Arts of Life » Para Transit Services

Para Transit Services

A Letter to the Deputy Director of PACE:

Dear Mr. Kwasneski,

I write this letter with the intention of bringing to light the ongoing struggle that has persisted our community. Transportation in the city of Chicago has been a consistent and daily issue for the Arts Of Life community since its opening in January of 2000.

We are a non-profit art studio that provides developmentally disabled adults an environment to experience personal growth and achievement through the utilization of art making and the creative process. This program serves as an alternative for those who do not do well in traditional day vocational training. For those who attend our studio on a daily basis, the studio is a real job. When an individual comes to our studio they become a professional working artist in the city of Chicago. Several gallery exhibitions are put on every year, we show art at thirteen Starbucks in the Chicago area as well as several area businesses and cafes. Needless to say the artists and staff working at the studio take their respective jobs extremely seriously. Since there is such seriousness in the work we do we must also treat our daily transportation situation with the same importance.

As Community Coordinator it is my job to advocate for people who cannot advocate for themselves in order to get people to their job here at the studio on time and in a consistently respectable manner. It is my unfortunate duty to express to you the inconsistency and poor service we have been receiving. It is not everyday that the service is poor, but it has been bad enough for me to be spending at least an hour and a half of every day either tracking down rides for people or filing complaints about service of previous days. If this was the only component of my job I would not be as upset, and I most certainly realize as a commuter that Chicago is not a commuter friendly city on a daily basis. However, I arrive at work on time every day regardless of weather, without a twenty-minute grace period, I must uphold others to the same standard. Complaints coming from my office on service would be in lower numbers if any of the drivers even made an effort to explain the situations that make them late. Instead a large number of the drivers treat both clients and staff in a rude and pushy manner, which only adds fuel to my frustration.

One thing that people with developmental disabilities need is consistency. Not only is consistency beneficial for learning but also allows these individuals to experience and plan activities after they get off of work for the day. When drivers are late it is a severe violation of an individuals rights. Some tardiness will always be tolerated but, we have drivers who arrive up to two hours late and do not offer any explanation, then demand that our clients grab there things and rush out the door. When I contact dispatchers they tell me that the driver will be here in minutes. These minutes turn into hours quite often and it has become evident to me that I cannot trust employees of ARTS or CDT and the other subsidiaries of Pace.

I have no understanding of how hard it must be to coordinate so many peoples rides and at so many different times and locations. What I do understand is that when you enter into an agreement with someone you uphold your end of the bargain. I feel as though our clients are being cheated and their rights are being violated. I hope to enter into a dialogue in the spirit of improvement, because I am sure that we are not the only organization that has these sorts of problems. I offer my input in any capacity necessary and hope that you feel as I do, that something about this system needs to change. I hope to speak with you directly and want you to know that Al Lopez from Pace has been an invaluable resource for me in facilitating and accepting and directing my complaints in pursuit of more consistent and reliable service. Attached you will find copies of the complaints I have filed in some recent months, not only do we keep these for our records, but we post them on our website as part of our advocacy piece.

Hope to speak with you soon.

Sincerely,

Nicholas Schutzenhofer
Community Coordinator
312.829.2787
nschutzenhofer@artsoflife.org

p align=”left”>A Sample Letter to write to your legislator about Para Transit Services:

August 21, 2006
Kathleen A. Ryg, State Representative District 59
50 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 114
Vernon Hills, IL. 60061

Dear Representative Ryg,

I am writing from Arts of Life, an art studio for adults with developmental disabilities, in hopes of gaining some insight and assistance regarding the Para transit program in Chicago. We currently have 11 participants (artists) who use the Para transit program and we have been trying to work cooperatively with PACE as they take over the operations regarding our concerns, but we now feel that we have to reach out to you for further assistance.

Because our concerns are numerous, I’ve attached my communications log for your review. We are having a very difficult time understanding why we have to spend 1 hour on the phone each day to assure that 11 people, 9 of whom are on subscription, arrive on time each day and get picked up on time each afternoon.

