Access Advisory Committee to the Massachusetts

Bay Transportation Authority (AACT)

10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150, Boston, MA. 02116-3968

Voice: 857.702.3658, Fax: 617.570.9192,
TDD: 617.570.9193, E-mail: AACT@ctps.org

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Board of Directors Minutes

           Meeting opened at 10:12 AM

Board of Directors:

Chairman - James F. White

Vice Chairman - Rick E. Morin

Executive Board

Mary Ann Murray

Ian Perrault

Beverly Ann Rock

Lisa Weber

The next meeting to follow will be February 24^th.

Reading of the Agenda

Introductions

Attendees: James White, Rick Morin, Lisa Weber, David Vieira, Arthur Kovac

MPO Staff:

Janie Guion

Approval of Meeting Minutes

Chairman’s Joint Report

Chairman White and Vice Chairman Morin stated the following:

• The MBTA’s Fiscal Management Control Board (FMCB) discussed ways in which RIDE costs could be driven down in FY17.
• The suggestion of the elimination of THE RIDE Premium Service was met with opposition from the disability community.
• The AACT Board of Directors sent a letter to the FMCB recommending the formation of a task force to help the MBTA find ways to achieve an additional $10 million in savings without eliminating THE RIDE Premium Service area.
• The task force’s goal is to identify cost-saving measures that will yield measurable results, while also maintaining current high levels of service. Other transportation alternatives available to RIDE customers such as; EOHHS-HST MassHealth transportation service, COA transport, non-profit transportation programs, MBTA’s Taxi Subsidy pilot program and other programs were discussed. The AACT Board noted that this is a great opportunity to jointly work with other advocates and agencies to help the MBTA find other solutions. It was noted that at the last meeting the group suggested at least 12 ideas that could possibly render an additional $10M savings for THE RIDE.
• The Chair and Vice Chair attended meetings whose subject matter included: the potential Centralized Cost and Control Center, Taxi Subsidy Pilot program, ADA Bus Recertification Program, and Passenger Assistance Program, as well as meetings of the Vehicle Ad Hoc Committee and Means Testing Committee.
• On February 17, the Chair and Vice Chair will attend a meeting to discuss the Plan for Accessible Transit Infrastructure (PATI) Program.

He asked for comments. There were none.

Committee Reports

Rider Oversight Committee Report (ROC)

Lisa Weber, Board Member and AACT’s representative to ROC reported that the Fiscal Management and Control Board (FMBC) member Monica Tibbitts-Nutt, attended a recent ROC meeting where she thanked her and the members of the FMBC for approving the formation of the Task Force and awaiting their recommendations before making any decisions regarding the upcoming fare increase; it was noted that the FMBC is eager to hear their findings since they are not experts.

AACT’s other representative to ROC Ian Perrault also added that Ms. Tibbitts-Nutt stated that the MBTA is also looking into the latest state of the art technology for fare equipment and other media.

Chairman White noted that these types of innovations would be over a span of years.

No questions were presented.

Open Discussion

L. Weber noted that it is very important that the Chair and Vice Chair participating on various committees solicit the AACT membership for input when serving on various committees.

R. Morin noted that he agrees that he would be willing to convey members’ suggestions but does not want to violate any public meeting laws between himself and the members.

Chairman White stated that he is more than willing to accept input from the members.  

Old Business

The Summit Co-Chair Lisa Weber discussed plans for the April event. She noted that there could be a rescheduling of the date due to the Sec. Pollack’s personal schedule.   

New Business

None was presented.

Meeting ended 11:33 PM  

Notables

The AACT Executive Board will meet from 10:00 AM to noon and the Membership meeting will be conducted from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM on the fourth Wednesday of the month, except when noted.

Notices of AACT meetings are posted on the website of the MBTA at http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/. Visit the MPO’s calendar page at http://www.bostonmpo.org/calendar/month to find AACT agendas, meeting minutes, and past meeting minutes. For more on AACT, see the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the MBTA and AACT, the AACT Bylaws, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations at http://www.mbta.com/aact .

Also, find articles about topics discussed at AACT meetings in the MPO’s newsletter, TRANSREPORT, at http://www.bostonmpo.org/transreport. For more information on accessibility at the MBTA, please visit www.mbta.com/accessibility.    

 Comments and questions concerning AACT should be directed to Chairman James White by contacting the AACT Coordinator, Ms. Janie Guion, at 857.702.3658 (voice/relay), 617.570.9193 (TTY), AACT@ctps.org (email), or c/o CTPS, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150, Boston, MA 02116 (US mail).

The AACT meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities and is near public transportation. Upon request (preferably two weeks in advance of the meeting), every effort will be made to provide accommodations such as assistive listening devices, materials in accessible formats and in languages other than English, and interpreters in American Sign Language and other languages. Please contact the MPO staff at 857.702.3700 (voice), 617.570.9192 (TTY), 617.570.9193 (fax), or publicinformation@ctps.org (email).

The MPO complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the ADA and other federal and state non-discrimination statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. The MPO does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, English proficiency, income, religious creed, ancestry, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or military service. Any person who believes her or himself or any specific class of persons has been subjected to discrimination prohibited by Title VI, ADA, or other non-discrimination statute or regulations may, her or himself or via a representative, file a written complaint with the MPO. A complaint must be filed no later than 180 calendar days after the date on which the person believes the discrimination occurred. A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO (see above) or at www.bostonmpo.org.

Members needing service information or wanting to inquire about MBTA services should do so through the MBTA Marketing and Communications Department at 617.222.3200 or 800.392.6100 (voice), 617.222.5146 (TTY), Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, or via the MBTA’s website at www.mbta.com/customer_support/feedback/.

Please sign in at all meetings.

Announcements are always welcome. Please be prepared to give as many details as possible: date, time, location, contact person, and phone number. A written notice is always appreciated.