[Colorado-Talk] Speak up Tuesday about multiple-stop trips for Access on Demand

[Nate Trela]

RTD's next board meeting is Tuesday, April 30, at 5:30 p.m. and we could
use anybody interested in speaking out about potential changes to Access on
Demand to make their voices heard. The agency should have begun a peer
review of its paratransit offerings by now and the RTD board is expected to
have that report in hand some time in June. That makes it critical we keep
speaking about the importance of restoring multiple stop trips for Access
on Demand users.

I would implore anyone who cares about the issue and is an Access on Demand
user to come to the meeting in person. It  will be held at the RTD office,
1660 Blake Street, in Denver. If you are interested in speaking, please
show up a few minutes early so you can sign up at the table just outside
the meeting room to talk. Even if you are not interested in speaking,
having a presence in the room will go a long way to showing how serious
this issue is and how we will not just accept a reduction in service.

If you plan to attend the meeting via Zoom, you need to register in
advance. Here is the link to register -
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__V6whPf_RTCkeggTVe8nJQ#/registration

The agenda for the meeting can be found at
https://rtd.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=14&ID=4335&Inline=True

RTD continues to seek feedback from Access on Demand participants about the
service. You can share your thoughts at
https://rtd-denver.com/access-on-demand-update

That form is only for Access on Demand users, and if you are one, you can
weigh in there on anything you think is running well or poorly with the
program. Among the suggestions for improvements and changes I have heard
people raise are:
- Restoring the ability to make multiple stops on a single trip
- Increasing the number of rides allowed monthly (currently 60; was 120
under the now-discontinued Access a Cab program)
- Finding a better way to track Access on Demand rides taken across
multiple providers. (users must track how many rides they take across all
providers and face suspensions if they go over the current allotment of 60,
but the user must manually track it)
- Doing a better job of addressing ride-share denials for service dog
handlers. (RTD added Uber Pet to the covered services but that means the
voucher does not go as far in terms of covering the costs of trips)
- using a model similar to what DRCOG provides for seniors, where a credit
is placed on the Uber account each month and riders can decide for
themselves how best to use the funds, which do not carry over from month to
month.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions and especially if you plan
to be at the meeting.

Cheers,
Nate
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