Of the information you will find in my communication log, we have filed 17 complaints in one month, ranging from leaving people stranded to being over an hour late for a subscription pick up. We have reached out to the transportation providers (ARTS, CDT, SCR and PACE), and the ADA, but the problems continue.

Because we rely solely on Para transit services for our participants to join our studio, these problems are causing the residential providers for our participants to consider alternative day placement. Should they find alternative placement, our studio would have to close. Chronic transportation problems are threatening our program and are a constant stressor for our artists.

We are starting to feel that this is a systematic problem and one that further discriminates against people with developmental disabilities. We’ve asked that people who cannot navigate public transportation, because of many different barriers, use a system that further isolates them and adds unneeded stress to their lives by being unable to provide the with the service they were told they would receive when they signed up for the Para transit program.

I would love the opportunity to speak to you further regarding this ongoing and serious problem and would appreciate any assistance you could provide in trying to remedy this situation.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to look over our information.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any question or clarification.
Warmly,

Denise Fisher
Executive Director
Arts of Life, Inc.

Below is a log of difficulties we encounter on a regular basis with Para Transit Services.

Transportation Complaint Journal

Arts of Life has experienced chronic difficulties with all three carriers. Our artists arrive late, get charged with unsubstantiated “no shows,” are left unattended, and sometimes they don’t get picked up at all. Often when I try to call to schedule a ride or get an estimated time of arrival the lines are all busy. When I finally get through the carrier usually tells me they are booked for the requested day. When I encounter difficulties these are the steps I take:

1. Call Carrier or Mannera Habeel if changes in schedule are needed
2. File complaint at 847-364-7223 (Cindy Mayer, Sherry Stimage)
3. Transfer me to Darice Clark, Project Manager or Matt Weinberg, Operations Manger-312-341-8033

Once a complaint is filed there is to be an investigation and the findings are to be mailed to the studio. As yet I have not received any findings. Below is a list of complaints by month.

October 2007

10/31/07 Complaint made to Pace. Today Linda arrived at 9:53 rather than 9:00.

10/31/07 Complaint made to Pace. Gaby was scheduled for a 7:45 pickup, but her ride did not arrive until 9:40. Gaby’s house closes at 9:00 so her staff was forced to stay there and supervise her causing another company to pay for overtime hours.

10/31/07 Complaint made to Pace. Gaby was scheduled to be picked up at 4:30 but did not arrive until 5:30.

10/29/07 Complaint made to Pace. This morning Shannon’s transfer point did not show up to take her the rest of the way on her trip.

10/29/07 Complaint made to Pace. Kelly arrived at 9:50 rather than 9:00.

10/10/07 Complaint made to Pace. Kelly arrived at 9:46 rather than 9:00. His staff called me at 8:42 to inform me that his ride had not arrived yet.

10/1/07 Complaint made to Pace. Kathy’s ride did not arrive until after 4:00 despite her scheduled 2:20 pick up.

10/01/07 Complaint made to Pace. Kelly arrived at 10:27 rather than 9:00.

September 2007

09/21/07 Complaint filed to Pace. Linda arrived at 10:50 rather than 9:00. Her pick up is at 8:00. This cause much distress to Linda who only wanted to arrive on time.

09/11/07 Complaint filed to Pace. Linda arrived at 10:15 rather than 9:00.

09/05/07 Complaint made to Pace. Kathy arrived at 10:30 rather than 9:00.

09/05/07 Complaint made to Pace. Today Linda arrived at 10:45 rather that 9:00.

August 2007

08/28/07 Complaint made to Pace. KS arrived to ARTS at 10:45 rather than the projected time of 9:00 am.

08/27/07 Complaint made to Pace. The ride designated to pick up KM at 2:00pm did not arrive until 3:50 pm.

08/15/07 Complaint made to Pace. Veronica arrived at 10:10 rather than 9:00.

08/15/07 Complaint made to Pace. Linda arrived at 9:37 rather than 9:00.

