Disability advocates release 2nd report card this year for Metro Transit's Call-A-Ride, showing little progress (2024)

ST. LOUIS — For the second time this year, STL Metropolitan Alliance for Reliable Transit also known as S.M.A.R.T released a report card for the progress Metro Transit has or has not made for its Call-A-Ride service.

They said it's a way to hold the transportation service accountable for the promises they've made. Disability advocates have been critical of the transportation service for several years including when the service scaled back Call-A-Ride operations in April 2023 due to funding.

Members of S.M.A.R.T and Paraquad, a disability services and support organization, delivered their June report card during this week's St. Louis County Council meeting. Metro Transit's top official Charles Stewart was also there to discuss the progress they feel they have had after listening to what disability advocates have to say.

June's report card reflects the following grades:

Members of S.M.A.R.T note there is some progress. However, there are still things that need to improve including not denying rides to people with disabilities, hiring more drivers, a better reservation system and newer software that allows online reservations with voice recognition.

Members and riders note there has been some slight improvements on the promised schedule of new phone lines, callbacks and changing carriers. Members and riders feel that the contracting of the ADA consultant that Metro adopted this year has been 'shallow and glossed over' in the reports presented to the transportation service based off the problems disabled riders experience.

At times, riders said scheduling by phone is still time-consuming and the system frequently goes down. Robyn Wallen who is a member of S.M.A.R.T and the transportation chair for the Missouri Council for the Blind notes there are issues with drivers not being attentive to their riders' disabilities. Wallen is blind and said her experience can be quite troubling at times, she notes safety is a huge issue on the buses. Numerous members and Call-A-Ride users agree with her.

"The uneven floors, steep ramps and unmarked wheel wells on the new blue vans pose significant tripping hazards. Addressing these issues is essential to ensure a safe and comfortable ride for everyone," Wallen said.

Barbara Sheinbein, another avid Call-A-Ride user who also attended this week's St. Louis County Council meeting. She said her concern is not having an online reservation option.

"We still don't have good time for making reservations, we don't have online reservations yet. We don't have interactive voice recognition and that's important to people with disabilities because they can't physically make the selections for the menu choices [on the phone]. I think we've all heard of places with both options [online or by phone]," Sheinbein.

Metro Transit's Chief Operating Officer, Charles Stewart presented a progress report of his own at the council meeting in regards to Call-A-Ride and other services they offer.

Stewart said starting in the next couple of weeks on June 17th, Metro Transit will add 23 new Call-A-Ride routes in North County, an area where cuts were made in 2023. The transportation service said they'll work to hire more drivers for Call-A-Ride. Currently they have 143 and by November they hope to have 170. Additionally they said they'll continue to work on key issues like denying less rides and updating the reservation window.

Advocates with smart said they'll release their report card on a quarterly basis. Metro Transit plans to have quarterly community engagement event so disability advocates and other community members can ask questions and learn about the progress.

5 On Your Side received this statement from Metro Transit:

“There are several important elements to focus on in parallel with SMART’s report card. Clearly improvement is underway with weekly capacity increasing from 5,000 to nearly 6,500 rides a week. Trip denials are also headed in the right direction, reducing dramatically. However, as reflected in SMART’s report card, there are still opportunities for improvement, and Bi-State Development/Metro Transit is committed to that. Essentially, our goal is zero denials and continuous improvement, but I do want to take the opportunity to thank SMART for their valuable input and the dedication of our employees who are delivering these improvements.” -Charles Stewart, Chief Operating Officer, Metro Transit