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Austin users, advocates raise safety and warranty concerns after MetroAccess reclassification
Summary
Community members and an advocate urged the Austin Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities to press Capital Metro/ATP for changes after a recent policy that classifies many mobility-device users as “provisional” riders. Speakers described warranty, safety and service gaps and proposed local pilot programs and peer training.
Deb Miller, a community mobility advocate who identified herself as “Diamond Dev,” told the Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities on its April meeting that a Capital Metro/MetroAccess policy now classifies many people who use power wheelchairs as “provisional riders,” which she said creates safety and warranty problems and increases reliance on costly emergency responses.
“The cost they estimated is $50 for each pickup, which is $100 round trip anytime they pick up a wheelchair from anywhere,” Miller said, describing Capital Metro’s per-pickup cost estimate and arguing that current service and warranty rules make independent travel…
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