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Riders describe injuries, missed medical appointments and poor follow‑up in public comments to Transportation Commission
Summary
Two long‑time paratransit riders described a January concussion, failure of customer follow‑up and repeated service failures including wrong drop‑offs and inaccessible lifts. Commissioners and Metro staff promised improved complaint handling and enforcement but provided no immediate remedies during the meeting.
At the Transportation Commission public comment period, two riders recounted safety incidents and chronic service failures that they say have persisted under the current paratransit contracts.
Patricia Zoller told commissioners: "On January 8, I was injured. I received a concussion." She described repeated failures in complaint follow‑up, lack of response from vendors, drivers leaving the scene after falls, missed medical appointments and instances where drivers refused or mishandled a service dog. Zoller urged more accountability and volunteered for a user advisory council to help develop solutions.
Gary LaFleur, who identified himself as a longtime rider and friend of Zoller, described being instructed to board a lift that did not function properly and drivers calling riders to vehicles using backup beepers that confuse blind riders. He said that where the service promises door‑to‑door pickup, drivers sometimes fail to escort riders to front doors.
Commissioners acknowledged the seriousness of the reports. Metro staff said paratransit oversight was moved into customer service to improve follow‑up; customer service manager Mike Dentis and staff said they are working to anonymize complaints where appropriate, improve provider training and hold contractors to contract provisions. Staff urged riders to report problems through multiple channels (phone, online feedback form and email) to ensure issues can be documented and addressed.
Why it matters: Rider testimony tied directly to safety and access for people with disabilities. Commissioners asked for metrics and stronger enforcement language in upcoming contracts; staff committed to root‑cause analyses and to sharing survey results and other performance data.
