by Nicole Lacey
Chief Communications Officer Memphis Area Transit Authority
The New Tri-State Defender published a letter to the editor about the Memphis Area Transit Authority and its delivery of service to paratransit customers in its August 2-8, 2018 issue. The letter was written by Dorothy Conner, a bus rider and student at Memphis Theological Seminary.
While the team at MATA welcomes constructive feedback from citizens and customers, our team has not been contacted directly by Ms. Conner to discuss her concerns. While we appreciate the opportunity to respond through the TSD, we also welcome the opportunity to discuss concerns directly with customers.
Over the last several months, MATA has diligently promoted and conveyed the importance of building and maintaining a robust public transportation system to numerous stakeholders including the public and elected officials, increased engagement to customers and provided multiple opportunities for constructive feedback. Often this occurs through social media engagement, surveys, MATA-hosted public customer meetings, monthly meetings of the MATA Board of Commissioners, and regular outreach to the Memphis Bus Riders Union, Citizens for Better Service, the Mayor’s Office, the Memphis City Council, the Memphis Center for Independent Living, and other advocates.
Many of the concerns noted in Ms. Conner’s letter were focused on MATAplus, the delivery of service to the ADA community which is a shared ride, door to-door service. As a member of the Memphis Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities and the Specialized Transportation Advisory Committee, MATA routinely learns about specific service delivery concerns including call wait times and has diligently worked to resolve those. For example, current wait times for the MATAplus reservation line (901.722.7171) now stands at 30 seconds.
Additional improvements include hiring additional commercial operators and purchasing 30 new vans to improve service reliability and allow MATAplus operators access to more places that they may not be able to access using larger buses.
Here are additional key points to note about the MATAplus service:
• MATAplus customers can be picked up at bus stops.
• MATAplus operates during the same time and days as fixed route buses.
• MATAplus has set a standard of making reservations one to three days in advance.
• During holidays, MATAplus operates on the same holiday schedule as the fixed route service. This often means that there may be limited to no service in the area that a customer requests based on the holiday schedule. (To learn more about the holiday hours schedule, visit matatransit.com and click on the Services tab.)
• All MATAplus trips can be negotiated. This means that trips can be negotiated one hour before or one hour after the requested pick up time.
• MATAplus, based on federal regulations, is required to provide service within three-quarters of a mile of the fixed route bus service.
• When MATAplus customers make a reservation, they provide the pick-up and return time. For medical appointments, the customer must give an estimated time for return pick-ups. If a customer would like to be transported before the time initially requested, they can request an earlier pick-up time. If buses are available, those requests will be accommodated. However, if a customer is not finished with a medical appointment by the requested pick-up time they can be placed on will call. Once the appointment is finished, the customer must call to request a pick up.
• Vital information about MATAplus and service changes are communicated at public customer meetings, social media platforms, the MATA website, bus announcements and via text, voice and email to customers who indicate they want to receive information through those vehicles.
• MATAplus offers a 21-ride card or customers can pay each time they board the bus. Personal care attendants do not have to pay, but escorts must.
• For more information about MATAplus, customers are provided with a copy of the Riders Guide. The guide is also available at matatransit.com.
MATA is committed to providing a high-quality passenger experience for all our customers. Our team takes this mission seriously and recognizes the need to consistently set goals that will cause us to improve the delivery of our customer service standards.
As always, the MATA team welcomes the continued support for our transit agency so that it can continue to be a source of pride for all citizens of Memphis and Shelby County. We know first-hand that public transportation matters.
