| Minutes: | 
Joint Sunset Committee
Wednesday, April 5, 2006, 5:30
House Chamber, Legislative Hall, Dover, Delaware
Public Hearing: Delaware Transit Corporation
Minutes ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Joint Sunset Committee and Staff: Sen. Marshall, Co-Chair; Rep. Oberle, Co-Chair; Sen. Bonini; Sen. Bunting; Sen. Copeland; Sen. Sokola; Rep Hudson; Rep. Mulrooney; Rep. Valihura; Debbie Puzzo, JSC staff; Battle Robinson, House Attorney; and Marlynn Hedgecock, Legislative Council staff.
Absent: Rep. Viola
Public in attendance: Carolann Wicks, Secretary, DelDOT; Stephen Kingsberry, Executive Director, Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC); Al Hillis, Sr., DTC; Joe Houghman, DTC; James Woodruff, DTC; Renee Pugh, DTC; Kenn Pits, DTC; Margaret Failing, DTC; John McGinnins, DTC; Harold Clay, Jr., DTC; Jennifer Cohan, Controller General’s Office; Joseph Poli, Jr., ATU Local 842; Armond D. Walden, ATU Local 842; Anna McLaughlin, ATU Local 842; Cathy Hutson, ATU Local 842; Andy Longacre, ATU Local 842; Leslie Logullo, ATU Local 842; Donald F. O’Bier, ATU Local 842; Luther Wynder, DART; Beth Miller, News Journal; Pat Engelhardt; Karen Gallagher; Lloyd Schmitz, EDTAC; Kat Schmitz, EDTAC; Bill McCafferty, EDTAC; Meg Myers, Freedom Center for Independent Living; Jamie Wolfe; Tina Fields; Rita Marocco, NAMI-DE; Pat Maichle, DDC/self; Al Rose, DDC/self; Kyle Hodges, State Council for Persons with Disabilities.
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Agenda:
I. Overview of the Sunset Process
II. Opening Comments by Agency Officials
III. Questions and Answers
IV. Public Comments
V. Concluding Remarks/Next Steps
VI. Adjournment
Rep. Oberle called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm and introduced the members and staff of the Joint Sunset Committee (JSC).
I. Overview of the Sunset Process
Rep. Oberle stated that this public hearing will begin with opening comments by officials of Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC). Rep. Oberle asked that the officials address DTC’s mission and key responsibilities, current and future challenges, response to the JSC draft report, and any other relevant information pertinent to this review. He also asked that they try to limit their comments to 10 -15 minutes.
Rep. Oberle explained that after the agency officials have finished their presentation, the JSC members will ask questions and the hearing will then be opened for public comment.
Rep. Oberle asked that each person who testifies to try to restrict their comments to 5 minutes due to the fact that there is prearranged transportation, and time frames to meet.
II. Opening Comments by Agency Officials
Mr. Kingsberry, Executive Director of DTC made the following statements:
TO: CO-CHAIR, ROBERT MARSHALL AND CO-CHAIR WILLIAM OBERLE
MEMBERS OF THE SUNSET COMMITTEE
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, VISITORS AND FRIENDS
GOOD EVENING: THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAR BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE.
I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN WITH A LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DELAWARE TRANSIT CORPORATION.
DTC IS ONE OF THREE STATEWIDE TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. WE OPERATE IN ALL THREE COUNTIES OF DELAWARE. WE OPERATE FIXED-ROUTE SERVICE, PARATRANSIT SERVICE, RAIL SERVICE, RIDESHARE, SCHOOLPOOL AND SUPPLEMENT SCAT.
WE OPERATE 207 FIXED ROUTE BUSES, 200 PARATRANSIT BUSES, COVERING 69 ROUTES. WE USE 41 PARK AND RIDE LOTS - 2,800 BUS STOPS WITH MAJOR HUBS IN WILMINGTON, CHRISTIANA MALL, DOVER, GEORGETOWN AND REHOBOTH BEACH.
OUR RIDERSHIP IS ALMOST 10 MILLION TRIPS PER YEAR. IN FY’06 WE INCREASED RIDERHIP BY 8% - WITH A NATIONAL AVERAGE OF 4%. SIGNIFICANT RIDERSHIP INCREASES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
NEW CASTLE 7%
KENT 15%
SUSSEX3%
RAIL 20%
RESORT 36%
MIDDLETOWN 37%
PARATRANSIT 20%
THESE ARE EXTRAORDINARY RIDERSHIP INCREASES. THESE INCREASES ARE THE HIGHEST IN THE HISTORY OF DTC.
PARATRANSIT: PARATRANSIT SERVICE IS NOW UP TO 3,500 TRIPS PER DAY. WE EXPECT TO MAKE ALMOST 800,000 TRIPS THIS YEAR. THAT’S A TRIP FOR EVERY CITIZEN OF DELAWARE. PARATRANST SERVICE IN DELAWARE IS MORE EXTENSIVE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY. MOST STATES ONLY COVER THE MINIMUM ADA MANDATE; HOWEVER DTC WILL TAKE CUSTOMERS FROM ANYWHERE TO ANYWHERE IN THE ENTIRE STATE. THE SERVICE IS ALSO USED BY SENIORS (60 AND ABOVE).
YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT THE PROJECTIONS FOR POPULATION IN DELAWARE HAS GROWTH UP 180% IN THE NEXT 25 YEARS. DELAWARE IS A GREAT PLACE TO RETIRE. THE BABY BOOMERS WILL RETIRE. TODAY EACH COUNTY IS GROWING AT 100 MORE TRIPS PER DAY.
RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ALL FIXED ROUTE BUSES ARE WHEEL CHAIR ACCESSIBLE.
ALL FIXED ROUTE BUSES HAVE BIKE RACKS OR BIKE COMPARTMENTS
90% OF PARATRANSIT VEHICLES HAVE NEW PASSENGER RESTRAINTS SYSTEMS
ALL ACME STORES IN DELAWARE SELL DARTCARDS
DARTCARDS CAN BE PURCHASED ON THE DTC WEB SITE
RECEIVED A “UNITED WE RIDE” FEDERAL GRANT TO COORDINATE SERVCIE WITH OTHER TRANSIT PROVIDERS
WTW PROGRAM – PARTNERING WITH DSS, DHA, TMA BUSINESSES WE ESTABLISHED THE NIGHT OWL SERVICE (OPERATE AT NIGHT AFTER OUR SERVCIE ENDS ON SATURDAY AND ON SUNDAYS). ALSO OPERATE SHUTTLES PROVIDING SERVICE WHERE THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE TO OPERATE A REGULAR BUS ROUTE: DELMAR/SEAFORD SHUTTLE, HARRINGTON SHUTTLE, ROUTE 65 NEWARK SERVICE.
SENIOR SERVICE: TO MEET THE EVER INCREASING NEEDS OF SENIORS WE HAVE GIVEN AWAY OVER 100 FREE VEHICLES TO CHURCHES AND NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS STATEWIDE. THESE VEHICLES PROVIDE THREE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND TRIPS PER YEAR. SENIORS ARE ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING POPULATIONS IN DELAWARE.
PUBLIC OUTREACH: DTC HAS STARTED MANY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO INVOLVE THE PUBLIC IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS: EDTAC – BIMONTHLY, COMMUNITY LEADERS COMMITTEE – QUARTERLY, SUSSEX COUNTY WORKING GROUP – QUARTERLY. WE ARE ON THE BOARDS OF WILMAPCO, KENT/DOVER MPO, GOVERNOR’S COUNCIL FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UNITED CEREBRAL PALSEY, CHRISTINA CULTURAL ARTS CENTER, DOWNTOWN VISIONS, AND TMA OF DELAWARE.
LONG RANGE PLAN: I BROUGHT FOR YOU TODAY COPIES OF OUR LONG RANGE PLAN WHICH INCLUDES: SUNDAY SERVICE, RAIL TO DOVER, A BEACH BOAT, TRIP PLANNING ON THE WEB, AND OTHER EXCITING NEW ACTIVITIES IN TRANSIT. WE PARTNERED WITH ALL THREE COUNTIES, STATE, LOCAL, BUSINESS COMMUNITY, MPO’S, TMA’S, CHURCHES AND EVERYONE ELSE TO CREATE THIS DOCUMENT. I PERSONALLY HELD 50 MEETINGS. IT OUTLINES OUR MISSION AND VISION AND THE DESIRES OF THE STAKEHOLDERS OF DELAWARE.
THE MISSION OF DTC IS TO PROVIDE THE HIGHEST QUALITY PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM, THAT SATISFIES THE NEEDS OF THE CUSTOMER AND THE COMMUNITY.
OUR VISION IS TO BE THE PREMIER TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, WITH ACCESSIBLE FACILITIES AND INTERCONNECTED SERVICES, INCORPORATING STATE –OF –THE ART TECHNOLOGIES AND TECHNIQUES. OUR WELL-TRAINED STAFF, USING COMMUNICATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS WILL ENABLE US TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO THEIR DESTINATIONS IN AN AFFORDABLE, SAFE AND EFFICIENT MANNER.
Rep. Valihura said that he was very pleased to hear that DTC staff was very cooperative in the review process. He stated it is very important to impress upon all those who come before the JSC that cooperation is always the best way to handle a Sunset review, as that makes the whole process go a lot easier, and it also lets the Committee know you have nothing to hide.
Rep. Valihura stated that one thing he looks at during a review is the structure, how the entity is set up, and whether it is set up to function in the best way. He said what he sees here is sort of vestiges of maybe an Authority that was out there, that has somehow been brought in, but not all the way in – it is called the Delaware Transit Corporation. Rep. Valihura said he is a Corporate Lawyer. He suggested having a discussion about why DTC is structured thE way it is, and is there a better structure for this within DELDOT or perhaps it should be restructured as an Authority. Rep. Valihura stated that the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) runs separately, as does the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA).
Rep. Oberle asked Mr. Kingsberry for his perspective on the “co-mingled” personnel department, as well as any co-mingling of any funds that might have taken place between those generated by DTC that may have ended up at DELDOT. Rep. Oberle commented that he is aware that all this precedes Secretary Wicks.
Rep. Oberle also asked Mr. Kingsberry to address where DTC is in terms of bringing on board an internal auditor.
Mr. Kingsberry addressed Rep. Valihura’s question - Should DTC be a separate Authority? He said he worked in other transit systems in New Jersey, and also in New York. Each one operated differently. Some are separate Authorities, like New Jersey, but they function similar to Delaware. They partner with the Department of Transportation. Mr. Kingsberry said the challenge is that DTC is a relatively new organization, and can change with time. He said reviewing and reorganizing is part of the process and maturity of an organization.
