I haven't logged much time on Illy's public transport in the year that I've lived here. I took the buses to Old City and West Philly for work purposes every now and then, but I still haven't gone on the subways/trolleys here. All that will change very soon as Lady is giving her car back in the next month or so.
But I did take the trains in DC all the time when I lived down there for three years going to college at American University [never heard of it? join the club]. I rode the Red Line all the time, I lived out in Grosvenor [between Rockville and Bethesda, MD] my third year in DC and took it every day.
I read this article in the WaPo on Tuesday about the options for the disabled in the DC Metro area, specifically those who are incabable of using public transport for one reason or another. MetroAccess is the transportation service that the disabled can use which is required under federal law. From what I understand, this is how it works: MetroAccess pays LogistiCare [the car service] $23.22 for each trip. The passenger pays $2.50 for the trip which can be anywhere within the Metro system. The service is underwritten by tax dollars and bus/rail revenues.
Sounds great, right? Well, in theory, yes. But the WaPo reports that it's not working out so well.
As Marquette Henderson's vision dimmed and he could no longer drive, he sought help. He signed up for training through Blind Industries and Services of Maryland and found a job as a clerk at its store on Bolling Air Force Base. To get there and back to his Fort Washington apartment, he relied on MetroAccess, the transportation service for the disabled that Metro is required to provide under federal law.Henderson's story is just one of the many out there, but LogistiCare is still getting huge bonuses because of their "on time" track record. Why? Loopholes.
Marquette Henderson said his frequently late MetroAccess ride forced him to leave his job last year. He sometimes chose to walk home from work along the highway rather than wait.
What at first seemed like a blessing ended up adding to his difficulties. The transportation was so unreliable that one day in January 2004, Henderson didn't get to work until 12:30 p.m. for his 8 a.m. shift, he said. Sometimes, he said, he would call his wife to pick him up as he set out for home on foot, straining to see as he tapped his cane along the dusty edges of the highway.
He stopped getting bonuses. His boss put him on notice because he was frequently tardy. Last summer, he was forced to quit, he said.
When drivers failed to show up, the trips weren't recorded as late and didn't count against the company when performance bonuses were awarded. Although Metro could have regularly spot-checked LogistiCare's numbers, agency officials said they failed to do so.What kind of a rediculous loophole is that? That's just insane and unacceptable in my humble opinoin. You'd think that there would be tons of complaints from all the stranded people, right? Well, yes and no.
LogistiCare logs the complaints from the "riders" as queries instead of complaints. Isn't that convenient! No "complaints" and almost on late pickups! Great! But that's not the whole story and people are getting fucked. And it's not the people who can just walk, bike or drive to wherever they need to go.
But it's not all MetroAccess's and LogistiCare's fault, there are dishonest individual drivers and riders who abuse they system. Drivers saying they picked up people they really didn't to get the pay for it. Riders arranging pickups for people who are not supposed to be using the service. And then there are the thousands who use the system without problems. But the hundreds who are severely hampered do not have options as a result.
Scott Hobbs, a former university chaplain, who cannot walk and is deaf, had to quit his job because of the problems he had using MetroAccess.
When I started using MetroAccess, I thought I would be able to go anywhere. But the reality is that I spend most of my days at home.
Does Philly have a service like this? While I think that the people who get shafted are shafted in a big way, a service like this improves the lives of those who are able to use it problem free.
I would love to talk to the person or people that wrote this ed-op piece. Can someone please contact me at this email address [email protected].
Thank you
Posted by: laura | January 12, 2006 at 11:40 PM