Report shows Metro Transit is improving services for people with disabilities

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (First Alert 4) – A disability rights advocacy group recently released its quarterly report card evaluating public transit in the St. Louis area.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Alliance for Reliable Transit (SMART) has released the September Quarterly Report for Metro Transit, the third report issued by the advocacy group for people with disabilities. SMART notes the progress made, but also lists improvements that are still needed.

Many of the problems stemmed from Metro Transit reducing its Call-A-Ride service last year due to a driver shortage.

ADA compliance

March grade: F | June grade: F | September graduation: D-

Get involved in a meaningful way for people with disabilities

March grade: D | June grade: C | September grade: C

Keep promises

March Note: Three Unfinished | June grade: D, incomplete, C-minus | September grade: C, incomplete, not applicable

Customer experience

March grade: D+ | June grade: D+ | September grade: C

“We're really worried right now that if ridership increases, we'll end up back where we were,” said Robyn Wallen, co-founder of SMART. “It's a little slow for what we wanted, but it was such progress. There are still many people who have difficulty getting round trips. There are still a lot of people taking extremely long journeys that are longer than what you should do on a normal bus.”

Metro Transit sent First Alert 4 the following statement from Chief Operating Officer Charles Stewart:

“Metro Call-A-Ride is making steady progress in improving the customer experience. Last week, Call-A-Ride delivered 7,801 rides out of 9,859 rides requested with an ADA denial rate of less than one percent – ​​0.21%. The goal is zero ADA travel denials. Last week's data is representative of our continued progress and indicates significant improvement compared to a week in February 2023, when 4,881 trips were provided out of 11,269 trips requested, representing an ADA denial rate of 45.20%. Aggressively recruiting and training new drivers, making adjustments to the phone system including hiring a new provider, offering mobile fare payments via cell phones, offering SMS options to check trip status or cancel trips are just some of the measures that have been implemented in the last six months. A new dispatching and reservation software program is expected to launch by the end of the year and will make the travel planning process easier for customers.

Our commitment to increasing engagement with our customers (drivers, employers and service providers) at all levels of our organization is unwavering. Our leadership team is actively involved in our work to listen, hear and respond to these customers through a variety of venues, including Community Connect, one-on-one and small group meetings, and with our evolving Customer Advisory Group.”

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