Rep. Valihura said, “Is it a corporation - but within DELDOT?” If so, that doesn't make any sense. Rep. Valihura stated that he can’t come to any logical methodolOgy how you can have a corporation working for a government entity. He stated that the last time the JSC reviewed something like this (Delaware Schools Athletic Association) the JSC sunset it because the Committee couldn't figure out whether they were a state agency, or whether they were a group of folks who got together that had money. The state was holding that money for them, but they were operating outside of state control.
Rep. Valihura said it is that type of dichotomy that he is having a hard time understanding. He commented that maybe the best thing that will come out of this review from the structural standpoint is that the focus will be on what the structure should be.
Rep. Oberle said he concurs completely with what Representative Valihura said. He stated that DTC is a hybrid creature. Rep. Oberle said the Committee is looking for is some recommendations from the Secretary and Mr. Kingsberry in terms of a path forward. Rep. Oberle stated he has some great difficulty when this hybrid lends itself to certain activities that he would not consider to be healthy. He stated that there is a big plus when there is an independent Authority, both from a fiscal standpoint, and from an operational standpoint.
Rep. Oberle stated that there have been allegations made about past financial dealings between DTC and DELDOT internally, and that raises the question of the need for an independent Authority with independent control. Rep. Oberle stated that he is less concerned about these issues now that there has been a change of guard at DELDOT.
Rep. Valihura said he agrees with Rep. Oberle. He stated that he is not even sure what this animal is that the JSC is talking about. It is a Division of, but a separate Corporation. It has had this history with an Authority, and back and forth,– but if it is just another department within State government, then the one pocket to another is just a difference of which budget line it comes out of. But if it is a separate Authority, then he has a concern about money transferring and not going into the right place.
Rep. Valihura stated that DTC has some employees that are being paid out of DELDOT's budget, not DTC’s budget. He stated that he is not concerned about those things from a standpoint of overall government services getting rendered, but rather he is concerned about the confusion about what it is that we are talking about. Rep. Valihura would like to come up with what it is that this organization is. “Is it just another arm of government, and let's just call it another division period without saying, DTC, and you can have a branding name. DART is a great branding name. A lot of money has been invested in the name DART and it is well known throughout the State.”
Sen. Bunting said he is aware that Mr. Kingsberry probably wasn’t prepared for the structure questions at this meeting. The Senator stated that the DRBA and DSWA have the ability to generate money as they can sell bonds, etc, and are self supporting entities. Sen. Bunting asked Mr. Kingsberry about the structure of other public transportation Authorities with which he has worked. How do they operate from a cost perspective; do they receive allocations from the State; and are they trying to recoop it in fee and federal moneys?
Mr. Kingsberry said that no transit system in the country makes money, actually they all lose money. In New Jersey, the State gives money to pay for the service and the Authority has the ability to bond.
Sen. Bunting said that an Authority generally has a board, almost like a bank, and they essentially run the operation. Sen. Bunting said it would be interesting to know from where the money does flow in DelDOT to the DTC and so forth. Sen. Bunting suggested discussing the financial issues further at the next meeting.
Rep. Valihura said Sen. Bunting is absolutely correct with respect to the funding mechanism. Rep. Valihura said as Mr. Kingsberry mentioned, no transit authority makes money, so there are always subsidies, but there is a need to better define the entity. “Is it an Authority like SEPTA, or AMTRACK, which is a separate corporation that gets money from the federal government? They are run separately and have a board.” Rep. Valihura stated that he is not sure whether or not this is the right way for DTC to proceed.
Rep. Valihura said perhaps Delaware is doing it the right way but there needs to be a little bit more fine-tuning within DELDOT on how to address this process. Rep. Valihura asked Mr. Kingsberry and the Secretary to review this issue and come before the JSC and say, “We like what we are doing. We like where we are. Maybe we need to…or maybe come back and say, the Authority might be the right way to go”
Rep. Oberle commented that when creating the DTC, the legislature may have asked DTC to fulfill a mission without the independent Authority that it may need to fulfill that mission. The Committee is not being critical, it is asking for input about whether there a better model that perhaps this Committee take a look at that would result in better service to the customers here in the State of Delaware.
Mr. Kingsberry said he was not prepared to answer these questions today. He and the Secretary will address these issues at the next meeting.
Rep. Oberle asked Mr. Kingsberry to address the Points for Consideration included in the Draft Report.
Points for Consideration from the Draft Report are indicated in bold. DTC’s response is indicated in italic type.
1. DTC does fall within the definition of “agency” pursuant to the APA. (Administrative Procedures Act)
We follow most of it, with an exception in Title 2, Chapter 13 section 28 of the Delaware Code. The challenge of APA is, if DTC needs to change a bus schedule time by 3 minutes, there must be a 6 month public hearing process and that would not serve the public well. So this law gives DTC the ability to make certain changes without APA. DTC does go through the public hearing process for major changes.
2. The lack of Sunday bus service has been a source of statewide interest and concern
DTC recognizes the interest, concern, and need for Sunday service. It is in DTC’s long range plan. DTC supports the increase transit in Delaware in general, and this is part of a bigger discussion about service expansion.
Rep. Valihura stated that several years ago, he was part of a state-wide effort, and served on the Commission on Community-Based Services for those with Disabilities. He had the pleasure of seeing the Paratransit operation. Rep. Valihura also had the opportunity to ride one of DTC’s Paratransit cross-county busses. Everyone was pleasant but there were some issues.
