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Minutes
PCC Executive Committee Meeting
May 12, 2010
711 Eddy Street, San Francisco

PCC Executive Committee Members Present: Stu Smith, Chair; Olivia Santiago, Vice-Chair; Marian Gan, Secretary, Ameur Kallel; Byron Yan; Cheryl Damico; Griff Humphrey; Marty Smith; Melecio Torres; Pam Martinez; Roland Wong; Ruach Graffis; Ruth Lawner; Sandra Fancher; Jeanne Lynch; Gilda Chico; Claudia Grubler; Jacy Cohen; Patrick McCollum; Russell Green; Naran Laneve

PCC Members and Guests: Jane Bolig, DeSoto; Robin Krop; Annie McMillan Young; Jon Kaufman, Solem & Associates

PCC Executive Committee Member Excused: Erma Brim, Joseph Flanagan; Jacy Cohen; Laurie Graham;

SF Paratransit: Aaron Bonfilio; Tulay Atalay;  

SFMTA: Kate Toran; Annette Williams

Read and Approve Agenda

Stu Smith called the meeting to order at 10:35 am. Marian Gan read the agenda. 

The agenda was motioned/seconded/passed as presented.

Approve Minutes of March 31, 2010 meeting

The minutes were M/S/P as presented.

Comments from the Chair

Stu Smith asked Kate Toran to report on the status of the letter that the PCC voted to approve at the last PCC Executive Committee meeting regarding the new bike lanes on Market Street and issues with accessing BART stations.  Kate stated that Ruach Graffis put together a very good draft of the letter.  Since the letter covers both BART issues and SFMTA issues, it was decided to separate the letter into two distinct letters and send each letter to the appropriate transit agency.   The bike portion of the letter was circulated internally to bike planners at SFMTA.  In order to help guide the discussion on the matter, data sets are being put together which will show the number of paratransit pick-ups and drop-offs that originate on Market Street for both SF Access and taxi trips.  Kate added that she would revise the letter and send to Stu and Ruach for their approval before finalizing.

SFMTA Update

• Mobile Data Computers: Kate reported that the SFMTA successfully applied for a New Freedom grant to fund the purchase and installation of on board computers for the SF Paratransit van fleet.  The grant agreement is nearly finalized and is at Metropolitan Transportation Commission where it will be finalized.  Once the grant agreement is finalized, the funding will become available and the procurement can begin.  A preliminary meeting was held with SFMTA and SF Paratransit staff and it was decided to add an option in the competitive solicitation process for a predictive calling feature that would be managed through an Interactive Voice Response system (IVR). This will allow phone calls to be made automatically to van customers when their van is arriving.
• TransLink/Clipper: Annette Williams reported that by next year, Muni will replace the monthly passes with the TransLink card, which has been renamed Clipper.  SFMTA is starting outreach to the senior and disabled Muni riders now because this will be a big transition.  The RTC card is already TransLink enabled, so RTC cardholders will not need to replace their cards.

Seniors and people with disabilities that want to buy a ‘monthly pass’ in the future, will add value to their TransLink/Clipper card at an Add Value Machine located in the metro stations, Walgreens and other locations throughout San Francisco.  TransLink/Clipper card users can also choose to have the pass automatically loaded monthly through an on-line process. A cash amount can also be added to the TransLink/Clipper card, if customers simply want to pay individual fares when riding Muni. 

Seniors that do not currently have the RTC card should fill out the form for a TransLink/Clipper card.  At this point in time, it is free to get a TransLink card, but this could change in the future.  Although the card is free, it will cost the same amount to add a pass onto the card as it does to purchase the paper-based monthly senior pass or the disabled sticker.

Annette stated that customers can call 311 to get more information about TransLink/Clipper.

Byron Yan asked if the free sticker for SF Access riders that purchase at least $20 worth or SF Access rider tickers per month will still be available.  Annette responded affirmatively and added that the SF Paratransit staff will need to be trained in the next few months on how to load value onto the RTC card for those SF Access riders that have been receiving the monthly sticker.

Paratransit Broker Report

Tulay Atalay provided the following report:

Debit Card Update

The SF Paratransit staff is working on wrapping up the debit card implementation.  There are still approximately 205 taxis that are not equipped with the In Taxi Equipment (ITE), although all the drivers are trained to process paratransit debit card payments through the back-up mechanisms if their vehicle is not equipped.  The two ITE vendors are still in the process of getting their products type certified, which an approval certification process conducted by the State Department of Measurement Standards.

There is sufficient funds in the debit card budget to purchase additional ITE’s to be used in spare vehicles.

Trapeze Software Implementation Update

There are a few items that need to be finalized with Trapeze before final acceptance can occur.  Trapeze is still working on providing custom reports and complaint reports.  Final acceptance is expected in approximately ten days.

Shopping Shuttle Logo

The SFMTA sent out the logo to PCC Executive Committee members for their feedback.  There were many opinions and comments about the logo.  The final logo had the most votes and was approved by SFMTA graphic design staff. There are currently about 50 seniors and people with disabilities registered for the shopping shuttle service.  The service will begin after the kick-off meeting that the SF Paratransit staff will hold with the two shopping shuttle transportation providers – Centro Latino and MPT.  SF Paratransit will also hire a new part-time shopping shuttle coordinator to help with service implementation and monitoring.

