Paratransit rider tells KTA board of repeated delays and asks for direct contacts and training fixes

Charwin Snelson, a paratransit rider, addressed the KTA board during public comment and detailed repeated service failures, long on-vehicle times and difficulty reaching dispatch. "Once is an incident. Twice is a coincidence. 3 is a pattern," Snelson said while recounting multiple trips where waits and misrouting made him late to work and hampered access to appointments.

Snelson described incidents including a November pickup that required his vehicle to backtrack 20 minutes to pick up other passengers, a trip that included a 28‑minute wait for a passenger after arrival, and occasions when two vans were in the area but he was not placed on either manifest. He said he recently experienced a 40‑minute hold time when calling dispatch and that responses from initial contacts were inconsistent; he said staff told him Zaneta Fenton would handle lift inquiries after he had first spoken with Brian McClure.

Snelson asked the board to identify accountability and requested clearer direct contact information (email or extensions) and a quick-reference tablet guide for new drivers to reduce routing and tablet‑operation errors. He noted that many new drivers are "fantastic" but unfamiliar with systems, and that a short reference sheet could reduce delays caused by operator unfamiliarity.

Staff was not recorded making a formal corrective action or offering an immediate resolution during the comment period; the speaker requested that the board investigate and report back on outcomes. No formal vote or direction to staff resolving Snelson's requests was recorded in this meeting.

The board adjourned after setting the next meeting date for January; Snelson's comment was entered into the public record and the board did not take immediate formal action on the specific paratransit complaints at this session.