08/1/07 Complaint made to Pace. I am filling this complaint on the behalf of Veronica who rides CDT and Pace. Today she did not arrive until 12:30 pm. I called CDT who was sure that they had dropped her off at 11:20 at the Arts of Life Studio but she was not here. When I called Pace they informed me that she had been waiting for her transfer at 100 S. Summit for 2 hours. This is ridiculous and irresponsible of Pace and CDT to allow this to happen. Veronica is 77 and does not get around very well. Complaint filed to CDT and Pace.

July 2007

07/30/07 Complaint made to Pace. Veronica arrived at 9:45 rather than the projected 9:00. Veronica is 77 years old and does not enjoy her experience with CDT when the trip lasts too long.

07/27/07 Complaint made to Pace. This morning Kelly arrived at 10:15am. This makes him over an hour late.

BV, DV

07/25/07 Complaint made to Pace. Both Debbie and Bobby were not picked up until 2:55 this afternoon despite the fact that they are scheduled for a 2:00 pick up from CDT.

June 2007

06/11/07 Complaint made to Pace. Veronica was picked up from her home at 7:45 instead of 7:15 causing her to miss her transfer at 100 S. Summit in Park Ridge. VC was marked as a no show at this pick up and should not have been because it was Pace’s fault.

06/11/07 Complaint made to Pace. I am filling a complaint on the behalf of Linda because she did not arrive to the program until 10:00 rather than 9:00.

06/04/07 Complaint made to Pace. This complaint is being filled because Linda who was picked up at 8:30 am, did not make it to the program until 10:30 am. For someone to travel 2 hours rather than the projected 30 minutes is ridiculous.

06/04/07 Complaint made to Pace. Veronica did not arrive until 10:00 instead of her projected arrival time of 9:00 thanks to CDT.

May 2007

VC, LR

05/29/07 Complaint made to Pace. This complaint is in regard of Veronica and Linda. Both of these individuals ride CDT. They arrived this morning with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am. Their pick up time is 8:00am making the trip long.

SR, KS

05/15/07 Complaint made to Pace. Both Kelly and Silvia were picked up at 2:50 pm with a scheduled pick up of 2:00 pm.

Pace

05/04/07 ARTS would like to extend thanks to Pace for 05/04/07 and 05/03/07 because all rides were on time and courteous.

05/02/07 Complaint made to Pace. This is on the behalf of Kelly. His scheduled pick up time is 7:30 but did not arrive until 10:19. He is traveling from a mediocre distance and there is no way his trip should take over two and a half hours. Kelly consistently arrives late due to the transportation service.

April 2007

04/23/07 Complaint made to Pace. Kelly has a scheduled pick up time of 7:30, but did not arrive until 10:30. This violates the 90 min max rule that Pace has.

04/02/07 Complaint made to Pace. A call was made to ARTS to find out when Kelly’s day program could be expecting him. The operator informed me that the ride was in route and did not know when it would arrive. The driver arrived at 9:56 am with a scheduled drop of 9:00 am.

March 2007

3/28/07

I just wanted to extend my thanks to Pace because the service was crisp and prompt.

3/27/07

The Service was all around great today

3/26/07 Complaint made to Pace. Arts was called at 9:50 am this morning and told they could not get an estimate for the arrival of Kelly. Kelly arrived at 9:55 with a scheduled arrival time of 9:00 am.

3/26/07 Complaint made to Pace. A dispatcher called to inform us that Veronica was stuck at the train station in Park Ridge, this was 3:30. She told us that they had called Pace to see if they would wait and could not get through. Pace could not wait and Veronica was informed she would have to wait until 4:30. Later the dispatcher told us that we should adjust our pickup times because “its impossible for us (CDT) to show up on time”. So now the 77 year old Veronica must wait an hour unsupervised at a train station.