Rep. Valihura said that Sunday service really is at the heart of the disabilities community and their needs. He added it is important not only for the disabilities community, but for the folks at large who need bus service - for church and shopping. Rep. Valihura asked what is being done other than putting in a plan to bring about a Sunday service for both Paratransit and the public at large.
Mr. Kingsberry said DTC has surveyed the churches, the business community regarding needs. DTC has developed a plan for Sunday service. About 4 years ago, DTC had agreement from the county and the City of Wilmington to provide Sunday service. They were paying for most of it, and the money fell through. There is a plan and DTC has met with a constituent base to determine where the need is. There are three separate markets - personal/recreational, business/employment, and the church market –with 3 separate, different routes.
Rep. Valihura stated that he is hearing the reason Sunday service is not happening is money. He asked whether DTC has made this a priority in the Governor's budget?
Mr. Kingsberry replied that DTC has made it a priority in the Governor’s budget.
Rep. Valihura said it has never gotten through JFC, and it has not gotten into DTC’s annual budget, nor has it been approved by the Governor.
Rep. Valihura asked about the cost
Mr. Kingsberry said the net cost is $6 million state-wide for both Paratransit and fixed route.
Secretary Wicks said, “[I]t comes down to choices of how you solve your transportation problems, and talking with Stephen and trying to think about how do we come at these issues, I think it has to be a part of our long term debate about transportation and how we solve that for the state, because it is still the same size pie. We have to figure out, do we increase that size to be able to do more of these services, and solve our customers needs. So it is still coming from the trust fund. We are subsidizing – the trust fund is subsidizing … DART, and the services. So, the $6 million would come from some other part of the program.”
Rep. Oberle stated that by the very nature of how DTC is established, it has to come from the trust fund.
The fact that it comes from the trust fund, probably makes it more difficult to garner those funds, given the very nature of the state that the trust fund is in. Rep. Oberle said one of his interests is looking at a more independent Authority, perhaps, with bonding authority, where the subsidy would be through general fund dollars and not the transportation trust fund. He suggested that the Secretary and Mr. Kingsberry consider this for future model.
Rep. Bunting agreed with Rep. Oberle. The Senator stated that the trust fund is at this point in time competing with so many other entities. Sen. Bunting said that he many road work on hold in his district, as well as development after development coming in. He stated he doesn’t think it is fair, because it is inevitable that public transportation is going to suffer as a result.
Sen. Marshall said that he has had the opportunity to work directly with Mr. Kinsgberry from time to time on public transportation issues regarding bus service throughout the 3rd Senatorial District in the City of Wilmington, New Castle County, and he would like to state publicly that he has always found Mr. Kingsberry to be trustworthy, follow the highest professional standards, and provide services that we can discuss and you can later determine to be needed.
Sen. Marshall said one area of concern is the issue of Sunday bus service. “We look today from a practical standpoint, the cost of gasoline for a motor vehicle, the cost of insurance for the average worker and family, and there is a growing demand for a more effective, and more efficient public transportation in Delaware statewide. In Wilmington, I know there are many families and workers who look to and hope that Sunday service could be implemented someday. Overall, you probably do the best job that you can do with the funding and the resources available, but I think the state needs to step up to the plate and do a lot more in the area of public transportation.”
Sen. Marshall commented that another area of concern is the disabled. There is a need to improve the quality and dependability of the transportation system. He said he knows that DTC is doing the best it can with the resources available, but this Committee's charge is to look at improvements.
Rep. Oberle said that due to time restrictions, as well as the transportation schedules, the Committee will start the public comment portion of the hearing, thus deferring further comments by DTC officials and questions from JSC members until the next public hearing on April 27, 2006.
IV. Public Comments
Karen Gallagher. Ms. Gallagher’s written comments were read by Pat Engelhardt.
My name is Karen Gallagher. I am a wheelchair user and I primarily depend on DART Paratransit for getting around. I am an advocate for many organizations such as the Developmental Disabilities Council, Delaware Nursing Home Quality Assurance and Partners in Policy Making, but today I am speaking for myself, not as a representative of any of these organizations. I have been riding DART on a regular basis since 1990 and would like to express my concerns and so often my frustration in using the service.
My main concern with DART is their inefficiency of scheduling which causes me to be late for a lot of my meetings and appointments. I feel that there is a lack of concern that I don't have anything to do because I have a disability, therefore they can be as late or keep me on the bus for long periods of time. Even though what I do is mostly volunteer, I still treat my commitments as if they were paid positions and I don't think that DART administration would like it if they were late for work on a regular basis.
My second concern is safety while riding the buses. Within the past 6 months to a year, there have been situations where I have felt scared to ride because of the speed that some of the drivers go. They either drive fast or hit the brakes and the gas hard, so hard that I feel like I'm going to come out of my chair even with my chairs seatbelt and DART's required belts around me. I have limited if no balance control and am unable to catch myself if my body move. This feeling is with my power chair and even more so in my manual chair that I sometimes use. With the force of their speed hitting the brake or gas with my weight in the manual chair it could tip over my wheelchair. When I made a complaint through customer service about the speeding I was told to tell the drivers directly to slow down. But sometimes some of the drivers don't listen to me. Rather they talk to the person that I'm with or ignore us both completely. I have a log of documentation of times when some of the drivers have been speeding and I can make it available to you if requested. I understand there is not monitoring for DART Paratransit as there is for the fixed route buses. The riders have to do what we can.
