board wanted staff to provide as many options as possible on the fares for the Public Hearing, and the Board intends to pick and choose different pieces of the proposals after hearing public comments. Director Bischofberger stated the 10-ride ticket has been strongly advocated by the AAC for years, and he will continue to lobby for the media. He stated the 10- ride tickets would no longer exist once Translink is in operation.

Ron Timpson stated he had spoken with a driver, who had been suspended following a complaint by a rider. The driver handled cash for the rider, and was eventually suspended. This particular driver suggested there would be more and more of this type of complaint, resulting in increased driver suspensions. Mr. Lillin stated the District has a complaint procedure in place, as well as the ability to track fare boxes. Staff believes the $1 fare will make the drivers’ job of checking fare media much simpler. Mallory noted that because there are no Translink readers at the 2nd doors, the drivers would be required to handle the cash fares for senior/disabled riders using this door to board.

Margaret Edgelow asked if staff had focused on the ADA responsibility to make sure seniors/disabled riders could access the bus and pay the fare. Mr. Lillin stated staff did consider their ADA responsibilities, and as a result, has included the senior/disabled monthly sticker in all proposals and the 10-ride ticket in 2 proposals. Director Bischofberger thanked Mr. Lillin for his work on the proposals. The Board and staff are sensitive to the fact that some riders cannot handle cash, and are committed to making the service accessible for all riders.

Jim Gonsalves stated he rides the bus very often, sometimes 5 times per day, and he hears many negative comments regarding disabled riders using the bus. Jim suggested more effort should be concentrated on teaching the public about public transit. Mallory reminded the members they have the development of the Riders’ Guide as one of their pending agenda items. This Guide will be for all riders and will include basic riding rules for all riders. Hale suggested paratransit riders be given free bus passes as an incentive to not use paratransit. Director Bischofberger agreed having more paratransit riders using fixed route would be a huge financial savings for the District. However, he felt educating the public on the benefits of fixed route over paratransit will take time. Although senior/disabled riders in Walnut Creek have received free bus rides during the non- commute hours, the local agency is unable to provide information on how effective or ineffective the free passes have been in reducing paratransit rides. Mallory stated the AAC would be looking at free fare incentives or an incentive program in June. She will provide cost information at that time.

Margot suggested using bus tokens might reduce the handling of money problems for drivers and riders. Dan Lillin stated some tokens are still used, however, handling tokens is the same as handling cash.

The Chair stated a fare media for the senior/disabled community must be available in the system. She sees the 10-ride ticket as that media and worries that without the ticket, senior/disabled riders will be denied access to the system. The Chair also stated for many senior/disabled riders, notably those using wheelchairs, the accessibility to pay their fare has been denied by the District not providing readers at the 2nd door, where wheelchair users are required to board. The Chair stated it is most common when she rides that the drivers do not take her fare. She does not feel comfortable not paying her fare and feels insulted when the drivers tell her she does not need to pay.

The Chair expressed concern with the proposed ballot measure in Proposal 5. She stated in her area many bus lines have been cut, and there is no new bus service. With the recent tax measures that have already passed coupled with service cuts, she did not feel a bond to provide free fares for youth would be supported in her area. The Chair suggested the District should offer a desirable incentive to non-transit users to encourage them to ride the bus. She does not think a $1 ride is the answer. The Chair stated riders want to get to their destinations fast, and providing more Rapid service would attract more riders. She suggested the District look at improving the service and not concentrating on the fares to increase ridership.

Sandy stated in West County bus service has been cut severely. Youth have a difficult time getting to school. Taxes have increased, yet the local residents are not seeing a benefit. She suggested the Board consider a 25-cent maximum increase for youth and the monthly stickers for senior/disabled.

Margaret commented that Jim Gleich recently informed PAPCO that instead of enhancements to the system, AC Transit had uncovered yet another deficit. PAPCO advocated support for Measure BB with the understanding that the senior/disabled passes would remain unchanged. Margaret stated that as service was cut, the city programs had worked to provide paratransit service to residents who no longer qualified. Now not only will there be no improved service or service enhancements, but now AC Transit wants to ask residents to support another bond measure. As PAPCO Chair, Margaret stated disappointed and shocked and feels a bond measure will be an up hill battle.

Dan Lillin stated the District has already contracted with a polling firm. Polling has begun, and the results indicate a free youth pass is very popular. Director Bischofberger asked about the implementation and time schedule for the $1 a Ride fare. Dan Lillin reported staff would begin advertising and promoting the fare change in June and stop selling passes on August 1st.

Judy commented that the senior population will not support a bond for free youth fares as long as drivers do not enforce the rules for eating, loud music, foul language, and all the other reasons seniors are being driven away from using fixed route.

The Chair asked the members to be prepared to make a decision on a fare recommendation to the Board at the May meeting.

6. Board Liaison Report

Director Bischofberger stated the District is projecting a $2.5 million increase in fuel costs for this coming fiscal year. The Planning Committee will be reviewing all Board policies. Director Bischofberger stated the General Manager has done a great job keeping the service on the street; unfortunately, the reserves have been used to keep the service going. The Board is working on the fare issue at this time. In October AC Transit will have both a VanHool vehicle and the Fuel Cell vehicle at the APTA conference in Dallas. Director Bischofberger stated both vehicles are state-of-the-art, and all agencies will be very interested. Along with the vehicles and the potential reduction in fares, AC Transit will certainly stand out as the industry’s trend-setting agency.

