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Metro Transit pledges paratransit overhaul, new RFP and rider survey after reports of safety and service failures
Summary
Metro Transit general manager Jamie Acton told the Transportation Commission the agency has shifted paratransit into customer service, will publish a draft RFP, launch a rider survey in August and seek a mobility manager to improve oversight after riders reported injuries, missed appointments and poor provider follow‑up.
Metro Transit General Manager Jamie Acton told the Transportation Commission that the agency is reorganizing paratransit oversight and preparing a new procurement to address recurring rider complaints.
"We are well aware...that we have missed the mark on multiple occasions and in multiple areas," Jamie Acton said, describing a move of paratransit into Metro’s customer service group about 60 days earlier and a plan to finalize a draft request for proposals for a new paratransit contract (the existing contract expires 06/30/2027). Acton said Metro will begin procurement activity in early 2027 and hopes to award a contract in January 2027 for a new service provider model.
Acton outlined immediate and medium‑term steps: enforcing existing vendor contract provisions, conducting root‑cause analyses of the recent scheduling software rollout, improving rider communication, and releasing a rider experience survey in the second week of August that will be open for about 30 days. She said the scheduling platform is capable of matching rider travel needs to appropriate vehicles and that Metro is creating focus groups and inviting lived‑experience stakeholders to help define service metrics and training standards.
The general manager also proposed creating a mobility manager position to centralize contract management, quality control and coordination with planning. "I am looking for representation on the ranking and scoring of the proposal committee," Acton said, inviting commissioners and community representatives to participate.
Why it matters: Riders told the commission that missed trips and dangerous boarding experiences have resulted in injuries and missed medical appointments. Staff framed the RFP, metrics and mobility‑management measures as critical tools to hold contractors to FTA/ADA requirements and to rebuild trust with paratransit users.
Next steps: Metro will collect and analyze survey results, apply ADA and FTA standards to draft provider requirements, finalize the RFP language for scoring and enforcement, and report back to the commission as these pieces progress.