In addition, there is the inability to make same day reservations. An issue came up during the summer where I needed to go to the doctor that day, but because of the no same day reservation rule, I couldn't go until the next day. That caused me to have to suffer through an entire day before getting to the doctor to get relief. This also makes it impossible for Paratransit users to do anything spur of the moment. Also, if I am at a meeting and the rest of the group decides to go out to lunch I am unable to join them because I can't change the pick up location or time.
Fourth, people are not able to do same day changes. A prime example of this is that I had a reservation to visit my father at the Veterans Hospital. The morning that I was to go he was transferred to Saint Francis Hospital. Since I didn't know the day before that he was going to be transferred I was not able to be with him and my family the day before he passed away even after explaining the situation to reservations. This has been my driving force to continue fighting for same day changes. Also, if any of the Paratransit riders have two meetings or appointments scheduled back to back and on the day involved one of
them is canceled, because we cannot make same day changes both trips have to be canceled. We cannot change the pickup or drop off locations.
The final thing that I would like to bring to your attention is the limited times for transfers from county to county. Because of having to work my meetings around DART's schedule there are days that I have spent 10 - 12 hours away from home and in the same Attends (adult diapers), there are very few places for changing adults. Take for example last summer, I had to be in Dover for Federal interviews from one o'clock until 4 o'clock. In order to be on time I had to leave my home at 9 o'clock in the morning and have a return pickup of 5:30, I didn't get home until 7:30 that evening.
Thank [you] for your time and attention on these matters. I hope that we can work together to make transportation better for all riders.
Rep. Oberle said that he thinks the Committee is aware of some of the shortcomings, and as such, the Committee will be working in a cooperative way with officials to try to alleviate some of those problems as it moves forward.
Rep. Valihura asked Ms. Gallagher to provide the log of those speeding bus drivers. He asked Ms. Gallagher to make one copy of a portion of the log that he can take to DTC and get a response to some of her concerns.
Lloyd Schmitz. Mr. Schmitz’s written comments were read by Debbie Puzzo.
I would like to thank the members of the Joint Sunset committee for the opportunity to speak today. I am the chairperson for the Elderly & Disabled Transit Advisory Committee (EDT AC).
While I understand that DTC has many challenges, I also realize that they have some problems. Some of their challenges are funding related, and others are self induced. It is my opinion that some of the challenges and problems that DTC endures are due to the reluctance to make changes necessary to improve service and quality standards.
The EDTAC has identified some issues and has thrown some "seeds of thought" solutions for DTC to consider. We are in the process of developing sub-committees within our committee to address several items and areas of concern productively. We also realize that customers that schedule trips (transportation), and do not keep them without a cancellation and cause a "no show" are a waste of money and resources, and we are in the process of developing a "no show" policy to address this issue.
Scheduling & Reservations
It is a fact that reservations and Scheduling are two critical parts of a riders (tax payers) experience on a paratransit bus. It directly effects the quality and "on time performance" of the riders ability to get to work, medical appointments, dialysis, and personal obligations and needs in a timely fashion. If a rider does not arrive at the destination "on time", it stands to reason that they may not be ready for their return trip when it was originally scheduled, thus causing DTC to send another bus to provide the return trip, thus another waste of resources and money.
Perhaps DTC can adjust the working hours of Schedulers or reservations staff to improve the quality of work, so as not to increase the funding requirements (reservations are taken from 8:00 - 4:30). Schedulers may need to work after 4:30 to insure that all reserved trips are taken into consideration in preparing of routes, and thus decreasing the number of un-scheduled trips on the day of service and creating mandatory overtime for drivers, thus saving resources and money.
Rider and Public Safety
DTC (DART) has drivers on the road for more than sixteen (16) hours a day for several days which does not allow for eight (8) hours off between shifts. Although DTC has said many times in the past that the drivers volunteer for such hours, and that DTC has a policy which does not allow for an operator to drive without eight (8) hours off between shifts, this is still occurring with "list and fixed route drivers" that transport paratransit customers.
Perhaps this rider and public safety issue can finally be resolved after many years, to insure that drivers, riders, Delaware residents, and tourists are safe on our highways.
Kent County paratransit service
The residents of Kent County that utilize the paratransit service have been introduced to a system of transfer (hubs) points throughout the county. These transfers add an additional half hour travel time to arrive to their final destination. The travel time under this NEW system is one and one half hours (1 1/2 hours) each way, or a total of three hours (3 hours) for a round trip. Residents in New Castle and Sussex counties travel one hour (1 hour) each way, or a total of two hours (2 hours) for a round trip to arrive to their destination which must allow a minimum of one hour before they return home
The on-time performance percentage is not significantly improved in Kent County over the other two counties, even though riders ride an additional fifty percent (50%) longer than residents of New Castle and Sussex counties.
Perhaps the transfer (hubs) points can be discontinued, or the on-time performance can be greatly improved to justify the additional travel time for Kent County residents.
Fare Increases
The EDTAC has recommended a five (5%) fare increase for paratransit riders across the board. The Governors sub-Commission on transportation also recommended an increase of five (5%) for paratransit riders.
When considering an increase in fares for paratransit service, it is important to remember:
· New Castle County has approximately fifty-four (54) routes on the fixed route service that serve the northern sections of the county.
