Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 87-184 N E S O L U T I O N S BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEfiU1 ONT: THATP the "Prograr, for Hass Transportation Services for Handicapped Persons" , a corny of which is attache` hereto as Exhibit "A" , be, and it is hereby, adopted. PASSED BY T HE CITY COU NCIL of the City of Beaumont this the BAS gay of - 1r/ r 1987. is yor - SPECIAL TRANSIT SERVICE The Urban Mass Transportation (UMTA) has issued regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These regulations require that the City establish a program to provide public transportation for the handicapped. The program must establish and meet special service standards as described in the regulations. In addition, the program must be developed in consultation with handicapped persons, groups representing handicapped persons, transportation, social service organizations, and the Metropolitan Planning organization. The City currently provides transportation for the handicapped through the Special Transit Service (STS) program. The STS Program has been operating since July 1983, and provides door-through-door transportation for individuals who cannot physically use the regular transit system. It is recommended that the STS program continue to be operated and that minor changes be made to the program to meet the regulatory requirements. The recommended changes were developed after an extensive public participation process. This process included consultation with the Beaumont Mayor's Committee on the Employment- of the Disabled, a survey of STS passengers and social service organizations, a public hearing, a 60-day public comment period, and review by the Transit Advisory Committee. The Transit Advisory Committee recommended approval of these changes. The STS program currently operates under policies and procedures adopted by City Council . A copy of these policies and procedures is attached. It is recommended that the following policy changes be adopted: PUBLIC INFORMATION Requirement - Handicapped persons who have vision or hearing impairments must be able to learn about and use the service. Current Policy - Information on the program is available in writing and over the telephone. Recommended Change - Install TDD communications equipment on the transit telephone system to allow communication with the hearing impaired and make STS policies and procedures available on tape for the blind. The estimated cost of the TDD equipment is $600. Taping can be done by the Transit staff as needed. RESPONSE TIME Requirement - Service must be provided within 24 hours of a request. UMTA has indicated that this means that a passenger must be able to schedule for service on the working day prior to the trip. L Attachment 2 Current Policy - Passengers may schedule between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. , Monday through Friday. Passengers requesting service on Monday must schedule on Friday. Recommended Change - Extend weekday scheduling hours until 6:00 p.m. and open the scheduler' s office on Saturdays between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to allow passengers to schedule the working day prior to the trip. Scheduling on Saturdays will be accomplished by Transit supervisory personnel at no additional cost. TRIP PURPOSE Requirement - Passengers must be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis regardless of trip purpose. Advance reservations may be taken, but cannot be scheduled so that they prevent passengers who do not require transportation on a regular basis from using the service. Current Policy - A trip purpose priority system is used. Priorities are (1) advanced reservation trips, (2) trips by transit-restricted (wheelchair-bound) passengers, (3) medical , work, and educational trips by transit-limited (non-wheelchair) passengers, and (4) other trips by transit-limited passengers. Recommended , Change - Eliminate the trip priority system and schedule passengers on a first-come, first-served basis. In practice, most - passengers are currently scheduled in this manner due to the difficulty in building an efficient schedule using trip priorities. In addition, it is recommended that advanced reservations be limited if they begin to restrict the ability of persons who do not require transportation on a regular basis to use the system. SERVICE AREA Requirement - Service must be provided within the same area as the transit system for the general public. Current Policy - Service is provided within five miles of the Beaumont city limits. Recommended Change - Restrict service area to the Beaumont city limits. Currently, one passenger from the Bevil Oaks area uses the program daily. The time required to transport this passenger prevents the transit system from scheduling two to three passengers within the City. The agency where this individual is taken provides transportation for their clients. After these changes to the STS program have been adopted, they will be incorporated into a program document which will be submitted to UMTA for approval .