KM
3/23/07 CDT was called at 9:58 am, the operator informed us that Kathy had been switched to ART’s for the day. ART’s was called and Trina informed us that Kathy had not been picked up from home yet, and that the rides were running behind. Kathy arrived at 11:17 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am, a complaint has been filed with Pace.

KS
3/23/07 Arts was called at 9:50 to locate Mr. Stone. We spoke with Loretta who could not get a hold of the driver to get an estimated arrival time. Kelly arrived at 9:55 am. A complaint has been emailed to the Pace complaint department.

LR
3/20/07 Today driver of car # 2541 walked into our studio said “whos Ruzga” we informed him, and he walked up and started pushing Linda in her chair without informing her that he was about to move her and proceeded to push her out the door feet first smashing her legs into the door. This violent action caused her feet to fall from her pedals. With her feet off the pedals the driver began pushing her again which caused her feet to get drug underneath her chair. This caused Linda to start screaming in pain because the driver who had obviously not pushed a person in a wheel chair before, kept trying to push her. I ran outside to see what was happening and the driver said “whats wrong with her?” I replied that “her feet are not on the pedals and therefore are getting stuck under the chair and that you need to pay attention to that” the driver replied “no one helped me with the door” obviously not realizing that one is supposed to back a wheelchair bound person through doorways so that one is not opening the door with the individuals legs. I proceeded to walk outside and record the car #. This all happened at 2:35 pm.

DV
3/20/07 A complaint has been emailed to Anginetta Forrest customer relations specialist with Pace. CDT was called at 2:15 because a driver showed up to pick up a peer that Debbie normally rides with, but was sure she only had one pick up, and it was not for Debbie. Dispatch informed me that a separate ride had been dispatched and would arrive shortly. CDT was called again at 2:28 and Calvin informed me that Debbie’s ride was dispatched at 1:54 pm from approximately 2000 W. Chicago ave. CDT was called again at 2:50 and Vallerie informed me that an entirely new ride had been dispatched, and that Debbie should have been taken with the original driver who was sure she did not have Debbie in her pick up.

SR
3/20/07 A complaint has been emailed to Anginetta Forrest customer relations specialist with Pace. Silvia arrived this morning at 9:55 am, with a scheduled pick up of 8:30 am, and a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am. The total traveling distance is approximately 7 miles.

LR
3/14/07 A complaint has been filed with Katie in the Pace complaint department. Linda arrived this morning at 9:50 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

KS
3/14/07 A complaint has been filed with Katie in the Pace complaint department. Kelly was picked-up this afternoon at 3:00 pm, with a scheduled pick up 2:00 pm.

SR
3/14/07 A complaint has been filed with Katie in the Pace complaint department. Silvia was picked-up this afternoon at 3:00 pm, with a scheduled pick up of 2:00 pm.

VC
3/14/07 A complaint has been filed with Katie in the Pace complaint department. Ronnie arrived this morning at 10:00 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

KS
3/14/07 A complaint has been filed with Katie in the Pace complaint department. Kelly arrived this morning at 10:07 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am

LR
3/13/07 A complaint has been filed with Katie in the Pace complaint department. Linda arrived this morning at 9:57 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

KS
3/13/07 A complaint has been filed with Katie in the Pace complaint department. Kelly arrived this morning at 10:45 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

DV
3/13/07 A complaint has been filed with Katie in the Pace complaint department. Debbie arrived this morning at 9:45 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

RV
3/13/07 A complaint has been filed with Katie in the Pace complaint department. Bobby arrived this morning at 9:45 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

KM
3/12/07 A complaint has been filed with Katie in the Pace complaint department. Kathy had a scheduled pick-up of 2:15 pm, and the ride did not arrive until 4:20 pm.

KM
3/12/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Kathy arrived this morning at 10:00 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

KS
3/12/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Kelly arrived this morning at 9:45 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

VC
3/12/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Veronica arrived this morning at 10:05 with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

SR
3/9/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Silvia was picked up this afternoon at 2:42 pm, with a scheduled pick up of 2:00 pm.