· Kent County has approximately eleven (11) routes on the fixed route service that serve the greater Dover area, and do not serve the outlying areas of the county.
· Sussex County has only two (2) routes on the fixed route service that serve residents of the county.
Although the two (2) intercounty routes serve all counties they are not counted in the above list of service.
· Over 95% of riders in Sussex County would be considered to be further than 3/4 mile from a fixed route stop and
· Over 90% of Kent County riders would be considered to be more than 3/4 mile from a fixed route stop and
· Probably only 10% of riders in New Castle County would be considered to be more than 3/4 mile from fixed route stop.
The lower two counties of Delaware would be adversely effected proportionately with a fare structure that took into consideration the availability of a fixed route stop.
Perhaps to resolve this issue, we should either increase fixed route service to serve the residents of the two lower counties, or keep the fare equal for all riders.
Weekend and Sunday service
As you are already aware, the lower 2 counties of the state do not have Saturday fixed route service (except during the resort summer season in Sussex county (route 206)), and there is no public transportation service for anyone statewide on Sunday (except for summer resort service).
I know that residents and visitors have a desire for public transportation on the weekend to go to the grocery, mall, outlets, and other stores which are all open on weekends. Many individuals have expressed a desire to go to worship services and visit with family members that they do not have time to visit during the week.
With our economy depending on the service and banking industry which operates seven days a week, public transportation is a necessary and critical service that residents need and depend on for gainful employment necessary to lead productive lives.
We know that this service would be utilized by Delaware residents, because in the summer, in the southeastern part of the state, buses run 7 days a week. I was so impressed with the ridership in the early summer of 2005, I sent Mr. Kingsberry an e-mail to report that "the bus is full".
Bill McCafferty. Mr. McCafferty stated that in addition to Mr. Schmitz and Karen's comments, he would like to add the following:
I have been a rider for the last 18 years. I have seen a lot of Paratransit changes, a lot of through-changes. They are not any better. DTC transporting us across county lines, is cumbersome at best. You may need to rebuild the whole entire structure. …for us to get weekend service as well as during the week service…on time performance. Case in point, this afternoon's trip – getting here. There was a driver who had 4 people on from Seaford, going to Greenwood. The bus was interrupted, and I was told… …driver out of the county, and …who had to wait for that bus to come back in to the county, to pick up…route…was interrupted, so people had to wait so he could get me here. DTC…has always been reactionary to the growth of the state. Sussex County has seen a 13% growth in the last 5 years. If…another 10% in the next 10 for the Sussex County Council. And that, I wonder if Mr. Kingsberry, what his plans are is to…growth and provide transportation to us…may be able to go to church on Sunday, or Saturday, and to businesses, and go to work, and be productive in our communities, as we would like to be. I've heard – I feel that DTC is not being a part of DELDOT, needs to stand on its own. I was involved in that issue with DAS when it became…was the current administrator, before DAS became a part of DART, and a whole source of that was, for funding issues, so that Paratransit service would be able to get more money out of the pot to function. And at the same time that that happened, we were also…started…service in Sussex County – limited, 8:00 to 4:30. So that is how far back that goes. My question I guess to DTC would be, simply, where are we going in the future and what can this committee do to ensure that Delawareans get a better transportation service. Thank you for listening to my comments.
Rep. Valihura stated that one of the concerns brought up this evening was not being able to call in for reservations after 4:30.
Mr. Kingsberry stated that riders can call in now and cancel a trip Monday – Friday until 11:00 pm. Mr. Kingsberry commented that reservations end at 4:30. With the current computer system, there needs to be an end at some point so that they can begin to prepare the data for the next day. Mr. Kingsberry said DTC’s long term plan for “real time service” would alleviate these problems.
Rep. Valihura asked about the cost for that service.
Mr. Kingsberry replied that DTC would have to perfect the real time computerized system to make it work for all three counties. That is a computer nightmare.
Rep. Valihura suggested that DTC create 4 systems, one for each county, and then one for statewide system to avoid that cross-county bus. Rep. Valihura said the connector bus is not necessarily a wonderful experience for the rider in that they have to wait to be picked up, they have to wait at the Smyrna Rest Stop, and then they have to wait for the folks who are also on the bus going to wherever they are. Rep. Valihura stated that he can understand riders’ frustration with this process. Rep. Valihura suggested perhaps it is time to start thinking about throwing it out and starting from the ground up.
Sen. Marshall referenced Ms. Gallagher’s previous comment. “She sited an example at the end of her testimony about a transportation issue and a number of hours involved between Wilmington and Dover. I have the honor of serving with Ms. Gallagher on the Nursing Home Quality Assurance Commission, and we usually meet in New Castle County, just outside the city of Wilmington on the Health and Social Services Campus – the Holloway Campus. I want to describe and share with you an example of a breakdown in the system for providing for a disabled person. The Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. Ms. Gallagher arrived on time for the Commission meeting. It ended early. Usually it would end at noon, and at 11:30 a.m. There was a total breakdown in the system where she was not picked up that day, I believe, until nearly 5:00 p.m. Now… that indicates to me … that is one incident and there were good reasons why that breakdown occurred. But if that is chronic, and we just happen to know about it because she serves in a volunteer capacity on a Commission, then, I would like you to go back and look at that particular [situation]. If we could get that from Ms. Gallagher, as far as the date of that commission meeting. If you [Mr. Kingsberry] could track it for the Committee as to why that happened. And then if you [Mr. Kingsberry] could go back and look and see if the same kind of pattern exists with other disabled, or other senior riders of the system to see if there could be some room for improvement.”
