[Colorado-Talk] Help get RTD to restore multiple stop trips for Access-on-Demand

[Amy Sabo]

hello nate,

thanks for posting this news on rtd to the list. i didn't know that
access a ride offered this service. since i moved to castle rock rtd
doesn't come here:(

as for the information on how to write to the director of rtd and,
also to find out on who on the rtd board is in my district too on the
their web site is awesome too!

i will find out this information and, i will of course asap contact
them myself personally on my concern for this problem.

thanks again for the information and, i will talk to you soon!




sincerely,
amy sabo

On 2/22/24, Nate Trela via Colorado-Talk <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello Federationists,
>
> For those of you not familiar, RTD offers Access-A-Ride users a
> supplemental service where you can receive 60 free trips a month (max.
> value $25 each) combined across Uber, Lyft and a pair of taxi
> services. The Access-on-Demand service is certainly an improvement
> from the agency's previous paratransit offerings, but it has started
> to roll back the service in a way that seriously impacts frequent
> users.
>
> From the program's launch, Uber riders were able to create multi-stop
> trips that were covered with the same dollar limit as one-way trips.
> This meant if you were dropping off a kid at school on the way to
> work, picking up a grocery order, quickly running into a post office
> or passing through a drive-thru, if you kept the trip under $25 it was
> fully covered. You did not have to lose time waiting around,
> potentially in harsh weather, for your next ride.
>
> Late last year, however, the agency sent out notices that it would no
> longer allow multi-stop trips. It claimed the ability to book such
> trips on Uber was a "glitch" and they never should have been allowed.
> Many riders say this prohibition never had been mentioned. And the
> change can literally cost Access-a-Demand users hundreds of dollars
> out of pocket every month because they run out of trips by the middle
> of a month.
>
> We need to let RTD know that we're not going backwards.
>
> We are looking for as many Access-on-Demand users as possible to
> attend the next RTD board meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 27
> at RTD headquarters, 1660 Blake ST. People can sign up there to speak,
> but even just showing up in numbers and filling the room will help
> make the case.
>
> We also need letters to go out to RTD's senior leadership making the
> case to restore coverage of multiple stops. There's a sample letter at
> the end of this email. All of the Letters should be sent to RTD's
> general manager, Debra Johnson at Debra.Johnson at rtd-denver.com.  Every
> RTD board member is also an elected official, representing a specific
> district, and we should be reaching out to them as well. A complete
> list of Board members and an accessible search feature can be found at
> https://www.rtd-denver.com/about-rtd/board-of-directors
>
> If you write a letter or would like to attend the meeting in person,
> please drop me a line at ntrela at gmail.com so I can help organize the
> group. If you need help with your letter or have other questions,
> please reach out as well.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Nate Trela
>
> --- Sample letter
>
>
> You can use this as a template and fill in the blanks or build on it
> in your own words. The important part is to convey the costs in terms
> of time and money.
>
>
> Hello, my name is [your name] and I am an Access-on-Demand user.
> I am writing to urge RTD to restore the ability for riders to make
> multiple stops on one  trip under the Access-on-Demand program.
> Access-on-Demand has been a great step forward for paratransit
> services in Denver, and we should work together to make it stronger.
> The ability to make multiple stops on a single trip would appear to
> provide savings for RTD and consumers, and it would also enable
> passengers to complete trips and tasks quickly and safely.
> Whether the vouchers were ever intended to cover multi-stop trips or
> not, they opened up opportunities for paratransit users.
> (You could add an example or story ABOUT WHAT YOU COULD DO before with
> multiple trips that you cannot now and, if possible, quantify the
> financial impact. Are you using more trips now because you can't do a
> round trip to pick up an order at the store or drop your child off at
> school as you head to work? Maybe you made a decision to live
> somewhere because the math worked if you could make that extra stop.
> Perhaps you had to drop an activity because you are now out of trips
> by the middle of the month. Were you stuck outside in sub-freezing
> temperatures waiting for the next ride when all you needed to do was
> run inside a school or a store for a minute.)
> The arguments expressed by staff and at advisory committee meetings
> against allowing multiple stop trips while limiting the number of
> trips riders can take in a month do not add up. The capability to make
> multiple stops existed under the old Access-a-Cab service. There were
> no limits to the number of rides that could be taken under that
> program or under the core Access-a-Ride service. Multiple short  trips
> combined into one trip represent savings because they mean only once
> paying the fees charged by ride services before your vehicle has even
> moved from the pickup point. And the challenges in offering that level
> of service to customers using Uber WAV should not mean the level of
> service should be reduced for other consumers. Instead, RTD should be
> working to improve the service for everyone.
> As an RTD customer, a constituent and a blind person who has
> benefitted from the level of service being provided, I implore you to
> help lead RTD to restoring the ability to make multi-stop trips.
> Sincerely,
> (Your Name)
>
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