Page 7 - Aruba Today

U.S. NEWS A7
Monday 11 April 2016

US Financial Front:

Transit systems eye Uber, Lyft for savings on the disabled
BOB SALSBERG they can get an on-demand as Metro, expressing alarm
Associated Press ride as opposed to booking over the agency’s interest in
BOSTON (AP) — Several U.S. 24 hours in advance,” said Bri- contracting with companies
transit systems looking to de- an Shortsleeve, the agency’s such as Uber or Lyft.
fray costs of providing servic- chief administrator. “This is of grave concern to
es for the disabled are weigh- But convenience comes with our coalition for many rea-
ing partnerships with Uber a catch. sons, most importantly be-
and Lyft, unsettling some ad- With a limited number of cause neither company has
vocates who note that ride- wheelchair-accessible vehi- adequate access to wheel-
hailing services have them- cles, the ride-hailing services chair accessible vehicles,”
selves faced criticism over would be available largely to the letter stated. Passenger
accessibility. people who can walk. And safety and inadequate driver
Paratransit, better known un- while a majority of individu- training were also cited as
der names like “The Ride,” als certified to use paratransit concerns, though activists did
‘’Access-a-Ride,” or “Dial-a- fit that bill, advocates worry applaud Metro for seeking al-
Ride,” is required under the Sarah Kaplan, of Lynn, Mass., rides an elevator to board a bus about creating an unfair and ternative forms of transporta-
1990 Americans with Disabili- outside her place of work, in Boston. Transit systems in major U.S. possibly even illegal two- tion.
ties Act. But the costs, which cities are required by federal law to provide specialized servic- tiered system for the disabled The system already supple-
es for disabled passengers. In Boston, the deficit-laden MBTA is

include door-to-door pickup considering ways of reducing service for the disabled and out- — one serving people who ments its MetroAccess ser-
and drop-off, can be steep. can walk, the other those vice with alternatives such as
The average cost of operat- sourcing more of it to taxis and ride-hailing services like Uber. whose needs the private ve- Transport DC, which offers $5

(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

ing a single paratransit trip is “I understand there are bud- The deficit-ridden agency hicles can’t accommodate. taxi rides to the disabled, in-
about $23 in the U.S., com- get concerns. But for me this now hopes to cut $10 million “We don’t want racial seg- cluding wheelchair-accessible
pared with less than $4 for is a quality-of-life issue,” said in annual paratransit costs regation, and we also don’t cabs.
the average trip on bus or Sarah Kaplan, 32, who was by expanding an existing taxi want disability segregation,” Metro hopes to solicit formal
light rail. In Boston, the aver- born with cerebral palsy and voucher system and contract- said Marilyn Golden, senior proposals from ride-sharing
age cost per ride is about $45, uses a wheelchair. She rides a ing with ride-hailing services. policy analyst for the Califor- companies this summer but
in Washington, about $50, vehicle operated by the Mas- The plan, not yet finalized, nia-based Disability Rights will pay careful attention to
and in New York, nearly $57, sachusetts Bay Transportation would charge customers $2 Education & Defense Fund. how such a program is struc-
officials said. Authority to get to and from per ride, while the MBTA con- Uber and Lyft have both cited tured, said Christian Kent,
Transit agencies nationwide her job as internship coordi- tributes up to $13 for the trip. efforts to improve offerings assistant manager of access
logged about 223 million nator with the Boston Center If a trip costs more than $15, for disabled riders. But the services.
paratransit trips at a cost ex- for Independent Living. the passenger would pay the services have argued they are Pace, which operates the Chi-
ceeding $5.1 billion — about “I want the right to leave my difference. technology, not transporta- cago-area paratransit system,
12 percent of total transit house like everyone else,” Ka- A potential incentive for rid- tion, companies, meaning has had preliminary meetings
operating costs — in 2013, plan said. ers: Uber or Lyft can be sum- they are not required to pro- with Uber and Lyft, said agen-
according to the most re- In 2012, the MBTA doubled moned immediately with an vide accessible vehicles. Ad- cy spokesman Doug Sullivan.
cent data from the American fares from $2 to $4 for The app; trips on MBTA vehicles vocates for the disabled have He cited as a potential barrier
Public Transportation Asso- Ride, triggering protests; must be scheduled a day filed a handful of lawsuits. the strict federal guidelines
ciation. The price tag is par- several people chained their ahead. In January, a coalition includ- that drivers for Pace — or any
ticularly high in major cities, wheelchairs together and “My guess is it will be very ap- ing disability rights groups company under contract with
where agencies struggle with blocked traffic. Fares were lat- pealing to people who need and labor unions wrote to Pace — must meet for train-
regular service and mainte- er rolled back to $3 for most to go shorter distances where the Washington Metropolitan ing, and drug and alcohol
nance. rides. the fares are under $15 and Area Transit Authority, known testing.