Bay Ridge

Malliotakis presents idea on how to improve Access-A-Ride

March 31, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis says the MTA could be doing a lot better when it comes to servicing senior citizens with the Access-A-Ride program. Eagle file photo by Paula Katinas
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Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis said that more than 63 of her constituents contacted her office to complain about lousy service on Access-A-Ride.

“I’ve heard from constituents who have waited two hours for Access-A-Ride to come. They have missed doctors’ appointments,” Malliotakis told the Brooklyn Eagle on Tuesday.

Malliotakis (R-C-Bay Ridge-Staten Island) said she also heard from frustrated Access-A-Ride clients at a series of public forums she held at both the Brooklyn and Staten Island ends of her assembly district over the past several months.

Using feedback from passengers, Malliotakis has compiled a set of recommendations she plans to submit to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the agency that operates Access-A-Ride, the transportation program for elderly and physically disabled New Yorkers.

The MTA is trying to improve Access-A-Ride, but more needs to be done, Malliotakis said.

“The MTA Access-A-Ride program presently serves over 160,000 elderly and disabled who rely on this service to be with family, shop for essentials and meet with their doctors. Over the years, the program has made efforts to reduce costs and reduce complaints, but more can and needs to be done to increase efficiency and quality,” Malliotakis said.

The lawmaker presented her ideas at a press conference at the St. Nicholas Home, a senior citizens residence, on Ovington Avenue in Bay Ridge, on March 27, where she was surrounded by leaders of senior citizen advocacy organizations.

Under the Access-A-Ride system, passengers register with the program, a paratransit program that offers service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. Passengers who need a ride call ahead of time to schedule a pick up and return trip.

The program is designed to provide transportation service to New Yorkers who are unable to use public bus or subway service. The MTA operates the program through private carriers who are under contract.

Among Malliotakis’s proposals: having door-to-door service instead of dropping passengers off at nearest public transportation stop.

“When you apply for the program, your eligibility is assessed according to your mobility. If they believe you are partially mobile, they will drop you off at the nearest bus station on the theory that you can make it to your destination from there,” Malliotakis said.

But that causes problems, according to Malliotakis. “Many areas of the city do not have good public transportation. What good is it to be dropped off at a bus stop when the bus stop is miles from where you have to go?” she asked. “The MTA needs to be mindful that geographically, not every neighborhood has adequate public transportation.”

The MTA should consider requiring the use of GPS devices in all Access-A-Ride vehicles to identify the fastest routes and avoid getting lost, Malliotakis said. And the MTA should expand the notification service it uses when drivers are running late, she said.

Malliotakis said she also wants to see the MTA streamline the recertification process and provide permanent certification to users whose conditions will not improve over time.

“One woman I spoke to is 88 years old. And she is required to re-apply for Access-A-Ride every five years. While some people have temporary disabilities that qualify them for the program on a temporary basis, the truth is there are many people who are elderly whose conditions are not going to improve over time. To make them jump through hoops to re-apply for the service every five years is ridiculous,” Malliotakis said.

MTA Board member Allen Cappelli endorsed the ideas put forth by Malliotakis.

“Assemblywoman Malliotakis and I constantly discuss ways to make our transportation system more reliable and cost efficient,” Cappelli said, adding that he hoped transit officials would “continue to work toward these goals by seriously considering the suggestions outlined in her report.”

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