[Ohio-talk] Paratransit-Project Mobility Question

[COLLEEN ROTH]

Hi Kaiti,
Sometimes people are listed as curb-to-curb and not door-to-door on these s"ervices.
Sometimes the driver will ask the Dispatcher to call the person on their cell phone because they really do not want drivers to do that while driving.
In Toledo they do not put everything on the Manifest for a driver even when you give it to them.
I understand why you didn't want to wait outside for Paratransit in the dark and alone.
I always plan ahead so that I allow extra time for appointments just in case of a glitch.
Sometimes cellphone signals do not work well in a building.
I would definitely appeal the no-shows on your record.
I would also make sure you are door-to-door.
Some drivers do not go up to a building to ring buzzers if someone is not outside.
You really do need to appeal your no-shows.
Sometimes you get them no matter how careful you are when using Paratransit.
In Toledo we have to allow for one hour on the bus.
This plus a 15-minute window before and after the pickup time.
If I have to go somewhere and my appointment is at 11 a.m. I schedule my pickup 9-30 a.m.
If I were you I would try to get the Rules and Regs for Dayton Paratransit.
Colleen Roth



----- Original Message -----
From: Kaiti Shelton <kaiti.shelton at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List" ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
Date: Monday, September 9, 2013 2:16 am
Subject: [Ohio-talk] Paratransit-Project Mobility Question

>
>
> Hi all, 
> 
>  
> 
> I am a brand new paratransit user and took my first trip with the Dayton
> Area Project Mobility this weekend.  Unfortunately, it was not quite the
> experience I had thought it would be, so I'm wondering if there is anything
> I can do to make the situation better in the future.  
> 
>  
> 
> I remember having a conversation with some of the other teachers/volunteers
> at Bell about how sometimes paratransit services will mess up something on
> the paperwork and give the person wanting to use the service a no-show even
> if it was not their fault.  I knew this would undoubtedly happen to me at
> some point, but I didn't anticipate it happening on my first trip.  I
> scheduled a departure trip for Saturday night.  Naturally, because standing
> outside would have meant waiting alone in the dark on a college campus, I
> chose to stay inside and wait for a call on my cell phone or for the driver
> to buzz my apartment, both numbers are on file with RTA as I was sure to
> list them on all paperwork and check that they were on file when I was
> giving information at my certification appointment.  I kept my cell phone
> near by and checked it often to make sure I didn't miss anything.  When the
> bus had not come 20 minutes after my scheduled pick up time I called
> dispatch as instructed.  I was informed that the driver tried to call my
> number and got a man who said he had misdialed.  The RTA people maintained
> that they had dialed my number correctly though, including my 513 area code,
> and that the no-show was valid.  I don't know why they did not buzz the
> apartment if they were at the residential building as that would have worked
> as well, or why they wouldn't take what the man they spoke to seriously and
> try to call again, (In case of a slipped finger), but they did not take the
> five extra seconds to do either.  I managed to guilt the dispatcher into at
> least sending the driver again as I saw me waiting inside under those
> conditions to be very reasonable, and she reluctantly did so.  When she
> called me back to let me know the driver was back at my apartment building
> the call came through just fine.  So, obviously the driver or whoever called
> the first time just misdialed per human error.    
> 
>  
> 
> Had this been the only no-show on my record I would have probably let it
> slide and waited for it to go away on its own, but a similar situation
> happened on the return trip.  I waited inside the place I had traveled to
> for a while, but after I had not heard from the driver for the ten minutes
> prior to my scheduled time I figured I would be proactive and wait outside
> so I could avoid the situation happening again.  Again, I waited till the
> full time window had passed and called dispatch.  The dispatcher I spoke to
> first tried to claim there was no number on fial for me, but then
> successfully read back my cell number over the phone.  Then he tried to tell
> me the drivers would not call customers, but changed his story when I said
> the driver last night apparently tried to do so and the driver I spoke to on
> the way to my certification appointment informed me that they could do that
> or buzz my apartment to let me know they were waiting.  Only then did he
> say, "Well, you're right, they really should have called you."  Then he said
> the real reason the driver didn't show was because he couldn't find the
> building where I was, but then again if they were really at a loss for
> directions I don't know why they wouldn't call for clarification.  I ended
> up giving more detailed instructions complete with landmarks over the phone
> at that point, but it was a situation that could have been easily avoided.  
> 
>  
> 
> I understand that the paratransit system is in wide use and has to keep
> moving, but it seems to me like they're not doing a very good job of
> following their own policies for effectively communicating with their
> customers.  I tried to be as clear as I could with them and follow the
> instructions I was given, but it seems there is a disconnect somewhere in
> their paperwork.  I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to make this
> sort of thing not happen in the future and have a more pleasant experience
> using my area paratransit.  I plan to appeal both no-shows, but if I can
> avoid the hassle of getting them in the first place in the future that would
> be best.  Any advice would be appreciated as I was hoping to use them to
> reliably get to and from practicum sites next semester.  
> 
>   
> 
> Kaiti Shelton
> 
> University of Dayton---2016
> 
> Music Therapy Major, Psychology Minor, Clarinet
> 
> Advocates for Sexual Assault Prevention (ASAP), Vice president
> 
> Ohio Association of Blind Students, Secretary
> 
> NFB Community Service Group, Service Project Committee Chair
> 
> Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma, Usher Coordinator
> 
> UD Music Therapy Club
> 
>  
> 
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