[Ohio-talk] Paratransit-Project Mobility Question

Mon Sep 9 15:58:12 UTC 2013

Hi Deborah,
Toledo Area Paratransit System has a Recorded call which you receive at the beginning of your window. Sometimes it actually comes after you are on the bus.
Some drivers ask the dispatcher to call a rider if they are late coming out particularly if it is a Medical Appointment for something like Dialysis.
I am door-to-door since I usually use my wheelchair. If I am going somewhere where walking is minimal I still use the lift because I cannot do the bottom step on the bus.
It is simply not doable for me anymore.
I have always had trouble because I have short legs but now with my knees and balance I just can't use it.
That means I cannot use Courtesy Vans for Hospitals either.
You could always call Access to see where your bus is and the estimated time of arrival.
I do not use Paratransit in the evening so I have never experienced problems standing outside in the dark.
To be honest, I have known people who were stranded at night so I just do not use TARPS in the evening.
Colleen Roth

----- Original Message -----
From: Deborah Kendrick <dkkendrick at earthlink.net>
To: "'Ationfb of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List'" <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
Date: Monday, September 9, 2013 7:19 am
Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] Paratransit-Project Mobility Question

>
>
> Kaiti, 
> The system can work for you if you keep experimenting to figure out where
> the bumps are, but I wholeheartedly commend you for following through and
> appealing those "no show" notations.  You are already one giant step ahead
> of those of us in Cincinnati in that you got them to agree to call you.  
> I have begged, repeatedly, that Access in Cincinnati call me when they
> arrive and they won't.  I've explained that because I can't see them out the
> window and can't hear them either that the only way I know if they are here
> is to be standing on the curb when the van arrives.  If it's cold or dark or
> rainy, that's not fun.  
> I used paratransit in New York last December and was delighted by the fact
> that for every ride, the driver called me as a matter of course.  The driver
> would call just a few minutes before arrival and thus I knew to come
> outside.  
> Back in Cincinnati, I tried again with Access here, asking to speak with a
> manager, explaining again that I am at quite a disadvantage with regard to
> seeing or hearing the van arrive and underscoring that New York had done it
> as part of the routine.  
> Nothing doing.  They will not call.  I've asked drivers about it and they
> all say they would actually prefer calling passengers because it would
> streamline the process, but it remains "against policy".  
> So, I'm really sorry your first experience was crummy.  I totally commend
> you for following it up.  And I'd love to know how you and others in Dayton
> got the paratransit people to agree to call you before arrival (when they
> get your number right, of course!)  
> Congratulations for perseverance!
> Deborah
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of richard
> payne
> Sent: Monday, September 09, 2013 7:01 AM
> To: 'Ationfb of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List'
> Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] Paratransit-Project Mobility Question
> 
> You should be able to get them to ring your apartment. We have a member of
> our chapter on the advisory  committee for Dayton's paratransit. I also can
> help you with the appeal if you have any problems with that. I am sorry that
> this happen to you. I have had sever bad rides before. The good thing is
> that there are people that work for project mobility that will listen. They
> are not perfect but can work out for you. If you know the set time you need
> to be picked up then a subscription will work best. When you have rides you
> just want to set up tell them when you need to be there you may get to your
> destination earlier than the chickens but you will be on time. Feel free to
> contact me are other chapter members. Richard 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kaiti
> Shelton
> Sent: Monday, September 09, 2013 2:16 AM
> To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List
> 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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