KS
3/9/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Community Coordinator cancelled Kelly’s afternoon ride at the request of his case manager Laura. Laura called the morning of and reported to Community Coordinator that Kelly’s am ride had not shown up, and therefore he would not be in attendance.

KS
3/8/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Kelly arrived this morning at 10:00 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

SR
3/7/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Silvia was picked up this afternoon at 2:50 pm, with a scheduled pick up of 2:00 pm.

KS
3/7/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Kelly was picked up this afternoon at 2:50 pm, with a scheduled pick up of 2:00 pm.

LR
3/7/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Linda arrived this morning at 9:42 am, with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

KS
3/6/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Kelly was picked up this afternoon at 3:02 pm, with a scheduled pick up of 2:00 pm.

SR
3/6/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Silvia was picked up this afternoon at 3:02 pm, with a scheduled pick up of 2:00 pm.

SR
3/2/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Silvia was picked up this afternoon at 3:46 pm, with a scheduled pick up of 2:00 pm.

KS
3/01/07 A complaint has been filed with Al in the Pace complaint department. Kelly arrived this morning at 9:40 am with a scheduled arrival of 9:00 am.

September 2006

LJ
9/19/06 2:15 pm: Denise spoke to Minnera and requested LJ be taken off hold starting 9/25/06. Minnera stated that she would put this in the system with her new address (8104 S. Morgan) for 8 am and 2 pm.9/25/06 LJ called at 9:50 to find our about her ride and ARTS stated that they did not have her on and they did not have a change of address for her. She was told that nobody from 8104 S. Morgan was going to 2110 W. Grand anymore.

9/25/06 Denise talked to Minnera following up on why ARTS did not show up and what to do to rectify this problem. Minnera stated that she forgot to put in the change and that she would get LJ set up for the rest of the week and she would be back on subscription immediately from 8104 S. Morgan to 2110 W Grand at 8 am and 2 pm.

9/26/06 ARTS stated that no rides were scheduled. Minnera stated that they were in the system and should have been picked up by ARTS.

9/27/06 ARTS stated that no ride was scheduled, but finally showed up at 9:40 AM from an 8:00 AM confirmed with Minnera scheduled pick up. Afternoon scheduled pick up for 2 pm. Called ARTS at 2:30 to find out the status and they said 15 minutes. Called at 3:00 and Sonya stated that they had lost her ticket and it needed to be resubmitted so she wasn’t sure how long it would take. When I explained that at 2:30 they said someone was 15 minutes away, Sonya accused me of making that time up by saying “…that maybe you are just telling me that is what happened, but it didn’t.” They arrived at 2110 W Grand at 4:30 PM. Complaint filed

LW
9/19/06 Denise spoke to Minnera who explained that she would need any ride changes on Thursdays for the following week. Denise didn’t know the status of LW and asked her opinion on what to do if we wanted a change on Friday. Minnera stated that we could call in every morning and let her know by the next Thursday for subscription to take affect.

9/24/06 at 8 am LW called and scheduled a ride for Monday, 9/25/06 for 9:30 am.

9/25/06 At 9:50 am LW called to check the status of her pick up and they stated that they didn’t have a ride for her. ARTS stated that nobody form 8104 S. Morgan was going to 2110 W. Grand anymore.

9/25/06 Denise talked to Minnera and Minnera confirmed that yes Latoya should be able to call in her own rides this week and Minnera would put her on subscription starting 10/2/06 from 8140 S. Morgan to 2110 W Grand at 8 and 2 pm. Minnera stated she would follow up with ARTS on them telling LW that they weren’t picking anyone up from this address to go to 2110 W Grand.

9/26/06 ARTS stated that no rides were scheduled. Minnera stated that they were in the system and should have been picked up by ARTS.

