[NFB_of_Georgia] [Press Release] Privatization of Paratransit

[Damashe Thomas]

> PRESS RELEASE
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 4, 2015
> CONTACT: Curtis Howard, President, ATU Local 732
>              (404) 223-5122
>
> MARTA NOT FOR SALE!
> PRIVATIZATION OF MARTA PARATRANSIT SERVICE – TO BE DETERMINED
>
> At the upcoming MARTA Board Meeting, on Thursday, November 5th at 1:30 p.m., a vote is expected to take place.  A “yes” decision would privatize the paratransit division of MARTA, also known as MARTA Mobility.  Every year, tens of thousands of people with disabilities use the MARTA Mobility services; taking hundreds of thousands of trips to work, school, medical appointments, church and community events.
> Paratransit service is mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA,) and is an important issue for the disability community. Lack of access to transit is the #1 reason why people with disabilities stay at home, being prevented from participating in the life of the community. Sadly, this service is at further risk, if outsourced to a private company.
>    In 2002, a Federal District Court granted an injunction against MARTA for its failure to deliver service according to the policies set by the ADA. This past May, a motion was filed to hold MARTA in contempt of the Court Order for its failure to meet certain standards, such as on time performance. Despite repeated attempts by the disability community and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) to provide input and positive steps to improve the service, MARTA management has chosen to pass this problem off to a third party vendor, MV Transit.
> MARTA’s own CEO, Keith Parker, commissioned a report before coming to Atlanta in which he argued that privatization of paratransit doesn't work, partly because the low wages paid by privateers leads to high turnover. MARTA tried privatization of paratransit service before in the 1990’s but was forced to bring the work back in-house because of the poor service.
> There will be a press conference, at 12 p.m., at the MARTA Lindbergh headquarters (2424 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta.)  Then, a time for public comments is scheduled immediately after the press conference. A coalition of community, labor, and faith leaders will be present to give testimony and demand that MARTA remain a public service.
>
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