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Minutes PCC Executive Committee Meeting August 8, 2012 711 Eddy Street, San Francisco PCC Executive Committee Members Present: Stu Smith, PCC Chair; Jane Bolig, PCC Vice Chair; Marty Smith, PCC Secretary; Adrienne Humphrey; Claudia Grubler; Erma Brim; Fred Lein; Genya Ehrlich; Gilda Chico; Jane Redmond; Jeanne Lynch; John Lazar; Kathryn Simpson; Kaye Griffith; Laurie Graham; Olivia Santiago; Roland Wong; Sandra Fancher; Sue Cauthen; Ursula McGuire; Wanee Ratanasanaguan PCC Members and Guests: Troy Barnes; Annie M. Young; Terrence Strong; Max Lazar; Ethel Silverstein; Geraldine Durrah; Joey Hogan; Lurilla Harris; Vaheed Mojabi; Athan Rebelos PCC Executive Committee Member Excused: Ruach Graffis; Jacy Cohen, Cheryl Damico SF Paratransit Staff: Marc Soto; John Sanderson SFMTA: Jonathan Cheng Stu Smith, PCC Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. Read and Approve Agenda Marty Smith, PCC Secretary, read the agenda. Item #7, a slideshow of the recent Jewel McGinnis luncheon, was removed from the agenda. The agenda was motioned/seconded/passed. Approve Minutes of May 9 meeting The minutes were motioned/seconded/approved as amended. Comments from the Chair Stu Smith was elated at the attendance for today’s meeting. Ramp Enforcement and Incentive Report Jonathan Cheng summarized the ramp taxi enforcement and incentive report. From April 2012 to June 2012, there were over $12,100.00 worth of incentive awards. About $6,000.00 went to Luxor, which was also awarded the $1,500.00 fleet bonus for the quarter. Another $2,000.00 went to Desoto drivers and $1,500.00 went to Yellow drivers. Smaller amounts went to drivers from American Taxi, Royal Taxi, and Town Taxi. In addition to reporting about the ramp incentive awards, Jonathan spoke about the ramp enforcement report for the month of June. There were about 25 ramp medallion holders who were cited for failure to meet the minimum number of wheelchair pickups. Sue Cauthen asked what the incentive awards are and how are they distributed. Jonathan Cheng replied that incentive awards are awarded to ramp drivers who complete a higher than average number of wheelchair pickups for each month. The monetary awards are awarded on a tiered system, ranging from $75.00 to $250.00 per month. The incentives are paid quarterly by the SF Paratransit Broker. Marty Smith asked why some ramp medallion holders were issued citations despite having completed more than the minimum number of wheelchair pickups for the month. He stated that many of Luxor’s drivers complete non-Paratransit wheelchair customers from the hospitals as well as the hotels. Jonathan Cheng answered that although a ramp medallion may complete more than eight wheelchair pickups in a month, at least six of those pickups must be for registered Paratransit riders. Therefore all the non-Paratransit wheelchair pickups completed would not count towards that monthly requirement. Marc Soto reiterated that drivers can get guidance from Avelino Miseray of the SF Paratransit office with tips on ways they can complete more Paratransit wheelchair pickups. The group had a discussion regarding the ramp taxi program. Athan Rebelos spoke against a centralized dispatch service for the ramp taxi program. He would also like to see all drivers trained to operate a ramp taxi. John Lazar stated that the operating costs for a ramp vehicle are very high. Laurie Graham mentioned that during a recent ramp taxi training class, she was surprised that none of the participants had their names on the medallion list for a ramp taxi. Vaheed Mojabi stated that he has purchased an MV-1 vehicle and would have liked to seen some financial assistance from the SFMTA. Jane Bolig would like to see more medallions awarded to taxi companies, making them more responsible in ensuring that the ramp taxis are serving wheelchair users. She recommended a letter get drafted by the PCC seeking greater support for the ramp taxi program. “Honoring Access for All” Centennial Celebration Jonathan Cheng announced that there will be a centennial celebration on October 4, 2012. This event, Honoring Access for All, will look at the struggles and triumphs experienced by advocates over the past 35 years in achieving the accessible public transit system that Muni is today. The event will be a street party held in front of the Paratransit office at 68 12th Street. There will be public officials as well as paratransit patrons and drivers speaking about their experiences with accessibility on MUNI. Jonathan also announced that Kate Toran is making a MUNI Memories video, in which longtime San Franciscans can talk about their experiences on MUNI. The video will be shown at the event. If anyone is interested in participating, please contact Kate. More details about the event will be provided at the next meeting. PC&O SF Access Subcommittee Vice Chair Jane Redmond read the following report: · The PC&O ADA SF Access Committee meeting was held on June 6, 2012. An item for “public comment” was added to the agenda, and the agenda was approved as amended. The minutes from the March, 7, 2012 meeting were approved as written. The group commented favorably