Firm rehired to run paratransit bus system

The company that has managed the Regional Transportation Commission's paratransit bus system since 1996 will keep the job for at least another three years, a decision that has provoked criticism from members of the disabled community who are dissatisfied with the service.

The RTC voted 4-3 Thursday, approving a three-year contract for Cincinnati-based Ryder/ATE to continue overseeing the Citizens Area Transit's bus system for the disabled. As part of the $415,000 deal, Robert Andresen, who currently manages Phoenix's paratransit service for Ryder/ATE, will replace outgoing Paratransit Manager Ron Davis.

The RTC and CAT have weathered considerable heat since creating a rider certification process in January of last year. In addition to bringing the paratransit system into compliance with the American With Disabilities Act, the eligibility testing has weeded out abusers of the service, reducing the number of riders to 8,000, down from 18,000 two years ago.

But some paratransit users accuse the RTC of being too aggressive in its streamlining efforts. They claim that the agency -- and, by extension, Ryder/ATE, which manages the system's certification program and day-to-day operations -- denies eligibility to people who legitimately need the service and suspends others over marginal violations.

The commission's decision to rehire the company indicates those concerns were ignored, according to Rick Burnham, vice president of the Silver State Blinded Veterans Association.

"As a rider, I'm going to be stuck with the same garbage I have been. They keep saying, 'It's going to change.' It's not going to change. They don't want to see it get better," he said.

Added Gloria Chaffee, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Nevada: "They don't listen to our complaints and problems and suggestions. They listen to people who are not disabled, who don't really know what it's like to be blind or disabled."

The RTC selected Ryder/ATE over Multi-Systems, a Cambridge, Mass., company that oversees Pittsburgh's paratransit system. Commissioners Jan Laverty Jones, Lance Malone and Crescent Hardy were opposed to rehiring Ryder/ATE. Chairman Bruce Woodbury, David Wood, Bryan Nix and John Rhodes voted in favor of bringing the company back. Commissioner Larry Brown was not in attendance.

Jones and Malone, who have received numerous complaints about paratransit, argued that Multi-Systems, despite Ryder/ATE's nominally higher evaluation scores, deserved a chance. Malone said in an interview after the meeting that he plans to keep close tabs on Ryder/ATE.

"I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they'll improve... But if they don't, I won't support them the next time they come up (for a contract), and I'll be more adamant about getting someone new in there," Malone said.

Woodbury acknowledged that the paratransit service has its share of kinks -- and detractors. But, he noted, "There are many other people who are satisfied with the system, and we don't want to overlook them."

As for criticism of the paratransit system, RTC Director Kurt Weinrich said his agency is merely following the ADA. "We don't have a choice in second-guessing what Congress wants us to do. It's the law."

Ryder/ATE's contract, which will pay Andresen between $67,000 and $70,000 annually, is scheduled to kick in by year's end. The RTC also can exercise two option years on the contract, at a total cost of $274,000.

Davis could not be reached for comment Thursday. Weinrich said he is relocating to Orange County, Calif., for "personal considerations," and a CAT spokesman said Ryder/ATE has asked him to help with the company's paratransit proposal there.

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