Mr. Kingsberry said that he remembered that trip. He stated, “Actually, Karen – I am on about 10 boards, and Karen is on about 5 of the boards that I am on, and she beats me to some of the meetings that I have to go to. But I remember that day's trip. I did look that up. The challenge of the trip was, like what you said – it ended early. So, she needed a same day change. That is the challenge. We are not built for the same day trips or changes, and that is what happened. You know, her original trip got lost because they changed it to a different time, and that was the mix-up for that day. We did apologize to Karen. I talked to her about it before. But that is the challenge. Now, most people don't make same day trips. Actually, we don't allow it. But what you said is, if you schedule a trip to be picked up at 2:30 p.m., and your meeting ends early, you want to go home, and we will try to accommodate. We don't publish that. We don't do same day, but actually, Lloyd, I remember seeing him at DELDOT, and he needed a same day trip, and we were able to accommodate, so we do that routinely, but we don't – it is not a system. We don't have a system geared towards that. That is why we don't publish that we do that. But in that case, we messed up completely because we tried to accommodate, but the system failed.”
Sen. Marshall asked if there is a telephone number that a person can call if there is a crisis or an unusual circumstance.
Mr. Kingsberry replied “yes.” He stated that DTC has a person that handles customer service issues.
He stated “Karen's trip prompted many changes. Actually, one of Karen's requests after that trip, was that we extend the hours of the reservation service – the people. We used to end at 10:30 before her trip. She wrote me a letter, we talked about it, and we extended the hours of the reservation department as a result of Karen's input. She is the one who got that – got us to make that change.”
Rep. Valihura made reference to the very unfortunate situation up in Brandywine Hundred where the rider was left and not picked up. He stated that it was appalling that it happened. He did however commend Ms. Kingsberry for his personal involvement in trying to say, “We are sorry.” Rep. Valihura stated that that is exactly what he wants to see from a public official – someone going and saying, “we screwed up, and we are making changes to avoid that happening again.”
Mr. Kingsberry stated DTC made changes in the system as a result of that incident. Rep. Oberle asked Mr. Kingsberry to provide a copy of that policy to JSC staff prior to hearing on April 27th.
Rep. Valihura said a cell phone is a lifeline and is absolutely critical to this population. Rep. Valihura asked if there is any mandatory requirement that a customer come on with a cell phone. He stated, “We've got to be looking at something to make sure that these folks have a cell phone with them when they get off the Paratransit bus, so in case something happens, they can communicate in some manner, with somebody, about where they are.” Rep. Valihura stated that he is not sure how to do that but he will discuss this issue with various councils to see what can be done. Rep. Valihura stated that this issue shouldn't necessarily fall on DTC.
Meg Myers. Meg Myers read the following statement:
Joint Sunset Committee Members, ladies and gentlemen, I work for the Freedom Center for Independent Living. We are people with disabilities helping people with disabilities. Many of our consumers use DART Para Transit. I have heard mixed reviews of the service.
Our greatest concern is that consumers cannot leave the (visual) site of the Operators while waiting for a connector bus. I understand that there is an issue with insurance and that DART Para Transit is legally responsible for riders; however, people who are on medications that are necessary for them to lead healthy and independent lives sometimes have to use the restroom. This is not conditional.
I know that the Elderly and Disabled Transit Advisory Committee are investigating this, also. We, at the Freedom Center, ask you to help solve this problem so people with disabilities lead independent lives, as is their civil right.
Thank you.
Ms. Myers also commented that she “understands from several members on EDTAC that this is a nationwide issue, and that several transit authorities, or transit systems have been sued just by somebody going from the bus to the door. However, this is really a personal hygiene issue, not only a civil rights issue. It can go from someone just needing to go to the bathroom, to being absolutely humiliated. So that was basically – and also, I'd like to piggyback on what Karen said. The regularity of the time from what our consumers have told us is an issue. They have to schedule two hours here and there. It should only be a half an hour from what I've been told.”
Jamie Wolfe (Text inserted below in parenthesis is added text to Ms. Wolfe's submitted letter. Please note that the tape didn't pick up all of Ms. Wolfe’s expressed thoughts.)
Good evening, I want to begin by thanking the members of the committee for not only examining the issues individuals face while using the state's transit system, but accommodating the disability constituency at such great lengths. Representative Oberle, Senator Marshall, and Debbie Puzzo have spent countless hours on phone calls and emails with DART representatives to assure individuals are able to attend this hearing and utilize the transit system. The committee consulted with an Administrator of a state advocacy organization to identify an accessible location for the New Castle County hearing so individuals with mobility disabilities could fully participate. Our community needs to commend the Joint Sunset Committee in their efforts to hear our concerns, fears, and dreams.