about the high quality of the minutes taken by Mr. Sanderson. · During the Service Provider’s Report, MV’s General Manager, Terrence Strong, introduced MV’s new Regional Vice President, C. Michael Stewman, who replaced John Murphy. In his report, Mr. Strong reported that mobile data computers (MDC’s) which have been added to the fleet are greatly improving dispatching. The group discussed the merits of traditional radio communication vs. the new technology, as well as distracted driving, safety behind-the-wheel and the different vehicles in MV’s fleet, particularly sedans. · During the Broker Report Marc Soto reported on recent staffing updates: John Sanderson was promoted from Contracts Compliance Monitor to the Director of Operations; Aaron Bonfilio returned to become the new Director of Finance and Administration; and Dana Brewer has joined the SF Paratransit team as a consultant to manage the local SF Paratransit/Veolia IT operation. Dana’s company, Computer Information Station, is expected to contribute to the increasing IT demands of the project. · Annette Williams, of SFMTA, made an announcement regarding the upcoming Muni Accessible Services Centennial Celebration to be held in front of the SF Paratransit office in October; and Kate Toran provided the group information about the Jewell McGuiness Annual Appreciation Luncheon to be held later in the month. · The next PC&O ADA SF Access meeting will be on September 5, 2012 at the Paratransit office. Jane Redmond commented that SF Access service has been improving. Gilda Chico stated that a driver left her alone in a vehicle with the door open. PC&O Group Van Subcommittee Jonathan Cheng reported the following on behalf of the Vice Chair, Jacy Cohen: · The PC&O Group Van Subcommittee meeting was held on Wednesday, July 11 at the Paratransit office 1st floor conference room. Tracy McCloud served as acting chair in lieu of vice chair Jacy Cohen. · Marc Soto provided an update as to the status of the group van contracts. MV Transportation began as a group van service on May 1 while Baymed’s contract was finalized and made effective June 1. Centro Latino, Self Help for the Elderly, and Kimochi will continue to operate smaller group van service under the DAAS portion of the service arena. · Pilot testing is currently being conducted for the MDC devices on all van services. These devices will provide greater data in a LIVE format to allow for better management of routes. In addition, SFMTA and SF Paratransit are currently completing the registration of the new 20 replacement and 6 expansion vans. · The group had a lengthy discussion as to the effects of the transition from ADHC to C-BAS (Community Based Adult Services). There were concerns raised that many current ADHC participants will not be eligible for the C-BAS program. In addition, the group discussed the impact of this transition on group van service. · There are some service quality issues regarding lengthy travel time for some GV clients. MV has been working to address this. In addition, some clients requested that there be more adequate communication between dispatchers and the centers in regards to the pick up times. · The next PC&O Group Van Subcommittee meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 3 at 68 12th Street. Kaye Griffith asked what ADHC and C-BAS mean. Jonathan Cheng replied that ADHC stands for “Adult Day Health Center” and C-BAS means “Community Based Adult Services.” PC&O Ramp Taxi Subcommitee Vice Chair Fred Lein made the following report: · The meeting was held on Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at the\ Paratransit office 1st floor conference room from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. · During Comments from the Chair, Vice Chair Fred Lein announced that 50 new Single Operator Permits are now on the streets and 16 of those are with Yellow Cab. Fred offered his congratulations to those drivers. · The main topic of discussion was that over 500 taxis which had insurance coverage under the San Francisco Independent Taxi Association (SFITA) were operating without the required insurance coverage of one million dollars. Cabs which are out of compliance with the insurance requirements are unable to process the paratransit debit card. This caused some significant disruptions to Paratransit taxi service. · Ramp Taxi minimum pick up requirements are being enforced and overall Ramp Taxi service has improved. The number of drivers earning incentive bonuses has also increased. · Broker’s Report – o Ramp Incentive Program payments have been made for the 2nd quarter of 2012. o Total driver winnings of $10,600.00 have been paid out o Luxor Cab was the 2nd quarter Taxi Company Winner for all 3 months o A PASS “Train the Trainer” course is planned for the fall. Those interested in attending should contact John Sanderson at the Paratransit office to get more information. Kaye Griffith mentioned that she has been experiencing difficulties with Yellow Cab vehicles in terms of receiving the signal so that she can use her Paratransit debit card. Taxi Insurance Issue There was much discussion about the recent issue concerning taxis having the required amount of auto liability