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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- During a recent trip to her doctor in Brooklyn, Frances Noren waited outside as her Access-A-Ride van approached her New Dorp house right on time -- and then drove right past her.

"They passed my house right by," said Ms. Noren, 80. The driver eventually pulled around her block some 20 minutes later. Ms. Noren, running late, asked her driver why he passed by earlier without stopping.

"[The driver] said he had to make another pickup first, before getting me," she said. "You're wasting gas...It doesn't make sense."

After continuously fielding complaints like Ms. Noren's, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) has pitched a 10-point plan for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to improve its Access-A-Ride service on Staten Island.

"Through the course of the years I've been in office, it's very clear that there has been multiple problems with the Access-A-Ride program," said Ms. Malliotakis to a group of senior citizens at the Arrochar Friendship Club on Friday morning. "And I know that over the years the MTA has done certain things to tweak the service. It seems that, from time to time, we'll have a forum...we do get some improvements for a little while. But then they drop off and the complaints rise again."

Ms. Malliotakis' plan focuses on more service integration on the part of contracted car services; streamlining the recertification process for the service and improving dialogue between Access-A-Ride customers and the MTA.

"I think if the MTA implemented [my plan] we would see improved service and quality of life for a very vulnerable population here on Staten Island," said Ms. Malliotakis.
FOCUSING ON CAR SERVICE
As is, Access-A-Ride is an extremely expensive service for the MTA to operate. One ride on an Access-A-Ride van costs the authority about $60. Compare that figure to, say, the Staten Island Ferry -- the city spends about $5.95 per passenger on the free boat ride.

But Access-A-Ride also offers trips to customers through contracted local car services. Livery vouchers are available to users making Island-wide trips, traveling without medical equipment. These rides cost the MTA about half as much ($32) as the Access-A-Ride vans.

Ms. Malliotakis says car service trips are generally more reliable, too, because the livery doesn't need to make multiple stops. She wants the MTA to shift more riders to liveries as a means to improve service and save money.

"We're talking about a tremendous decrease in cost if we were to provide more car service rides instead of the vans," said Ms. Malliotakis. "[The vans] are often late because they have to pick up multiple people..and they make multiple stops...I've heard horror stories of people taken all the way to the Bronx; to Manhattan; to Brooklyn and finally back to Staten Island."

As Ms. Malliotikis made this point, seniors in attendance groaned. Afterward, Ms. Noren said she had experienced lengthy, roundabout trips home, joking that from her Access-A-Ride seat, she "had seen the world."

Ms. Malliotakis also suggested offering limited car service trips to the outer boroughs. But MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said that would cost the MTA even more money.

"In fact, the per trip costs for the outer borough trips exceed the per trip cost we experience with our dedicated service providers," Ortiz said. "We manage to obtain efficiencies and cost effectiveness through a balanced approach."

Ortiz also said that customers aren't always impressed by the contracted livery service.

"... At the forums, many expressed concerns for their personal safety, the unreliability of the service and the unprofessional demeanor of the drivers," said Ortiz. "We conducted undercover rides that support these claims and we therefore reduced the number of trips assigned to the livery firms. That being said, we will continue to work with these firms to make sure they improve their service."
IMPROVING DIALOGUE

Ms. Malliotakis has called for the establishment of a workgroup or rider committee for Access-A-Ride. She'd also like to add an Access-A-Ride customer to the MTA board, similarly to how the transit council has a representative to speak for bus and train riders.

"I'd like to see a work group or rider committee so [the MTA] can personally hear the issues that some of the riders are experiencing on a more regular basis," said Ms. Malliotakis, who hosts semi-frequent Access-A-Ride discussions on Staten Island.

Allen Cappelli, Staten Island's only MTA board member, backs Ms. Malliotakis' pitches.

"Assemblywoman Malliotakis and I constantly discuss ways to make our transportation system more reliable and cost efficient," Cappelli said in a statement. "I would urge the Paratransit officials to continue to work toward these goals by seriously considering the suggestions outlined in her report!"

Below is Ms. Malliotakis' full 10-point plan. Several of these ideas have been discussed in previous Advance reports with Access-A-Ride customers and the MTA.

Shifting more rides from paratransit vehicles to car service sedans to reduce costs and provide better service.

Taking quality of service into consideration when issuing contracts.

