This is the archival website for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). It is not kept up to date. Please visit the SFMTA website for current information. Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC) > Sept. 19, 2012, minutes |
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Minutes PCC Executive Committee Members Present: Stu Smith, PCC Chair; Jane Bolig, PCC Vice Chair; Marty Smith, PCC Secretary; Adrienne Humphrey; Anna Krevets; Claudia Grubler; Erma Brim; Fred Lein; Genya Ehrlich; Gilda Chico; Jacy Cohen; Jane Redmond; Jeanne Lynch; John Lazar; Kaye Griffin; Laurie Graham; Olivia Santiago; Pam Martinez; Roland Wong; Ruach Graffis; Sandra Fancher; Sue Cauthen PCC Members and Guests: Sam Alicia Duke; Max Lazar; Joey Hogan; Troy Barnes; Jon Canapary PCC Executive Committee Member Excused: Cheryl Damico; Patrick McCollum SF Paratransit Staff: John Sanderson; Gregory Strecker SFMTA: Annette Williams; Kate Toran; 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. A new agenda item regarding the proposed redesign of Masonic Avenue was added. The agenda was motioned/seconded/passed. Approve Minutes of February 9 meeting The minutes were motioned/seconded/approved. Comments from the Chair Stu Smith thanked everyone who was able to make today’s meeting. He announced that David Chiu, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, will be attending the December 5th meeting. At that meeting, he urged members to be strong advocates and push the agenda of the PCC. Stu also mentioned that he attended the most recent MAAC meeting and was encouraged to see that there was support among members there to increase the number of taxi medallions. 2012 Customer Satisfaction Survey Jon Canapary, Vice President of Corey, Canapary, and Galanis Research, summarized the findings from the 2012 Customer Satisfaction. The survey was conducted from April 16 through April 27, 2012. Over the past ten years, Corey Research has generally tracked the responses to the same questions and only making slight changes to the questions. All modes of paratransit were surveyed. When conducting the survey, participants were asked about their most recent paratransit trip. Some of the important findings are:
Sam Alicia Duke stated that it would be good to know where the paratransit taxi riders go. Jane Bolig asked whether the same questions are asked every time the survey is conducted. Mr. Canapary replied that there are certain baseline questions that are asked every year in order to compare performance to previous years and those questions are not changed. However, some questions are dropped and added, such as those referencing to debit card. Jane recommended that in the future, the survey include interviews with staff members at the senior centers who help coordinate paratransit trips for their clients. Sue Cauthen asked how on time performance was evaluated. Mr. Canapary answered that they ask the individual whether their last trip was on time and within the pickup window time. Kate Toran added that there have been improvements in terms of service performance as well as with the broker’s staff. “Honoring Access for All” Centennial Celebration Kate Toran provided additional details about the upcoming “Honoring Access for All” Centennial Celebration. Invitations have been sent via email and mail. Jane Bolig will serve as emcee of the event. There will be about 45 minutes for speeches and presentations. The event will be catered and there will be several new paratransit vehicles that are named after former PCC members and paratransit advocates. Kate also commented it will be a participatory event, as the goal is to thank the hard work of the community over the past 35 years. Jeanne Lynch asked about the security for the event. Kate Toran replied that there has been outreach conducted to the homeless individuals that live nearby and that there will be security guards at the event. She also reminded members to be aware of their surroundings. Jane Redmond asked whether there will be chairs. Kate answered that there will be chairs under the tent for people to sit on when the speeches and presentations are being conducted. In addition, the stage and podium will be accessible. Fred Lein asked whether the paratransit broker’s office will be opened during the event. Kate said that all scheduled interviews were rescheduled. However, the drop-in window will remain open. PCC Annual Meeting Jonathan Cheng announced that the PCC Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, November 3. Due to the “Honoring Access for All” Centennial Celebration, this year’s meeting will be abbreviated and will occur from 2PM-4PM. There will be no formal lunch; however, food will be finger food will be available throughout the event. At this meeting, awards will be presented to PCC members and the election to the PCC will be held. Jonathan announced all the members whose seats are up for re-election this year. In addition, he announced that the PC&O Planning and Review subcommittee meeting will be held next Wednesday, September 26 to discuss the meeting, including the recipients of the Muzzy Marcelino and Jewel McGinnis awards as well as potential Hall of Fame inductees. Proposed Masonic Avenue Redesign Jonathan Cheng mentioned that at the most recent SFMTA Board of Directors meeting that they approved a “no parking” restriction on Masonic Avenue, from Geary Boulevard to Fell Street, as part of the proposed Masonic Avenue street redesign. The redesign of Masonic Avenue includes building a landscaped median, extended bulb-outs at all intersections, and a cycletrack for bicyclists. Masonic Avenue has been prioritized as it is one of the primary north-south routes in San Francisco. This recent decision to restrict parking along Masoni Avenue will benefit paratransit riders as it will allow passengers to now have direct sidewalk access. Funding for this project has not been identified and this proposed redesign is currently in the conceptual phase. Once funding has been identified, the project manager at SFMTA will present to the PCC to get feedback about the project. PC&O SF Access Subcommittee Jane Redmond read the following report:
