SAC March 20, 2015 - SMART | Bus



SMART Advisory Council

March 20, 2015 - Minutes

Buhl Building

SMART Board Room, 6th Floor

535 Griswold St.

Detroit, MI 48226

The meeting was called to order by Chairman James Cole. Michael Patten called the roll of voting members. A quorum was established.

Motion was made and seconded to approve the agenda. Motion passed.

Addition to the agenda: New Federal ADA Regulations – motion was made, seconded and motion passed.

Motion was made and seconded to approve the December 12, 2014 minutes. Motion passed.

Those in attendance introduced themselves.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

John Waterman, Director of PEAC, introduced Abby Wagner who graduated from the program and now a travel trainer. She is in a 3-month internship where she is teaching people with disabilities how to ride the bus. A thank you is extended to SMART for developing a stronger relationship with PEAC.

Drivers are doing their best to reach people at the curb when snow is at the bus stop. When riding a bus, passengers should be considerate of others who have walkers, wheelchairs, and service animals.

There are hopes that SMART will reinstate Detroit service on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and evenings.

Cameras that are installed on all the buses have been helpful in investigating complaints. Please be sure to file a formal complaint via SMART website or telephone and obtain a complaint number so that the situation can be resolved. Please call Jim Fetzer or Tony Vinson if you’re unable to get a complaint number.

SERVICE UPDATE – J. Fetzer

SMART has added 61 new propane-powered buses. Work has begun on refurbishing the 38 buses obtained from DDOT.

There is not yet SMART bus service at the new Troy Transit Center.

Bus service will begin April 6 at the new Dearborn Transit Station on Michigan Avenue just west of Evergreen Rd. for Routes 140 and 250. There will be a sign at the station indicating that the bus stop for Route 200 is across the street from the station.

The RTA has been meeting. Work is still being done on improving DDOT service. The RTA will have an oversight committee to hold SMART and DDOT accountable for on-time service.

The confirmation calls for Connector and ADA service are working well. Drivers are supposed to wait 3 minutes when picking up a passenger. If a passenger is not there after 3 minutes, dispatch is contacted. A call is also made to the passenger. Patience is appreciated as new drivers are being trained. When scheduling rides with Connector, medical trips take priority.

When Northland Center closes, ADA transfers between SMART and DDOT will be made at the Providence Hospital medical building – not the pavilion.

There have been discussions with the opt-out communities, including: Livonia, Rochester and Bloomfield Hills in hopes that they will consider opting back in. Over a dozen communities in Oakland County have been receptive to the discussions.

FEDERAL ADA REGULATIONS UPDATE – M. Patten

Michael Patten announced two updates that have recently been made to the federal regulations for the ADA. 1) The advance time to cancel an ADA trip without a penalty is up to 2 hours prior to the pick-up time instead of the day before. 2) In the event a bus stop is not clear and accessible, drivers are to pick up at an accessible space closest to the bus stop. A subcommittee of the SAC will convene before the June SAC meeting to discuss implementing these regulations into the ridership guidelines.

ONLINE SCHEDULING PRESENTATION - D. Whitehouse

A presentation will be made at the September SAC meeting. There are still things to work out in the program. The Marketing department as well as members of the SAC will be consulted to provide input to make the online scheduling program user-friendly and to run smoothly.

COUNCIL MEMBERS BUSINESS

Gratitude was expressed for the additional automated announcements made on buses of streets and transfer points.

Questions were asked about possible changes now that the millage has passed in the suburbs. The RTA is pushing SMART to increase service in Detroit. Detroit has been asked to opt-in but so far has refused. SMART needs to first restore service to the communities who pay taxes to SMART.

There have been some concerns lately about ADA DDOT passengers being left stranded. A DDOT contracted service provider has not been paid since November. DDOT Paratransit is not providing door-to-door service because it is not in their contract. DDOT is bidding for more providers.

Clark Charnetski provided copies of the latest issue of Michigan Rider newspaper.

ANNOUNCEMENT

March 18 was Transit Driver Appreciation Day. On behalf of the drivers, SMART wants to extend appreciation to Eugene Conway for everything he does for SMART.

NEXT MEETING

The next SAC meeting will be on Friday, June 19, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. in the Buhl Building, 6th Floor Board Room.

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