Service Level Statistics: July 2009 – March 2010

Tulay read the following service level statistics:

Byron Yan stated that MPT service is still late and that the old software seemed better than the new software.  He added that he called MPT’s where’s my ride line and was on hold for 30 minutes.  Byron asked to have a definite timeline for the community to know when service should improve by.  Kallel responded that MPT is doing an analysis of the first three months of service and that Trapeze will be on-site for this analysis.  Kallel added MPT added one additional staff person to answer where’s my ride calls during peak hours.  Bryon sad that last Friday from about 4:00 – 4:30 pm he was on hold.  Alex from the SF Paratransit office finally got through to MPT.  Byron had a 3:30 pick-up and he was finally picked up by a back-up taxi at about 5:00 pm.

Cheryl Damico asked if Nelson reviews the Trapeze-generated schedules.  Kallel responded that, yes, Nelson does still review the schedules.  Olivia Santiago asked if the PCC could receive the results of the Trapeze analysis.  Kallel stated that he would make the results available.

PC&O Group Van Subcommittee Report, April 7, 2010

Jacy Cohen read the following report:

• Tracy McCloud was unanimously elected PC&O Group Van Vice Chair. 
• During the Service Quality Update from the Group Van Agencies representatives indicated that any service quality issues that have come up are being addressed by the providers.  Self Help reported that some data on manifests are missing, such as special instructions or added address information.
• During the Service Providers Update Ameur Kallel of Mobility Plus reported that GV service has been going fine.  Scott Blum of Medsam added that their service has been fine as well.
• During the Broker Report Marc Soto updated the Committee on the status of the Shopping Shuttle, Trapeze software implementation, the Debit Card project, Emergency Planning and staffing changes at Mobility Plus and Veolia.
• The next meeting will be on July 14, 2010, at the broker’s office.    

PC&O Taxi/Ramp Taxi Subcommittee Report, May 5, 2010

Marty Smith read the following report:

• During the Comments from the Chair, Vice Chair Marty Smith raised concerns regarding ramp taxi response time and medallion approval system. Through the chair, Marc Soto, of Veolia, asked the committee to consider forming a subcommittee to work with MTA and Veolia to update the language of Muni’s minimum rules and requirements for taxi participation. The vice chair made a motion to form such a committee, it was seconded and approved.  Volunteers for the subcommittee were taken.
• Service Quality Issues: Committee members discussed their experiences with the 800-number automated telephone line (‘IVR’).  Committee members discussed their experiences with transaction issues and the backup manual ticket / knuckle-buster process. 
• Annette Williams updated the committee about the CAL-ACT Conference and SFMTA’s presentation about the Taxi Debit Card implementation.
• During the Broker Report Marc Soto updated the committee on the status of installations of the in-taxi computer equipment (ITE), as well as any outstanding Weights and Measure issues. He added that a meeting is setup with State legislators to discuss the Debit Card project.  Marc also updated the committee on staffing changes at Veolia.
• Public Comment: Comments were heard about the scrip end date, transaction failures, and driver training.
• The next meeting will be on August 4, 2010, at the SF Paratransit.    

Ruth Lawner stated that some taxi drivers don’t swipe the card at the beginning of the trip then at the end of the trip they say that the card is not valid because they want cash payment.  Ruth stated that this has happened at Luxor, Yellow and National.  She added that once she tells the driver that she will call the SF Paratransit office, the card works fine.  Jane Bolig stated that the ITE should print a receipt that indicates that the card is not valid, if that is in fact the case.  Marty stated that Luxor has been sending out memos to the drivers about accepting the Paratransit debit card, and that seems to be helping.  Luxor also sends messages to drivers over the computer system.  Pam Martinez stated that Yellow management is working with the SF Paratransit office to analyze problem trips and drivers.

Stu Smith encouraged PCC members to report problems with the debit card system or drivers as they come up. Please call the SF Paratransit office at 351-7052 and report the cab number, date and time of day. 

Robin Krop stated that if there was a problem with the equipment when she used her debit card on the pilot system at Yellow, it always worked for the driver to write down all the information from the card and turn that in for reimbursement.  Now, some drivers don’t have the back-up slips or the knuckle-busters.  Robin stated that she drafted a one-page bulletin detailing instructions for drivers in the event the ITE doesn’t work.  Robin stated that she would like to have a copy of a formal bulletin because she needs protection if the driver won’t accept her card.

Ruach Graffis stated that some drivers are reporting that taxi companies are not reimbursing the driver for the full cost of paratransit trips.  Marty responded that all companies have to pay the amount on the debit card report.  Griff stated that he’s never been asked if he wants to provide a tip, but some drivers add a tip automatically.

Jane Bolig asked if the SFMTA would report on taxi expenditures before and after the debit card implementation.  Annette responded affirmatively.

Public Comment

Jacy Cohen asked if SFMTA is receiving more complaints about Muni’s Proof of Payment (POP) officers, because they seem to target more vulnerable riders.  Annette stated that Accessible Services staff has done disability sensitivity trainings with the POP officers. Roland Wong added that there will be a report on Muni security at the next Muni Accessibility Advisory Committee (MAAC) meeting.

Jane Bolig requested that the PCC write a letter thanking Jeff Banks for his hard work.

Announcements

Kate announced the Planning and Review Subcommittee has a meeting scheduled on May 25th from 10:30 – 12:00 at the SF Paratransit office.

The next PCC meeting will be held on
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 711 Eddy Street

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