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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 18, 2006 RVTD vows to act on Valley Lift criticism By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Rude drivers and undependable service have plagued Rogue Valley Transportation District’s Valley Lift service since it was revamped in December, riders say. Elderly and disabled, rider Della Morrow said the transit service designed to help people like her go shopping or to the doctor’s office is dysfunctional. "It just doesn’t work," the 77-year-old Medford resident said. RVTD officials say that’s changing, however, as they work with provider Paratransit Service of Bremerton, Wash., to improve the fleet and train drivers. Since Paratransit took over the service from four cab companies last December, some Valley Lift users have complained about discourteous drivers and rides arriving too early or too late. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, drivers can be up to 30 minutes late or 30 minutes early. Advertisement "They can keep you waiting 30 minutes, but an hour and a half is ridiculous," said Morrow. Confined to a wheelchair, Morrow is one of thousands of riders who depend on Valley Lift to take them to the doctor, shopping or to the beauty salon every month. Morrow said some drivers don’t always show concern about the needs of their passengers, many of whom find it difficult to get in and out of the vehicles. "They feel they’re doing us a favor," she said. RVTD General Manager Peter Jacobsen said it has been a difficult transition from four cab companies to Paratransit. "In December, if something could go wrong, it would," he said. "Part of it was vehicle problems, part of it was (road) construction, part of it was green employees." RVTD has ordered 11 new vans for Paratransit and is considering buying four or five sedans to supplement the current fleet of about 17 vehicles. Four vehicles have been temporarily leased from Josephine County to supplement the fleet. Jacobsen said he sees service beginning to improve, with 92 percent of calls now falling within the time schedule required by the ADA regulations. Juanita Moore of House of Beauty in Medford said many of her elderly customers like Morrow are treated badly by the drivers. "I’d like to put a halt to it," she said. "Most of them won’t be courteous. They will just sit in the car and not help them." Sometimes drivers arrive too early to pick up a fare then leave, indicating to the dispatch center that it was a "no show," she said. Moore said she has personally given some of her clients a ride home because they lost their place on the Valley Lift schedule. She said the way some of the drivers treat her elderly clients shouldn’t be tolerated. "I’d like to blow them out of the water," she said. Jacobsen, who said about 7,000 rides were provided by Valley Lift in December, said Paratransit has had trouble hiring drivers and many of the new drivers still require training to work with elderly and disabled passengers. "We have made improvements, and we’re steadily improving," he said. When RVTD received the vehicles back from cab companies, they found many hadn’t been maintained properly. "The older ones with the high mileage love to visit the shop," he said. RVTD, which had been chastised by the federal government in 2003 for failing to meet ADA standards for its Valley Lift program, can no longer use one of the largest cab companies, Yellow Cab, as backup because of problems with its insurance coverage, Jacobsen said. Overflow Valley Lift rides are still sent to taxi companies. RVTD board member Stan Littrell acknowledged he has received reports of problems with the service. Littrell, who is blind and also a Valley Lift user, said, "It is really a very, very difficult situation." He said transition periods are always difficult for new providers, but Paratransit is making an effort to cure the problems. "What Paratransit is trying to do is train their drivers," he said. Paratransit could not be reached for comment Friday. Littrell said it’s difficult to say that Paratransit is worse or better than the previous way Valley Lift was operated under four local taxi companies. "People have had extreme difficulties," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail RVTD vows to act on Valley Lift criticism ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement