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, TTY: 617.570.9193, E-mail: AACT@ctps.org
Wednesday, June 22,
2016
Board of Directors Minutes
Meeting opened at
10:07 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
Reading of the
Agenda
Introductions
Attendees: James White, Mary
Ann Murray, Ian Perrault, Rick Morin, Lisa Weber, David Vieira, and Hang Lee
Approval of Meeting
Minutes
The meeting minutes for March 23rd, 2016 were
approved unanimously, with one abstention.
Chairman’s Report
Chairman White stated the following:
· On June
15th he attended a Community Forum on Disability Issues hosted by the City of
Boston’s Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
·
On June 8th he attended the National
Express passenger assistance training.
·
On June 6th, he attended the
Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) meeting. On behalf of AACT he
recommended that Global Contact Services be awarded the contract for the Centralized
Consolidated Call Center (CCCC), based on a rigorous scoring process.
·
He commented that Michael
Lambert, MassDOT- Deputy Administrator-Transit made a presentation to the FMCB
showing the likely benefits of the CCCC. He noted that by consolidating the
currently 3 separate dispatch-scheduling and reservation services, the service
area lines are lifted. He noted that
CCCC offices will be located in the town of Medford, MA. He noted that the MBTA
asked that CCCC fast-track the process to be operational in six months.
·
On May 26th he attended bus
recertification training in Charlestown.
·
He explained that the MBTA and the
Executive Office of Health and Human Services/Human Service Transportation
(HST) Office will be issuing a joint letter to all active users of THE RIDE.
This letter will explain the possibility for free transportation by MassHealth’s
HST program for eligible customers to non-emergency medical trips (doctors, day
habilitation, and counseling) as well as pointing customers to other
transportation options available to them like local Councils on Aging.
He then asked
for questions.
There were none.
Committee Reports
Rider Oversight
Committee Report
(ROC)
Lisa Weber, Board Member and representative to ROC
had no report and noted that the next meeting would be on June 27th.
She noted that due to another commitment she can longer attend ROC meetings on
a regular basis. She recommended that Ian Perrault be assigned as the new
representative. Chairman White agreed with the recommendation.
She then
asked for questions.
M. A. Murray
asked if ROC members have any opinions or view points on Green Line Extension
Project. L. Weber noted that there had been some discussion.
Regional
Transportation Advisory Council Report
(RTAC)
Mary Ann Murray, Board Member and representative to RTAC
reported that members were briefed by Metropolitan Planning Organization’s staff
on the Transportation Improvement Plan.
No questions were presented.
Open Discussion
Chairman
White attended a meeting in Worcester where he met the Lyft and UBER
representatives who both volunteered to give a presentation at an upcoming AACT
meeting. He noted that he is looking forward to extending an invitation.
Lisa Weber attended
the Women in Transportation Seminar event where she met guest speaker Scott
Bosworth, Chief Strategy Officer for MassDOT. She stated that Mr. Bosworth advised
members that he is available to speak with other groups. She would like to have
an invitation extended to him to speak at a future AACT meeting. Chairman White has agreed with her
recommendation and asked that he be contacted.
Suggestions were
made for presentations: July – Department of System-wide Accessibility (SWA)
Update; September – Office for Transportation Access (OTA) THE RIDE Call Center.
Chairman
White noted that SWA has begun to survey every single bus stop by July or
August see if there are any barriers that are in the way of persons who are
visually impaired or to others.
Chairman
White noted that OTA has new GPS software that will be in full operation by July
2017. Mary Ann was happy to hear this news since her experience with drivers locating
her.
Old Business
Chairman White noted that
same-day service was reinstated by the Office for Transportation Access.
Rick Morin noted that the Boston Center for
Independent Living (BCIL) and Massachusetts Senior Action Council are two
influential groups with money, staff, and a media presence.
Chairman White commented that his
vision for a new AACT committee would likely have half of the members elected
from the AACT membership and half appointed by the MBTA. He is skeptical that
the MBTA will follow the guidelines of the Federal Transit Administration to recognize
AACT as an advisory committee for the disability community. M. A. Murray is concerned that the MBTA wants to
take control of AACT.
Rick Morin noted that the BCIL settlement
agreement is nearing an end and that there is a strong need for BCIL to
continue to be represented on a formal basis. The BCIL management does not want
to participate in the existing structure of AACT.
He noted that the MBTA has an
unconditional ability to cancel the Memorandum of Understanding without cause;
and cautioned the group that if recommendations are rejected AACT’s future would
be in jeopardy. The end result will likely be a very good positive, but
challenging. He also stated that Laura Brelsford, MBTA Assistant General Manager
for System-Wide Accessibility and Michael Lambert of MassDOT-Transit will both spearhead
an event as the facilitators on the restructuring of AACT.
Summit Chairman’s Wrap-up on Transit Accessibility
Lisa Weber stated
the following:
·
She received great feedback from the
participants
· She organized and distributed comments from breakout sessions
· She would like to see the summit continue as an annual event
Both Rick Morin and
Mary Ann Murray congratulated her for a job well done in organizing the summit.
New Business
Chairman White noted that he has
been advised by SWA that priority seating on buses will be increased by two
more seats. It was noted that more information will be made available.
Announcements
•
Chairman
White announced the retirement of General Manager Frank DePaola who as two
upcoming events to mark his retirement. He noted that Mr. DePaola was very
supportive at AACT’s Summit this year. He would like to show his support and
attend one of his events. He also noted that Mr. DePaola was instrumental in
getting the MBTA ready for the 2015 winter preparedness and the third rail
project.
Meeting ended 11:44 AM
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.
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, herself 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
telephone number. A written notice is always appreciated.