Assessing The Access-A-Ride Program

So much energy is needed to take full advantage of the way the public transit system is set up in New York, but for handicapped and immobile New Yorkers, it requires a little too much energy. Since public transportation in New York City is so inaccessible for disabled people, riders have opted to use the state funded Access-A-Ride, a program which picks up handicapped riders from a specific location and drops them off at their destination. It is an ideal situation for any one wishing to get from simply point A to point B, but with more exhaustion than any cross-borough subway ride with several transfers.

Though it is the best next option disabled New Yorkers have, it only barely meets the minimum needs of its users. Jean Ryan, 65, is a disabilities rights activist hailing from Brooklyn who has been using the Access-A-Ride for over ten years. During those ten years, she has been battling the program to see improvements in the what she sees as a faulty and often unkind system.

The difficulties of dealing with the system begin at step one. To be granted access to Access-A-Ride, prospective users must apply and then be assessed by a doctor so that they may be approved for the program, to which there is a 21 day estimated waiting period. The fare each way is the same as any regular subway or bus ride, but each trip must be arranged. There is several criteria needed in order to assure a ride: between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., a call must be placed, giving the user's AAR identifcation number, the date of pick-up, the place and time of pick-up, the destination, and any other special needs. This call must be placed one to two days in advance to assure the ride will come.

The MTA website has multiple requirements for the day of pick-up. Because the Access-A-Ride program is run through several independent bus companies, there is no set routine guaranteed for riders, and each pick-up that occurs is not always successful because of the many variations. On the MTA website is the following criteria for pick-up:

• "Always wait where the driver can see you.
• Be ready to travel at your scheduled pick-up time and be prepared to wait up to 30 minutes after that time.
• Drivers who arrive within a 30-minute waiting period are considered on time.
• The driver must wait for you for 5 minutes from the time the vehicle arrives during or past the 30-minute waiting period.
• If you miss your ride at the start of a trip, but manage to reach your destination, call
  the Command Center to confirm your return ride.
• Make your reservation one to two days in advance."
  

(http://www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/html/resources/trans_aar.shtml)


More often than not, however, these companies are no shows. Horror stories are told of AAR users who waited more then 20 minutes, moved from their spot as the bus arrived, only to drive off, thinking the rider was the one who was late. Getting into contact with so many different companies is difficult, and riders find that what was supposed to be a convenient service is just a larger burden, or a chore. "It takes a toll on us to wait in all weather or wait without a place to sit down," says Jean.

Complaints go unanswered most times. Jean, who has neuropathy in her arms and legs, and uses a motorized wheelchair to get around, instead has their habits and actions memorized to a science. "Complaining to AAR itself does no good. If they do not pick you up and you are ambulatory and have waited 30 minutes, they will probably issue you a voucher for car service or a taxi voucher and you can still get to where you are going," says Jean. "It can be very frustrating and crappy, but if it's the only way you can continue to work."

Her recommendation for AAR users is to keep a notebook to track down names, service, and phone numbers for when appointments do go wrong. "It makes them more accountable," says Jean. She also suggests users speak to the MTA directly, online or by phone, whenever necessary. It may be that due to traffic or congestion in certain pick-up spots, lateness is inevitable. To make each ride work out, Jean recommends shaping the pick-up to fit the needs of the user and the driver, if to only make each ride a little less stressful than the last.

-Photo courtesy of the NY Daily News.