9/27/06 ARTS stated that no ride was scheduled, but finally showed up at 9:40 AM from an 8:00 AM confirmed with Minnera scheduled pick up. . Afternoon scheduled pick up for 2 pm. Called ARTS at 2:30 to find out the status and they said 15 minutes. Called at 3:00 and Sonya stated that they had lost her ticket and it needed to be resubmitted so she wasn’t sure how long it would take. When I explained that at 2:30 they said someone was 15 minutes away, Sonya accused me of making that time up by saying “…that maybe you are just telling me that is what happened, but it didn’t.” They arrived at 2110 W Grand at 4:30 PM. Complaint filed

DV
9/25/06 DV’s driver went to the wrong coach house. (She stated that she did not go up any stairs or a ramp to ring the bell and DV’s house has a ramp and stairs). They were asked to go back and still had not gone back at 10 am. Denise called CDT to cancel her morning and keep her pm pickup because staff had already left to bring DV. At 2:38 Denise called CDT to check the status of DV’s return rides and CDT stated that DV was a no show this morning and they didn’t have a ride for her this afternoon. David, at CDT, was nice enough to put DV on with a peer when Denise explained that she had called this morning to cancel the am and keep the pm. Debbie should not be a “no show” for this.

RV
9/25/06 RV arrived to the studio at 9:35 from an 8 am pick up. And a call was placed to check the status of a 2 pm pick up at 2:38 pm and CDT stated that it had just been dispatched. Robert was picked up at 2:56 pm. David, at CDT, did confirm that RV should have been picked up between 2 and 2:20.

KS
9/25/06 KS arrived to the studio at 9:35 from an 8 am pick up. A call was placed to check the status of a 2 pm pick up at 2:38 pm and CDT stated that it had just been dispatched. KS was picked up at 2:56 pm. David, at CDT, did confirm that KS should have been picked up between 2 and 2:20.

KM
9/26/06 KM arrived at 2110 W. Grand at 11:30 AM from an 8:30 AM scheduled ride. SCR was the carrier.

9/27/06 KM arrived at 2110 W. Grand at 10:10 from an 8:30 AM scheduled ride.

VC
9/27/06 VC arrived at 2110 W. Grand at 10 AM from an 8:15 AM scheduled ride.

AO
9/27/06 Annette arrived at 2110 W. Grand at 10 AM from an 8:15 scheduled ride.

August 2006

8/01/06 8:00-10:00
Called CDT, complaint line regarding the tardiness of drivers with ARTS, CDT and SCR. I was patched through to Darice Clark.
Contacted Mannera to cancel all transportation for our site on Tues and Wed. due to the heat.
Cancellations went well.

8/03/06 8:00-10:00
The above mentioned cancellations were extended to Thursday for DV (P84342) RV (P85578) and KS (P79901) even after confirmation with Mannera on Monday that these cancellations were only for Tuesday and Wednesday. DV, RV and KS were charged with “no shows”. I spent over an hour working to straighten out the mistake calling back and forth between Mannera and CDT.

8/07/06 8:00-9:00
LW transportation continues to be close to an hour late. Called Darice Clark, Margaret and filed a complaint.

8/08/06 8:00-9:30
KM & CZ continue to be chronically late for their work program. Because of the numerous calls regarding these two individuals, I filed a complaint.
Attempted to confirm a PM pick up for DV, but the line to CDT was busy for 1 hour. Because I couldn’t get through, our program had to provide transportation for DV.

8/09/06 8:00-9:30
Confirmed PM pick up for DV on Thursday with Mannera, Darice Clark and Matt Weinberg. This transportation change was successful.

8/10/06 8:30-9:30
LW and CZ were close to an hour late. When I contacted SCR and ARTS to try to verify that these two individuals were in transit, I was put on hold for 1/2 hr. with each provider. I filed a complaint for their tardiness and the length of time it took someone to verify that they were in transit.
VC, a 76 year old women with severe mental retardation, was almost stranded at PACE station. VC had to yell at the driver not to leave, in turn he was rude to her. Tthis incident was reported to the Complaint Line, Darice Clark, Matt Weinberg, Sally Williams ADA and Sherry at Quality Control.