insurance coverage. Marc Soto explained the situation to the group. While under the police code, taxis may be required to only carry $500,000 auto liability insurance, the SFMTA’s Minimum Requirements for Taxicab Participation in Paratransit requires the $1m in auto liability coverage. This has been a requirement since 2000. Furthermore, San Francisco’s Transportation Code requires that all San Francisco taxis must transport paratransit program patrons under a contract with the City’s paratransit broker. This is how the insurance requirement of $1 m in auto liability is promulgated to SF taxi companies. During recent renewals in August, one insurance company that insures approximately 500 SF taxis failed to renew its clients’ policy at that level and did not give the required advance notice to either the City, SFMTA, Veolia or the insureds so that other arrangements could be made. This issue has affected about 500 of the total taxi fleet. Marc stated that some taxis sought coverage from their color schemes (long-term lessees) and others held out until the insurer could bind the required coverage. Marc explained that while a certificate was put in place, during the next 30 days, a process to validate all coverage would occur. Marty Smith questioned what would happens to those who were not properly insured even if for just a short period. Jane Bolig reiterated this point. Jeanne Lynch said that she has received a number of questions from individuals who were concerned that they would not be picked up by a taxi. Athans Rebelos stated that it is the up to the taxi companies to take responsibility for their failure to stay updated as to their insurer binding the required insurance coverage. It was suggested that the Taxi Services Division should be prepared to provide a full report regarding this matter at a future meeting including penalties assessed or other actions taken. Paratransit Broker Report Marc Soto read the following report: · SF Access Quality Report: There was been a fleet reduction at MV Transportation. The sedan vehicles which had provided supplementary support to the van service were taken out of service. However, they have been restored on a limited basis until MV Transportation can operate the new 26 vehicles. This contributed to some service problems during the past weeks and there were additional service disruptions in July due to a computer error that lost map and route information for vehicles. Marc announced that MV Transportation will begin service as the service operator for Shop-A-Round as of August 10. Terrance Strong announced that he will be leaving MV Transportation and that Joey Hogan will serve as the interim general manager until a permanent one is found. He stated that MV Transportation is looking to continually improve service and is taking feedback to enhance its service. He thanked the community, the SFMTA and Veolia for all their support during the past months including transitions to SF Access and Group Van. · Mobile Data Computer (MDC) project update: The devices have been deployed to all SF Access vehicles except 4 600-series buses and some of the 800-series buses with installation for group van vehicles to begin this week. In total, 120 devices will be installed for both SF Access and Group Van vehicles and provide real time vehicle information to dispatchers so that they can better manage service to clients on routes. Pilot testing for the IVR system will begin later this year. · Paratransit Van Procurement Update: 26 new buses that had been ordered by SFMTA to replace 20 of the SFMTA-owned vehicles and to expand the fleet by six vehicles have been delivered. However, repairs must be done to a number of them and DMV registrations completed before they can be used for service. Geraldine Durrah stated that she filed a complaint with SF Paratransit in regards to an unruly passenger but did not receive a reply. Jane Redmond apologized on behalf of the PCC for the incident she experienced. Sue Cauthen commented that MV Transportation has not been picking her up on time, making her late for appointments. She believes that issues with dispatch have caused her to be late. Wanee Ratanasanguan agreed with Sue’s comments about service. Roland Wong thanked MV Transportation for providing transportation to MAAC members to attend the funeral of a former member. Kathryn Simpson commented that drivers are not receiving required sick time and other leave as required by the City’s Minimum Compensation Ordinance. Jane agreed with this comment. Ms. Simpson also requested that SF Paratransit better enforce requirements of passengers on paratransit vehicles to refrain from wearing heavily scented perfumes on the vehicles. Marc responded that both would be looked into. Announcement John Sanderson announced that Cheryl Damico suffered burns and is currently hospitalized. Olivia Santiago stated that Cheryl had been moved out of the ICU and was recovering well. Adjournment The motion was made to adjourn the meeting. It was seconded and passed. The meeting adjourned at 12:34 pm. The next PCC meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 711 Eddy Street |
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