Jim Gonsalves stated the new drivers are extremely rude and have been seen listening to the radio while driving. One driver was seen reading a newspaper while driving. Jim also stated the bunching on the 51 continues to be a huge problem. Judy stated the bunching on the 51 happens at the Amtrak station most often at lunchtime and dinnertime on Fridays. Hale suspects drivers rushing to the layover point cause the bunching. Staff noted that times were adjusted on the 51 in September, but apparently the line may need further adjusting. She will check with Operations and report back at the next meeting.

Director Bischofberger noted that reporting complaints is crucial. If the complaints are not called in, they will not be put in the computer system, and there will be no resolution. He encouraged the members to get the word out to call in complaints regularly.

Jerry noted that on a recent bus trip to the Great Mall, he witnessed an encounter between a rider and driver. The rider claimed the driver was rude, but Jerry stated just the opposite was true.

7. Service Review Advisory Committee Report The Chair stated the SRAC has not met since the last AAC meeting. At the prior meeting, the SRAC discussed the Measure B application from AC Transit, suspensions and disciplinary problems with riders and made a recommendation to have the suspension period be 2 years in length.

Margaret stated PAPCO had received a report from Susan Gallagher, BART, that East Bay Paratransit will be doing group trips. Margaret asked if the SRAC felt group trips was a priority for consumers? The Chair stated the SRAC had not made group trips a priority for consumers. The Chair felt that because the SRAC no longer meets monthly, the SRAC is left out of the loop. Margaret stated that not only was the group trip announcement surprising, it was upsetting that a service that is publicly paid is providing service to private groups that should be contracting for service with a private contractor. The Chair speculated that providing groups trips is a staff attempt to respond to agencies requests for required outings. Under the current policy, it is impossible to provide this service.

Mallory stated the existing informal process for group trips was disrupting the system and would generally result in a mishap, i.e.; 20 wheelchairs with only 2 vans or numerous vans going to one location at various times. Staff determined that it was better for the system, as a whole, to control the number and logistics of group trips to benefit the system. Groups or group homes could call in each individual trip but the scheduling software may not always schedule as efficiently as an individual booking the trip manually. Under the new policy and procedures group trips will be limited to one group per day. Staff also provides the agencies with other private provider information in the event the agency is unable to schedule a group trip with EBPC.

8. Report on Transit Access Report Mallory stated no new reports have been received at this time. 9. Election of Chair and Vice Chair MOTION: BISHOP/EDGELOW to nominate Janet Abelson as Chair and John Partridge as Vice Chair. Unanimous. Both Janet and John thanked the committee for their confidence and expressed their desire to serve another term.

10. Training Tapes Update: Item continued to next meeting.

12. Review of Customer Services Quarterly Report Detail Discuss Installation of Braille/Raised Print Transit Tubes Discussion of AAC Outreach Events

Mallory reviewed the Report Detail. She stated the codes for ADA and accessibility had been revised, and the senior clerks had undergone training to better define the complaints. The complaints are now coded, entered into the database, sent to the appropriate division, where follow-up and/or disciplinary action is taken. This information is provided quarterly, and is a summary of all ADA complaints. Code 91 is a boarding issue, and Code 85 is a lift/ramp issue. The information indicates that the issues are with drivers, not the equipment. All of the complaints arise out of driver interaction and result from a variety of issues: driver not offering assistance, driver not pulling to the curb, driver not using the kneeler, not knowing the flashcards.

Burrill stated he has personally been involved with at least three of the complaints, and they were all related to the driver. He stated most of the drivers are very professional, and he felt it is important to call out the problem drivers. Margot suggested the driver training should include a “conflict resolution” component to decrease the possibility of disagreements or misunderstandings between drivers and riders. Mallory will check to see if conflict resolution is addressed in driver training.

The Chair noted that although there are driver issues related to the complaints, there are no maintenance issues, which is a very significant compliment regarding the quality of the equipment.

Mallory provided a list of all the Braille/Raised Print Transit Tubes locations. The grant funding for this project resulted in 100 tubes. Mallory will be providing this list of locations to the blind community, blind centers and the School for the Blind. She hopes other groups may be able to find funding for more tubes throughout the service area. Mallory will keep the members updated on any possible funding sources as they are identified.

Mallory stated she has been conducting outreach sessions with the United Seniors of Oakland demonstrating the new VanHool buses and how to ride them. The School of the Blind is also scheduled for this demonstration. Mallory is scheduled at the Lions Blind Center in Albany in April. Mallory is also working with Mary Rowlands and ACTIA on training people to use fixed route.

13. Member Communications and Announcements Jim reported he attended a demonstration at Oakland City Hall by bus. The bus driver was calling out stops, and it was obvious to all the riders, the driver was enjoying calling the stops. The problem was the driver was not using his microphone, so the stops could not be heard.

14. Staff Communications and Announcements Mallory welcomed the new members. She will be compiling information for the new members and provide the information at the next meeting. She asked that if any member is unable to attend a scheduled meeting, the members should contact Jeanette Johnson at (510) 891-7261.

15. Set Next Agenda & Meeting Date The next regularly scheduled meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 10, 2005, at 1:00 p.m.

*Fare Increase Recommendation

16. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m. to Tuesday, May 10, 2005, at 1:00 p.m.