Increasing outreach to maximize contracts with car service providers, as many seniors do not know this is an option.

Reinstating car service options for outer-borough trips with a trip limit per month to avoid abuse.

Requiring GPS devices in all vehicles to identify fastest routes and avoid getting lost.

Expanding current notification service when a vehicle is running late, and extending the five-minute wait time.

Streamlining the recertification process, and providing permanent certification to users whose conditions will not improve over time.

Implementing door-to-door service rather than drop-offs to nearest public transportation.

Establishing a work group or local riders advisory committee.

Adding an Access-A-Ride rider representative to the MTA Board.

Ortiz said that several of Ms. Malliotakis' points are already in place, including the Paratransit Advisory Committee (PAC), which is comprised of representatives of community organizations of persons with disabilities, and GPS guidance for all drivers.

"Another recommendation we have in place is Continual Eligibility for those individuals who have conditions or disabilities that will not change or improve," said Ortiz. "We provide a one page form at the end of each five year eligibility term and ask that they update their personal information for our records."

He added that feeder service, or partial trips that drop off customers at nearby public transportation, is "acceptable" Americans With Disabilities Act paratrasnit itineraries.

"As a reminder, all that ADA requires is that we provide paratransit service that is comparable to fixed route service," Ortiz Said. "Exclusive car service goes above this requirement but we do manage to offer as much as possible for the overall benefits to the service and customers."

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- During a recent trip to her doctor in Brooklyn, Frances Noren waited outside as her Access-A-Ride van approached her New Dorp house right on time -- and then drove right past her. "They passed my house right by," said Ms. Noren, 80.

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Access-A-Ride Changes to Voucher and Taxi Authorizations

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Access-A-Ride Changes to Voucher and Taxi Authorizations

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Access-A-Ride (AAR) will continue to schedule trips using AAR vans, sedans, Broker Car Services, vouchers and taxis; however, since Paratransit now has contracts with two Broker Car Services, Broker Car Service will increase and voucher and taxi authorizations will decrease.

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IMPROVING SAFETY CONTROLS IN THE MTA NYC TRANSIT PARATRANSIT BROKER CAR SERVICE PROGRAM

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Access-a-Ride - Civic Center - New York, NY

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38 reviews of Access-a-Ride "This is an update to my review last night...and drives home my point about the contracted car services. My car finally arrived at approximately 7:50 after I had to call the car service back twice to finally get a car....

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Current and former Access-a-Ride workers file lawsuit claiming employer, MTA pays poverty wages with random discipline

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Svetlana Cruz sat in her wheelchair at Avenue U and Nostrand Ave. in Brooklyn around 5:20 a.m. Tuesday, waiting in the darkness for the Access-A-Ride bus to arrive and take her to her job in Long Island City, Queens.

Like so many of her co-workers, Cruz, 32, lives in fear of losing her job - for being late a few times or for some other flimsy reason decreed by their employer, Global Contact Services LLC.

A few weeks ago, after being late for her 9 a.m. shift for the third time this year, Cruz was warned she'd be fired if it reached a fifth offense. At the time of the warning, her pickup time for the bus was 7:30 a.m.

"But the Access-A-Ride bus was late and kept getting stuck in rush-hour traffic," she told the Daily News.

Of all the companies in this town, you'd think Global Contact would understand.

(Antonelli, Ron, New York Daily News)

The North Carolina-based company, after all, IS Access-A-Ride.

Global Contact landed a $152 million contract with the MTA in late 2012 to schedule and dispatch the agency's paratransit vehicles citywide. The firm employs more than 500 people at its Long Island City, Queens, call center, most of them black and Hispanic women.

And Access-A-Ride is notorious among senior citizens and the disabled for its long delays.

To avoid losing her job, Cruz reluctantly agreed to change from full-time to part-time status and to start work at 7 a.m. But that required her to catch the Access-A-Ride bus at 5:20 a.m., and it meant she lost all vacations, holidays and fringe benefits.

"They punish me for their bad service."

"I'm in a wheelchair, but they don't care about that," Cruz said. "They punish me for their bad service."

Gloria Lipman, 70, wasn't even that lucky. Like Cruz, she relies on Access-A-Ride. Two months ago, Lipman was fired following her fifth time being late in a year.