Paratransit Broker Report John Sanderson read the following report:
Jane Bolig stated that the organization she represents, Golden Gate Senior Center, initially experienced poor service when MV Transportation took over but those were resolved. However, recently, those issues have been reoccurring. John Sanderson told her that they can discuss further details after the meeting. Roland Wong mentioned that several friends have taken MV Transportation and they too have had poor service. Sue Cauthen reiterated this point. Sam Alicia Duke questioned how MV Transportation is notified about the street closures, which can affect the travel times and lead to delays. John Sanderson said that he will work with MV Transportation to resolve this situation. Anna Krevets mentioned that the MDC devices may have the capacity to transmit real time traffic data to avoid the delays. Olivia Santiago asked whether there was data regarding the average travel time for clients. She also mentioned that scheduling issues may be leading to the delays. John Sanderson mentioned that he is able to calculate the travel times of clients and are reviewing them. Jane Redmond asked how long a vehicle must stay once they arrive at the destination. John Sanderson replied that the van would have to stay at least five minutes if they arrived within the on time window. If they arrive before the scheduled pick up time, they must wait until the window starts. Sue Cauthen stated that had requested that the driver give her a call once they arrive but she did not receive a phone call and missed her pick up. She would drivers to be trained better. Olivia Santiago suggested that clients be disciplined if they are not ready within the pick up window. Kate Toran read an email on behalf of Kathryn Simpson. Kathryn stated that drivers have been leaving MV Transportation due to disagreements with management and that has negatively impacted service. Olivia Santiago also expressed concern that the demands of the drivers are not being heard, resulting in a high turnover of drivers and inconsistent service. Ruach Graffis stated that drivers are complaining about not getting breaks as well as getting add-ons at the last minute. Jacy Cohen commented that liquidated damages be imposed on MV Transportation and those fines, in turn be used to incentivize drivers. Sue Cauthen would like to have drivers attend the PCC meetings. Kate Toran stated that all meetings are open to anyone and encouraged those who are interested to attend. Jane Redmond inquired as to how many new drivers are being trained on a monthly basis. Troy Barnes answered that they are trying to keep a continuous class of new drivers being trained. Joey Hogan added that they are only select drivers who best qualified for the position and are seeking to build an environment that will retain the good drivers. Max Lazar stated that some ramp medallion holders are wrongfully being issued citations. Marty Smith added that many of their wheelchair trips originate from city’s hospitals, which issue vouchers. Kate Toran stated that according to the regulations, at least six of the required eight wheelchair pick ups must be SF Paratransit clients and that those trips would be considered to be non-SF Paratransit wheelchair pick ups. Pam Martinez also commented that ramp medallion holders at Yellow Cab have been receiving citations. She suggested to the drivers that they document the wheelchair trips themselves. John Lazar would like to be informed of the ramp medallion holders who are receiving a monthly citation. He is worried that those who are operating in a spare ramp vehicle are not being given the proper credit. Kate Toran answered that all taxi companies should inform SF Taxi Services if there is a ramp medallion being operated in a spare ramp vehicle. Kate Toran announced that there is a list of ramp taxi drivers who have made available their phone number and shift times should anyone need a ramp taxi. Ruach Graffis noticed that there are no Regents drivers on the call list and suggested they be made aware of this. Roland Wong would like to see this list distributed to senior centers. Jane Bolig would like to see a new fiscal report since the introduction of the new debit card system. Pam Martinez would like to request that the fiscal report for the last five years be made available. Announcement Ruach Graffis stated that there is a new accessible limo service available. Jeanne Lynch would like to see a disability rights attorney on the PCC. Sam Alicia Duke mentioned that two organizations, Planning for the Elders and Senior Action Network, have merged to form the new Senior and Disabled Action Network. Genya Ehrlich announced that she is turning 85 years old on September 22nd and is glad to be a part of this council. The next PCC meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 5, 2012 |
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