Access Advisory Committee
August 3rd, 2016
5:30 – 6:40 p.m.
2910 E. 5th Street, Austin, Texas 78702
Call to Order:
Chairman Chris Prentice, Access Advisory Committee
Chairman Prentice called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
Introductions:
Committee members present were Chairman Chris Prentice, Vice Chairman Paul Hunt, Molly Birrell, Tom Turner, and Estrella Barrera.
Capital Metro staff present were Chad Ballentine, Sam Sargent, Martin Kareithi, Jeff Denny, and Jonathan Tanzer.
Capital Metro contractor staff present were Regina Marshall and Brenda Fernandez.
Citizens present were Sandra Seekamp, Katherine Rutledge, Cheryl Hunt, Rebecca Allbritton, and Tasha Mauer.
Citizen Communication:
Ms. Sandy Seekamp, former Access Advisory Committee member
When Ms. Seekamp came home last month from a nursing facility, she went to the grocery store. She stated that, because MetroAccess doesn’t allow electric wheelchairs, she rode fixed route service and her prosthetic leg came off while she was trying to hold her groceries. Ms. Seekamp said that she was handicapped and should be able to use handicapped buses like other individuals with disabilities.
Ms. Katherine Rutledge
Ms. Rutledge asked that Ride Right operators be allowed to use more “common sense” when interacting with MetroAccess customers. She stated that they have been told that they cannot approach a rider until the beginning of the trip window. Mr. Ballentine said that he would look into this, as operators should be allowed to use common sense with customers.
Ms. Rebecca Allbritton
Ms. Allbritton said that the GPS system MetroAccess drivers use doesn’t show traffic as well as Google Maps or Waze and that this can lead to a trip getting stuck in traffic. She recommended improvements to the GPS, as it might improve service efficiency.
Ms. Tasha Mauer
Ms. Mauer stated that MetroAccess is picking her up two blocks away from her house because paratransit can’t pick her up from her home, despite it being across the street from a bus stop. She stated that she had a stroke and it is very difficult for her to get to appointments, shop, and see family and friends. Ms. Mauer’s nephew spoke on her behalf.
Mr. Kareithi noted that the bus stop across from Ms. Mauer’s home is a Flyer route, which means that it is not subject to the 3/4th mile paratransit boundary. He and Ms. Fernandez spoke with Ms. Mauer and her nephew to work out a mobility solution.
MetroAccess Statistics and Technology Update:
Mr. Chad Ballentine, Director of Paratransit, Capital Metro
Mr. Ballentine updated the committee on the MetroAccess June 2016 Operations Report. He noted that paratransit productivity had been added to the monthly report. Mr. Ballentine also noted that LeFleur Transportation was awarded the paratransit overflow contract at the last Board of Directors meeting. This service will begin on October 31st.
Committee Action Update
Mr. Sam Sargent, Community Involvement Coordinator, Capital Metro
Mr. Sargent had no updates for the committee, as the committee did not met in July.
Approved August 2016 Service Changes
Mr. Sam Sargent, Community Involvement Coordinator, Capital Metro
Mr. Sargent informed the committee that the August 2016 service changes that they had received a presentation on in April had been approved by the Board of Directors. These included:
Minor Downtown Route Adjustments
Routes 2, 6, 19 and 37 that have been detoured in the 3rd Street area will have permanent routing changes through downtown. Traveling southbound, routes will turn left onto Cesar Chavez and turn left on Lavaca when traveling northbound. The routes will serve both Republic Square Stations, at 4th/Guadalupe (SB) and 3rd/Lavaca (NB).
School-Related Adjustments
Every fall, Capital Metro transitions UT Shuttle, E-Bus service, and select trips on Local routes from summer schedules to in-school session service levels to accommodate the increased demand.
UT Shuttles
All UT Shuttles will transition from summer schedules to full service based on University calendars. E-Bus service will be reinstated for the fall semester.
Local Routes
Select school-related weekday trips on the following routes will be turned back on:
- 4 Montopolis
- 5 Woodrow/South 5th
- 7 Duval/Dove Springs
- 20 Manor/Riverside
- 300 Govalle
- 331 Oltorf
- 333 William Cannon
Proposed January 2017 Service Changes
Mr. Sam Sargent, Community Involvement Coordinator, Capital Metro
Mr. Sargent updated the committee on the proposed January 2017 service changes. Service improvements will be made to the northwest Express bus services, making use of the new MoPac managed toll lanes.
Route 983 (North U.S. 183 Express) will be retired due to underproductive and duplicative service. Longer hours of service will be added to Routes 982 and 985 to accommodate existing riders.
Route 980 (Howard Express) is a new route that will operate in the managed MoPac lanes. There will be 22 trips in total on weekdays, 11 southbound in the morning and 11 northbound in the afternoon. The order of destinations served will be: Howard Station, Howard Park & Ride at New Life Church, Republic Square, Capitol Complex, and the University of Texas.
Route 981 (Oak Knoll Express) is another new route that will operate in the managed lanes, with six trips total, three southbound in the morning and three northbound in the evening. The trips provide the option of direct service from Pavilion Park & Ride to Republic Square, the Capitol complex, University of Texas, and the Seton area.
Route 982 (Pavilion Express) is an existing express route that operates from Pavilion Park & Ride to Republic Square that will not operate in the MoPac managed lanes and will not see a change in route alignment. This route will have bi-directional service from 5:30 to 9:00 a.m. Additional trips will accommodate demand from previous Route 983 customers.
Route 985 (Leander/Lakeline Direct) is an existing express route that will begin operating in the MoPac managed lanes. It will no longer serve Riverside Drive by the TxDOT campus. The route will an increase in trips, with all day bi-directional service from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. The service will run from Leander to Lakeline and then serve Republic Square before moving north to the Capitol Complex, Dell Medical School, and the University of Texas via San Jacinto Street.
Route 987 (Leander/Lakeline Express) is an existing express route that may operate in managed lanes for certain trips. There will be 20 trips in total, which means five additional trips compared to the June 2016 schedule. This route will run from Leander to Lakeline and then service the Seton area, University of Texas, the Capitol Complex, Republic Square, then East Riverside.
Bytemark Marketplace Update
Mr. Jonathan Tanzer, IT Project Manager
Mr. Tanzer provided a regular update on Bytemark Marketplace.
Approval of Minutes
Chairman Chris Prentice, Access Advisory Committee
The June Access Advisory Committee minutes were approved unanimously.
Adjournment
The Access Advisory Committee adjourned at 7:00 p.m.