Access Advisory Committee to the Massachusetts

Bay Transportation Authority (AACT)

10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150, Boston, MA. 02116-3968

Voice: 857.702.3658, Fax: 617.570.9192, TTY: 617.570.9193, E-mail: AACT@ctps.org

 

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

 

Board of Directors Minutes

 

 

Meeting opened at 10:09 AM Board of Directors:

Chairman - James F. White

Vice Chairman - Rick E. Morin

 

Executive Board

 

Mary Ann Murray
Ian Perrault
Beverly Ann Rock
Lisa Weber

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading of the Agenda

 

Introductions

 

Attendees: James White, Mary Ann Murray, Rick Morin, Lisa Weber, David Vieira, Jim Tozza, and James Donovan   

 

 

 

Approval of Meeting Minutes

 

The meeting minutes for February 24, 2016 were approved unanimously.

 

Chairman’s Joint Report

 

 

Chairman White stated the following:

 

 

•     He attended four meetings related to the Request for Proposals for the Centralized Call Center. The group has been moving at an accelerated rate (meeting 2 times a week, rather than once) to complete the process. 

•     The Fiscal Management and Control Board approved the formation of a Task Force that will look at how to mitigate the cost of THE RIDE Program. They agreed on a modest increase in price of THE RIDE service, up 15 cents for regular service and 25 cents for the premium service, rather than cancelling part of the premium service. Without these increases, there was a risk of 9,000 people losing access.

•     Other issues discussed at the March 3rd meeting included identifying those eligible for free medical transportation paid for through MassHealth. For every individual using MassHealth instead of THE RIDE, the MBTA will save between $80 and $90. Concerns included the safety protocol and the vendors that were being utilized. Training for MassHealth drivers has improved over the past 10 years, although it is not as complete as THE RIDE. Mailers will go out to explain the information once the text is finalized.

•     The Taxi Subsidy pilot program is up and running. The service is encouraging utilization on short trips. 

•     Vice Chairman Rick Morin is involved with meetings with Uber and Lyft to try to find different ways to mitigate costs through the Task Force.

•     He was a guest of the Office of System-Wide Accessibility at the re-opening ceremony of the new accessible Government Center Station and had the opportunity to be the first of four people to enter the station.  They were greeted by Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh.

 

He then asked for questions.

 

L. Weber asked if any of THE RIDE’s premium service had been cut. Chairman White stated that no premium service had been cut.

 

M. A. Murray asked if the Taxi Subsidy Program would be extended to the North Shore. Chairman White noted that Greater Lynn Senior Service may participate in the program. Only taxi firms who can meet the insurance levels required by the T to perform the service will be allowed to participate.

 

L. Weber asked about the status of a program for RIDE users who are conditionally eligible to get a free Charlie Card. Chairman White noted he does not know the status of the program which was a pilot and been placed on hold with no new members since 2012.

 

J. Tozza asked the Chair to provide more information about the Taxi Subsidy Program. Chairman White noted that the program is in the pilot stage and was limited to only a few participants.

 

Committee Reports

 

Rider Oversight Committee Report (ROC)

 

 

Lisa Weber, Board Member and AACT’s representative to Rider Oversight Committee, reported that the next ROC meeting is on March 28th.  No report was submitted.

 

Regional Transportation Council Report (RTAC)

 

Mary Ann Murray, Board Member and AACT’s representative to RTAC, announced that she had copies of the MBTA’s Fiscal Management and Control Board’s report for those who would like a copy. She also commented that vehicles in her town are not making use of all travel lanes because there are lanes that appear to be designated for bike use. All lanes are shared lanes and should be used by all vehicles, she said.

 

 

Summit Update

Co-Chairs Lisa Weber and Rick Morin gave an update on the Summit on Transit Accessibility and noted that the date has been changed to May 25th. MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola has been invited to be the guest speaker, but has not yet confirmed.

 

No questions were presented.

 

Open Discussion

 

 

L. Weber noted that the Chair and Vice Chair should solicit information from the membership when they are participating on various MBTA committees. She also discussed the need for RIDE drivers to have real-time traffic information.

 

The Vice Chairman and Chair noted that they are willing to convey members’ suggestions but that they do not want to violate any public meeting laws.

 

Chairman White discussed that the Office of Transportation Access (OTA) has waived the on-time performance “penalty clause” for vendors. He stated that AACT should have been consulted about this policy change. 

M.A. Murray noted that she traveled to the Charlie Card Store (CCS) and still found the signage inadequate. She noted that she has commented on this issue before and that there is still no progress. She reported, however, that the service at the CCS was excellent.

She also noted that the AACT monthly meeting notices are not being displayed in THE RIDE vehicles.  She noted that there is no enforcement from the vendor management to make sure that drivers have the notice displayed.

 

 

Old Business

 

 

None were presented.

New Business

 

None were presented.

 

Announcements

 

None were presented.

 

 

Meeting ended 11:54 AM

 

Notables:

 

The AACT Executive Board will meet from 10:00 AM to noon and the Membership meeting will be conducted from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM on the fourth Wednesday of the month, except when noted.

Notices of AACT meetings are posted on the website of the MBTA at http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/. Visit the MPO’s calendar page at http://www.bostonmpo.org/calendar/month to find AACT agendas, meeting minutes, and past meeting minutes. For more on AACT, see the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the MBTA and AACT, the AACT Bylaws, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations at http://www.mbta.com/aact.

 

Also, find articles about topics discussed at AACT meetings in the MPO’s newsletter, TRANSREPORT, at http://www.bostonmpo.org/transreport. For more information on accessibility at the MBTA, please visit www.mbta.com/accessibility.

 

 

Comments and questions concerning AACT should be directed to Chairman James White by contacting the AACT Coordinator, Ms. Janie Guion, at 857.702.3658 (voice/relay), 617.570.9193 (TTY), AACT@ctps.org (email), or c/o CTPS, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150,

Boston, MA 02116 (US mail).

The AACT meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities and is near public transportation. Upon request (preferably two weeks in advance of the meeting), every effort will be made to provide accommodations such as assistive listening devices, materials in accessible formats and in languages other than English, and interpreters in American Sign Language and other languages. Please contact the MPO staff at 857.702.3700 (voice), 617.570.9192 (TTY),

617.570.9193 (fax), or publicinformation@ctps.org (email).

 

The MPO complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the ADA and other federal and state non-discrimination statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. The MPO does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, English proficiency, income, religious creed, ancestry, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or military service. Any person who believes her or himself or any specific class of persons has been subjected to discrimination prohibited by Title VI, ADA, or other non-discrimination statute or regulations may, herself or himself or via a representative, file a written complaint with the MPO. A complaint must be filed no later than 180 calendar days after the date on which the person believes the discrimination occurred. A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO (see above) or at www.bostonmpo.org.

Members needing service information or wanting to inquire about MBTA services should do so through the MBTA Marketing and Communications Department at 617.222.3200 or 800.392.6100 (voice), 617.222.5146 (TTY), Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, or via the MBTA’s website at www.mbta.com/customer_support/feedback/.

Please sign in at all meetings.

Announcements are always welcome. Please be prepared to give as many details as possible: date, time, location, contact person, and

telephone number. A written notice is always appreciated.