Success!
The Elderly and Disabled Transit Advisory Committee voted overwhelmingly in support of the Public Bus Forum yesterday evening!
The proposal that I posted here was e-mailed to the committee members last week, and we had a lively discussion during our meeting last night. I presented the proposal, and fielded questions. When it came down to a vote, two of the nine Committee members abstained, but the other seven voted unanimously.
Some Committee members, thinking that the Forum would be complaint-driven, wanted to get statistics on numbers and types of complaints registered before proceeding. My response was, based on my, and other people’s experience, most people with disabilities either don’t know where to complain to, or won’t complain because they feel that the complaint won’t be addressed. I reminded the Committe that a major problem with the Customer Service department, is that complaints often go unrecorded. I cited my experience upon moving to the District. In my first month here, I lodged more than 30 complaints, yet, Customer Service only had record of 3, and those were instances where I had spoken with street supervisors, or superintendants. It was for this reason that I began keeping a log, and making my complaints directly to supervisors, Metro Central, Metro officials, and the E&D Committee. Therefore, I explained, data based on the number of complaints will be inaccurate. I further explained that the Forum will not be merely complaint-driven, but cover a variety of subjects.
Some Committee members wondered if passengers with disabilities won’t bother to make complaints, what made me think that they would come to a forum? I explained that they would be more likely to come to a forum because Metro officials would be there, and they could make their complaints directly to them and hold them accountable. There would also be training on effective documentation, and the complaint process for those who don’t know how to register a complaint. Also, customers could learn firsthand from Metro about new, and upcoming programs, and present questions, comments, and suggestions to Metro staff and officials.
The lively discussion and debate continued for more than the allotted ten minutes, but when the dust cleared, I was left with the realization that my colleagues had given me the authority to proceed with this momentous task. I thank them for their support and trust.
Now, the really hard work begins!