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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransit Citizens Advisory Committee October 24, 2019 TRANSIT CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES Transit Citizens Advisory CommitteeDate 10-24-19 ATTENDANCE Name Title Organization Present Terence Dicks Chairman District 2 x Denice Traina Vice-Chairperson Legislative Appointment x Charles Cummings Member Legislative Appointment x Gaylon Tootle Member District 6 x Ben Hasan Commissioner District 6 x Sharon Dottery Director Augusta, Georgia x Cornell Mack GM McDonald Transit/Ratpdev x Thaddeus Davenport Operations Manager McDonald Transit/Ratpdev x Udomekong Udoko Planner Augusta, Georgia x Treza Edwards Compliance Director Augusta, Georgia x Portia Stith Secretary Augusta, Georgia x Kwangil Tae Guest Consumer x Frederick Williams Guest Consumer x Al Bourgeois IV Guest Consumer x Lisa Harkins Guest Consumer x Amanda Waters Guest Consumer x Sharifa Sylvan Guest Consumer x Sarah Parker Guest Consumer x ABSENTEES AGENDA Chairman Terence Dicks called meeting to order. Motion made by Member Charles Cummings for approval of the minutes. Seconded by Member Gaylon Tootle - no opposes. Motion passed. Reports Director Sharon Dottery brought a sample of the new bus stop signs and announced the new app, which can be downloaded to your Android or IPhone, and can be used to plan your trip. (MyAT.augustaga.gov) An employee who uses Augusta Transit said that he downloaded the app and stated that the app worked perfectly. The shelters have been ordered and engineers have sent the design. We will be getting together on this soon. Member Gaylon Tootle Will that be in the next 30 days? Sharon In the next two months. Guest Lisa Harkins Will all of these stops be accessible? Sharon Yes, we are going to make sure that all stops are accessible. Meeting Minutes Template (v1.0) Page 2 of 5 Transit Citizens Advisory CommitteeDate 10-24-19 Member Gaylon Tootle How many shelters will be replaced? Sharon 17 shelters and there are approximately 680 stops, not all of them have shelters but as we go along we are going to put shelters in places where we can. If it is not feasible to put a shelter at the stop, we are looking to put benches there. Gaylon Is there a priority list? Sharon There is a list. We look at the stop itself; what the ridership is like and the stops that we have to determine priority. Treza Edwards Has anyone accessed the current stops that we have or the ones being installed for accessibility? Sharon Yes, Carole Burrowbridge and I have gone out to look at different stops to make sure it is accessible. Denice There is concern that there is ongoing construction on Peach Orchard Rd but there are no curb cuts. Treza There has been discussion with engineering, which is still an ongoing process. It is an issue, which has not been resolved, but it is something we are still working on. Gaylon Concern that the passes are still not available for Fort Gordon. The patrons using transit to get to their jobs have a disability. Several calls have been made and we would like to know the status of those passes. Sharon The applications have been submitted to Fort Gordon and are in process. Gaylon Two months is unacceptable f livelihoods for those depending upon public transit. Public transportation is what drives a city. Would also like to request that Denise Mulkey be a part of these meetings. A handout has been passed out regarding the fleet that we have. Our average on time performance for our fixed routes is below 60%. Along with the report, we would like a reason why the buses are so late so that we can address those issues. Research was done on how to replace buses through GDOT and FTA. We as TCAC board should educate ourselves with the process. Two vans on the Paratransit side have been down for a while now and having to wait for a bus 1 ½ hours is unacceptable. We would like to get to work on time and we depend on public transit. Being the second or third largest city in the state of Georgia and our services are 159 on the county scale; this should not be acceptable to anybody who works at transit. The opportunity to express myself is appreciated and I would like to see transit move forward. Sharon I would like to address the issues Mr. Tootle brought up. We realize that we have older buses that needs to be replaced. One of the problems with that is funding and that is why they have not been replaced. We do have major issues and we are working on it. The reason the rural vehicles are down is due to accidents. All of the supplemental information had to be forwarded to GDOT (Georgia Department of Transportation). Mr. Mack has been in contact with their insurance company because as the contractor they are required to insure those vehicles. The vehicles have been towed to Alabama, where they were manufactured. They are now being repaired. Terence- Will the fleet be replaced any time soon? Sharon Latter part of 2020-21 Gaylon Can you ask for replacement vehicles until that time? Sharon For rural we asked for replacements but neither vehicle was totaled. They are now being repaired. Approval Date: Page 3 of 5 Transit Citizens Advisory CommitteeDate 10-24-19 Commissioner Hasan Are the Rural vans through GDOT 100% or are there matching funds? Sharon It is 10% matching funds. Commissioner Hasan How many of these vans are operational? Sharon We have four that are operational and two that are out. Commissioner Hasan How much notice does a person get if their ride is not going to happen? Sharon The Rural program the dispatcher will call to let client know if there is a delay. The Paratransit does have the callback system. We have requested that software package for the Rural side as well. Commissioner Hasan The clientele seems to be the same for Paratransit and Rural. Can one tracking system handle both programs? Sharon - The ADA Paratransit is different from Rural. There is a 21-day application process for Paratransit and a portion of that application has to be completed by a physician stating that there is some type of disability qualifying them for ADA Paratransit services. There is also an application for the rural program; the process is not the same because anyone can use that service. Denice There is concern that the medical part of the application is too intrusive. Can the form be changed or modified? Gaylon Given the sensitivity of this information, how are the files stored? Cornell The files are kept secured and locked; the application form will be reviewed. Member Charles Cummings offered his services in helping to get the bus passes. Guest Al Bourgeois IV Concerns that the Lumpkin Rd. Route has been late the last four to six weeks. Cornell We are looking at the run cut and trying to make those runs more efficient. Guest Frederick Williams What is the status of the Fort Gordon passes? Sharon It is at Fort Gordon and it is being processed. Guest Amanda Waters Concern that a young boy had to pay for services and she does not have to pay. Sharon Students can ride at a reduced rate. College students use their current student ID to ride the buses. It is not free; we have a contract with your university. Guest Sarah Parker Has extending the hours for service been considered? Terence This is one of the reasons why this advisory committee was formed. Find out who your commissioner is and voice your concerns. We have advocated for extended routes, extended hours, and Sunday services. Gaylon Will your budget for 2020 be increased? Sharon No, the budget really remains the same. Thankfully, we will be able to hire an additional person in our department. New business Approval Date: Page 4 of 5 Transit Citizens Advisory CommitteeDate 10-24-19 With no further comments regarding agenda items, meeting was adjourned by Chairman Dicks. DECISIONS MADE: NEXT MEETING DECEMBER 19, 2019 MEETING ADJOURNED 5:10 P.M. POST MEETING ACTION ITEMS/NEXT STEPS Action Assigned To Deadline Met with Sharon re: passes Charles and Gaylon TBD Approval Date: Page 5 of 5