Emily F. Keller: Journalist

City Council Transportation Committee Questions MTA Cuts

   MTA New York City Transit President Thomas Prendergast spent last Thursday morning fending off criticism from the City Council Transportation Committee about drastic service cuts planned for this spring.

    The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to eliminate or reduce service on dozens of bus lines, saying that many of the lines overlap with other MTA bus and subway services.

    However, many seniors and people with disabilities are unable to switch to the subway if their bus route disappears, or may require a particular bus to reach the accessible subway stops that comprise only one-fifth of the system.

    The MTA also plans to reduce Access-A-Ride paratransit service while promising to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines that requires the transit provider to offer the service to people who are unable to use subways and buses because of a disability. Kathy Andrade and J.M. Colon (pictured) said they oppose the cuts.

    This article was published on Transportation Access. Click here to read the article.

State Budget Alters Services for People with Disabilities

    President Barack Obama and Governor David Patterson recently announced their budgets for the next fiscal year, which include spending adjustments to programs for people with disabilities.

    Paterson's fiscal year 2011 budget seeks to close a $7.4 billion deficit with measures such as limiting personal home care to 12 hours a day.

    The $80 billion budget also proposes charging fees to families with disabled or delayed infants and toddlers who enroll in early intervention service programs that are provided by New York State. Those charges are part of a $1 billion set of new and increased taxes and fees contained in the budget.

    This article was published in Able News. Click here to read the full article.

MTA Plan Will Cut Buses, Subways and Access-A-Ride

    People with disabilities and their advocates are voicing their opposition to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) latest plan to cut service on Access-A-Ride, buses and subways.

    The MTA said it will modify Access-A-Ride service by bringing customers to the nearest accessible subway or bus station rather than going all the way to their destination. The MTA also plans to tighten eligibility standards and increase the use of taxi vouchers.

    The MTA board announced the plan at its December meeting following a string of bad financial news that reduced the transportation budget by $383 million.

    This article was published in Able News. Click on the page numbers to read the story: one, two and three.

MTA Approves Plans to Cut Subway, Bus and Access-A-Ride

    The Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority passed a budget and financial plan that would shrink service options for disabled riders beginning in April 2010.

    The service cuts are similar to those that were approved and then rescinded earlier this year when the state government provided a $2.3 billion annual funding package.

     However, the paratransit cuts have changed. In lieu of the proposed fare hike that drew strong criticism, the MTA has proposed changing the nature of the service, bringing customers to accessible subway and bus stops rather than their destinations.

    This article was published on Transportation Access. Click here to read the article.

County Considers Combining Office for the Physically Challenged with Senior Affairs Department

    Nassau County is proposing to merge the local Office for the Physically Challenged with the Department of Senior Citizen Affairs following the retirement of three staff members and Director Don Dreyer.

    The office provides parking permits to people with disabilities, performs advocacy work and assists the county in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for accessible accommodations. It now has three department employees and an attorney while the seniors department has 33 full-time staff members.

    Published in Able News. Click here to read page one and here to read page two.

Access-A-Ride Customers Speak to the New York City Council

    People with disabilities and their advocates called on the New York City Council to improve the safety, reliability and quality of Access-A-Ride paratransit service last week.

    Public speakers told stories of missing safety straps, lengthy trips, service delays and sagging lifts to members of the council’s committees on transportation, aging and disability services.

    Thomas Charles, Vice President of the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s paratransit division, defended the service, citing high ridership rates, a zero denial ride policy, increased use of taxi vouchers and technological innovations to improve vehicle tracking.

Read the story.

Pictured: Sharona Jones, Lawrence Carter-Long and Bobbie Sackman.

Utah Transit Authority May Raise Paratransit Fares

    Seniors and people with disabilities who use paratransit service in the Salt Lake City area may soon be charged a substantially higher fare than public transit riders.

    The Utah Transit Authority, which serves Salt Lake City, is holding public hearings this month about a proposal to raise fares for its paratransit service this summer from $2.50 or $2.75 to $4 per trip. That would be double the expected public transit fare of $2. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the authority has 4,200 paratransit customers.

    Published on Transportation Access. Read the story.

Medicare Part D Baffles Brooklyn Senior Citizens

    Brooklyn seniors gave a thumbs-down to Medicare Part D a month after it was added to their medical coverage options. Published in Courier-Life Publications. Read the story.