"Three of them were because Access-A-Ride was late," said Lipman, who suffers from breathing issues and varicose veins. "The other two were my fault."

She had worked at Access-A-Ride for nearly 10 years, long before Global Contact replaced the previous vendor, First Transit.

(Angus Mordant/for New York Daily News)

"The old company had more of a heart than these people," Lipman said. "These ones are on top of you all the time, plus they pay us less."

So it should come as no surprise that a group of current and former Access-A-Ride workers filed a class action racial and sex discrimination lawsuit Tuesday against both Global Contact and the MTA. Their suit claims the contractor is paying them poverty wages of $9 to $11 per hour - far below the $13 to $14 per hour required by its MTA contract. They also claim the firm is arbitrarily disciplining workers to create high turnover and keep wages low.

The MTA dismisses those allegations.

"GCS's fair and reasonable enforcement of work rules on attendance and punctuality ... are critical for the operation of a large call center," agency spokesman Kevin Ortiz told The News in an email.

(Sabrina Caserta)

The contractor "continually meets performance standards" set by the MTA, Ortiz added.

That response has John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union, furious. The TWU represents the employees at Access-A-Ride but has not been able to win a contract.

"If that's their position, then they're going to face a strike at GCS very soon," Samuelsen said.

Gov. Cuomo, Samuelsen noted, has publicly called for a $15-an-hour minimum wage for workers in the state. Yet here is the MTA, a state agency, allowing a contractor to pay 500 employees as little as $9 an hour.

"These women are a prime example of why state government needs to intervene and insist on a living wage," Samuelsen said.
Send a Letter to the Editor

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Gonzalez: Access-a-Ride workers file lawsuit against MTA

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Svetlana Cruz sat in her wheelchair at Avenue U and Nostrand Ave. in Brooklyn around 5:20 a.m. Tuesday, waiting in the darkness for the Access-A-Ride bus to arrive and take her to her job in Long Island City, Queens.

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Disabled New Yorkers suing MTA over Access-A-Ride

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​​A group of disabled New Yorkers is suing the MTA, saying the ​agency forces rejected Access-A-Ride applicants ​into a Catch-22 - telling them to trek out to a Queens office to argue their case when they can't get around the city on their own!

For a rejected Access-a-Ride applicant to find out why t​hey were turned down, they have to show up for an appeals hearing​, otherwise, if the applicant files a written appeal they have to do it without knowing the reason they were rejected​.

That leads to written appeals ​being ​tossed out at a much higher rate than in-person appeals, the Manhattan federal court lawsuit states.

"NYC transit authority makes anybody who wants to appeal go up to Queens, and they don't provide transportation to the appeal," said plaintiff lawyer Jay Dealy.

"The problem is that these people have disabilities that prevent them from using public transportation, so they're left with either paying for a cab or relying on friends or family or not being able to go at all."

Adding to the Kafkaesque aspect of the process, when a rejected applicant asks why they were turned down, the authority says they have to file a Freedom of Information request, which the authority ​routinely take​s​ longer to fulfill than the 60-day deadline to appeal.

The suit's five plaintiffs include four senior citizens and one woman with a disabled kid.

The civil rights lawsuit also accuses the MTA ​of ​lying to applicants when it rejects their appeals, hiding the fact that they can appeal in court and telling them their only option is to start the process all over again.

"[The MTA]'s black box application process denies individuals the notice and opportunity to be heard to which they are legally entitled," the suit states.

A MTA spokesman declined to comment.

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Disabled New Yorkers suing MTA over Access-A-Ride

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​​A group of disabled New Yorkers is suing the MTA, saying the ​agency forces rejected Access-A-Ride applicants ​into a Catch-22 - telling them to trek out to a Queens office to argue their case when they can't get around the city on their own!

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Guide/Overview

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Disabled In Action: Access-A-Ride Quick Guide

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How to Apply The Access-A-Ride application is available on-line in pdf format or, call 877-337-2017,* 718-393-4999, TTY 718-393-4259 or TTY Relay 800-662-1220 and press "1" when you hear the recorded message to be connected to the Customer Information Line.

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Access-A-Ride users voice complaints, ranging from late pickups to inept drivers

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Access-A-Ride users voice complaints, ranging from late pickups to inept drivers

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For 14,000 Staten Islanders, Access-A-Ride provides the only viable commuting option. But the ambitious transportation service for senior citizens and the disabled has long been a source of frustration, confusion and outrage.