8/11/06 9:00-9:30
CZ didn’t arrive until 9:55, but had an 8:00am pick-up scheduled.

8/17/06 1:00-2:00
Talked to Sallie Williamson, Sherry Stimage and left message for D. Clark regarding all above mentioned difficulties. LR had a 2:00 pick-up and didn’t arrive home till after 4:20. A complaint was filed for the excessive time spent LR had to spend in the van.

8/21/06 8:00-9:00 & 2:00-3:00
LW called the studio at 8:35 and stated she had not been picked-up. She called ARTS and they said they were running late. They had to dispatch another van and LW didn’t arrive at work till 10:40. LW never received the “permanent driver” that was promised during a 7/19/06 phone conversation.

In the afternoon VC’s 2:00pm ride was late. I called to inquire as to the problem and was told by CDT that she was scheduled for a 3:00pm pick-up. At no time did anyone authorize or schedule a 3:00pm pick-up nor could they tell me who was responsible for the change. VC has had a 2 pm SUBSCRIPTION pick up for two years.
I contacted Mannera Habeel and she stated there were 2 trips scheduled for VC in the computer, but the regular 2 pm trip never showed up. CDT arrived at 3:00 which made VC to late to catch her PACE bus home. I asked the van driver if it was possible to take VC directly home because it was not her fault. He called dispatch and took her directly home.
When I contacted Mannera Habeel to tell her that I had requested a full trip with CDT for VC, she stated there would be an investigation into why they would take VC all the way home. It should be noted that Mannera Habeel was very rude and curt with me while I was trying to assist VC in getting home safely and in a timely manner.

July 2006

7/12/06 8:30-10:00
LW CDT transportation begins at her new address, 8104 S. Morgan. Mannera Habeel assures me it is in the system. ARTS carrier is chronically late every day through August 12th.

KM & CZ who both ride with SCR were more than 1 hour late.

7/16/06 8:00-9:30
LW had a scheduled 8 AM pick up. Contacted carriers, Mannera and complaint line because LW did not arrive until 11:30. Residential provider is concerned about not having staff after 9 am and the overtime they are using to wait for a ride that is subscription scheduled for 8 AM.

7/17/06 8:00-10:00
DV transportation was disrupted. The week prior we requested that her subscription be adjusted so she would not have a scheduled PM pick-up on Tuesdays and Thursdays only. This prompted her to loose service altogether. Mannera stated that all her rides were canceled and not just the requested pick up days. Close to an hour was spent trying to get through to the carrier. While trying to work with the carrier (CDT), they stated that DV’s ID number was incorrect and since they couldn’t find her in there system, they could not assist us. Contacted Mannera again to confirm DV’s ID number. Mannera confirmed our ID’s matched and could not speak to why the carrier would have another number. DV was also charged with a “no show” when the changes were supposed to be in the system per Mannera. Filed a complaint.

7/18/06 8:00-9:30
DV problems again with arranging Thursday AM pick-up and canceling Thurs PM pick-up. The AM drop off was cancelled along with the PM pick up. Contacted Mannera who again confirmed that the subscription on her screen showed DV to have an AM drop off, but no PM pick up on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

LW AM transportation pick up was close to an hour later than scheduled.

7/19/06 8:00-9:30
LW was over an hour late for AM pick up. Called carrier (ARTS), Mannera and filed a complaint.
Quality Assurance staff Cindy and Sherry called to discuss all transportation problems listed above. They stated that they would initiate an investigation into LW transportation problems. They also stated that they would assign a “permanent driver” to LW.

7/20/06 8:00-9:00
Continually tried to contact carrier (SCR) for estimated time of arrival for CZ and KM. When I could not reach anyone I filed a complaint.

7/21/06 8:00-9:00
Contacted Mannera to confirm DV was in the system for AM pick-ups on Tuesday and Thursday and that the PM trips were canceled.
A CDT driver came yesterday (Thursday) and stated that he still had DV on list. Communicated to Mannera my concern that DV would be a “no show” for problems that she did not cause.