The MTA's service has experienced a rise in registrants from 116,225 in 2011, to 160,000 in 2014. And that growth, combined with money-saving practices, has exacerbated issues with the service, ranging from extremely late pickups; car service drivers who are completely unfamiliar with navigating the borough; and eligibility concerns.

On Friday, about 75 Access-A-Ride registrants from across the borough joined Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) and MTA President of Paratransit Thomas J. Charles for a public forum at the New Lane Neighborhood Senior Center in Rosebank to discuss Access-A-Ride's problems in hopes to improve service in the future.

"We have a large elderly and disabled population here and we want to improve the quality of life for these individuals," said Ms. Malliotakis. She held the meeting after experiencing an influx of complaints over the past year.
Late Pickups

Alice Moise, 65, watched her Access-A-Ride bus pass right by her in downtown Manhattan on Thursday evening, as she waited to be picked up from work and taken back to her home in Meiers Corners.

"I'm standing on the street and I see [an Access-A-Ride bus] coming and I say, 'Oh, he's coming pretty fast.' And sure enough that was my bus with my vehicle number. It just passed right by me," said Mrs. Moise. "If I didn't see the bus and call the dispatcher, who knows how long I'd have been waiting there."

Mrs. Moise has had shoulder surgery and is a chronic asthmatic. She relies on Access-A-Ride to get to her job every day at the city Department of Homeless Services in Manhattan. Each morning, her bus comes on time without issue, she said. But her ride is usually an hour late each evening to pick her up. Mrs. Moise said she ends up waiting even longer -- for two to three hours -- about twice each week.

"I already work eight hours each day, when you tack on a three-to-four-hour commute home each day ... it's just awful," she said. "And the dispatchers just lie to you. They'll say, '10 minutes and I'll be there.' And an hour later I'm still waiting. I wish they'd just be honest so I could go back into my office and sit down."
Car Service drivers unfamiliar with Staten Island

Theresa Jungmann, 86, uses Access-A-Ride about three times a week to travel to doctor's appointments -- she has heart and eye problems. Recently, she's become so frustrated with Access-A-Ride car service drivers that she's resided to taking the bus.

"One time I got in the car and the driver had no idea how to get to where I needed to go. When I told him the address, he told me his GPS was broken. And then, when I showed him a map, he said he had left his eyeglasses at home," said Mrs. Jungmann. "Taking Access-A-Ride can turn a 15-minute doctor appointment into a four-hour event."

To save money over the years, the MTA has offered contracts to car service companies to offer rides to Islanders commuting within the borough. (All residents commuting into a different borough must take an Access-A-Ride bus.) These companies are under short-term contracts. It's created inconsistencies in service that MTA Paratransit Vice President Thomas J. Charles is trying to address.

"Our board meets twice a month to discuss the complaints and our own experience with the service," said Charles, who uses undercover riders to assess trip quality.

"I'm not surprised with the complaints today because we have increased the use of car service. Our bus drivers generally get high customer ratings," he said. "Listening today, I might have to go back into the market to see if we should go through different services."
Access-A-Ride registrant re-evaluations
Several forum attendees complained about the trouble of Access-A-Ride eligibility and the re-evaluation process. A few people said they had been turned down by Access-A-Ride evaluators even after their doctors had suggested the service. Ms. Malliotakis said she hoped to work with the MTA to remove some of the gray area around eligibility.

"I think I lot of the complaints about re-certification need to be addressed. If someone is elderly or disabled, their conditions aren't going to get better. They're going to get worse with age," she said. "Access-A-Ride is always going to be a work in progress because there are always so many issues to address and improvements to be made based on this feedback."
If you have had any negative experiences with Access-A-Ride, leave a comment below or contact the writer directly at vbarone@siadvance.com.

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Access-A-Ride users voice complaints, ranging from late pickups to inept drivers

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For 14,000 Staten Islanders, Access-A-Ride provides the only viable commuting option. But the ambitious transportation service for senior citizens and the disabled has long been a source of frustration, confusion and outrage. The MTA's service has experienced a rise in registrants from 116,225 in 2011, to 160,000 in 2014.