I would like to speak with you today about one specific issue. The Developmental Disabilities Council recommended (about a year ago) establishing an impartial task force (review committee) to advise the Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) on issues dealing with public transit. The response from the Governor's office informed the Council this is the role of the Elderly and Disabled Transit Advisory Committee; therefore, this task force is not needed. The EDT AC is not impartial, however, because the Director of DTC is an ex-officio member. There has been several issues expressed this evening as well as through the years with DTC, particularly in the areas of paratransit. (We had a federal representative…DTC council about 2 years ago, come to one of our meetings. He was sitting at a file cabinet and he was reading…newsletter in the late '70's about transportation. We were bringing up issues. This was 2 or 3 years ago. The same issues still existed. When people complained, legislators and individual facilities, councils, everyone tried to work together to resolve some of those issues. They ranged from a public hearing that Representative Terry Spence had about 4 or 5 years ago, to having a protest in front of Legislative Hall to look at some of these issues.) Methods from a legislative hearing, sponsored by Representative Terry Spence from a protest in front of legislative hall have been attempted; however, progress has been slow. (This has made it frustrating for myself, not only as an advocate, but for a person who has to rely on Paratransit and fixed route as well.) Individuals who utilize the transit system are still having issues with such things as flexibility, punctuality, and the inability to utilize fixed route due to accessibility issues. (Some of the buses in Dover are what they call the New Castle hand-me-downs. They are very old buses. They are not made for newer power chairs. My chair barely fits on the lift. And it is not very safe on the bus because the…are made for the older, manual wheelchairs. On a manual wheelchair, and a…lifter, they have like an X underneath the feet. …is supposed to be used for. In the past, I'd say, 8 or 9 years, lifters have not had…they have not had the X. They are still using the buses that are expecting to have the cross braces underneath the chair.) This task force will hopefully be able to recommend specific changes that will benefit both of the DTC employees and the population at large. Below is an outline of the purpose and composition of this task force.
Purposes of the task force
· To examine the fiscal operation of DTC particularly in the areas of customer service, operations, and scheduling; (Operations particularly, because when, we've mentioned about people canceling trips on the same day, you have the ability to do that. You even…number 1, I think, and leave a voice mail. However, they still have a habit of showing up…cancel…cancel because of my work in the legislature, and working in Newark, and having disability, there have been a lot of times when I've had to cancel at the last minute, and they have come to my door on time…after I've canceled. Look at operations to see…operations is the actual… . A lot of people now have like the Global Positioning Systems, GPS's in their cars, I think On Star is on Chrysler or one of the cars. They are little hand-held devices – portable mapquest. I've been on the bus where the drivers don't have directions to people’s houses. I was on a bus recently, two older individuals with dementia, one I think had Alzheimer's. They did not know where they lived. The driver did not know where they lived. I did not know where they lived. It took an extra half hour to find the houses. That is not only adding time to the drivers…making the drivers late picking up the passengers.)
· To examine the possibility of a state match to transportation trust fund;
· To publish the task force findings and distribute the following groups:
· The Office of the Governor;
· The General Assembly;
· The Congressional delegation;
· Delaware Transit Corporation;
· Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council;
· State Council for Persons with Disabilities; and
· Elderly and Disabled Transit Advisory Committee.
To make recommendations on systemic change;
To mandate a timeline in which recommendations will be carried out.
Members of the task force
· Co-chairs:
· Sponsoring elected official (if there was a resolution, or an elected official that had a real interest in this issue;
· DART customer that is not associated with DTC on a professional or committee basis. (Not a committee person, not a professional person, someone that has issues…and hasn't really had the voice to bring issues to the forefront.)
· A member of the House of Representatives;
· A member of the Senate;
· Chair of the Elderly and Disabled Transit Advisory Committee;
· Representative from the Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council;
· Representative from the State Council for Persons with Disabilities;
· A minimum of two DART customers per each county,
Timeline for task force
· Begin in July 2006 (and end December of 2006 -there would be 2 years to work out legislation, if needed.)
Ms. Wolfe said that she uses the inter-county connector almost every day, because she works at the University, lives in Dover. There have been times when she has left her house at 6:00 a.m and not gotten home until 6:00 pm. There have been times when she has gotten picked up from the University at 5:30 pm and she didn’t arrive at home until 9:00 p.m. Ms. Wolfe also stated that one of the major issues is the flexibility and looking at how to get people across the state.
Ms. Wolfe stated that the next speaker will be Tina Fields. Ms. Fields recently spoke before the Joint Finance Committee regarding DelDOT and the actual written copy of her testimony is on file with Joint Finance.
Tina Fields. Ms. Fields made the following comments:
I would like to say that my name is Tina Fields. I'm speaking on behalf of myself. I do take…and sometimes…and like Jamie said, sometimes you cancel, they still show. For example, like today. I called Monday or Tues- Monday, to get stuff worked out for today to be able to be here. I was at work, because I usually get a 2:30 – between a 2:30, 3:00 pickup. My other bus wasn't notified that I was not going home today - I was coming here. They came and the driver had called office to verify that I did have the Ok to come here.
Some of my friends of friends had talked to me that take it [the bus]. They have been to the point where their parents had to come and get them from work. Or they were like maybe 2 or 3 hours late. And I feel it is not fair. You know, even though we have disabilities, this is the way I feel, we still are people. We still have to do what other people do – get to work, go do shopping. I have my own place with my husband. I can't tell my Mom, come get me, take me to the food store. … I am not going to make her come all the way down, to take me to the food store. It is not fair. Other friends have said, 'I want to go church.’ … You know, it just needs to have a better system – work out time wise, and maybe get some more drivers, because I have heard that they are short of drivers, and stuff like that. Just like today. That was a shame that the driver was never notified, and I took care of it on Monday.”
Sen. Marshall pointed out that again this Committee has heard about the breakdown in communications and the failure to pick up on time, or provide transportation on time. The Senator asked Mr. Kingsberry if he could share any insight about how to improve the system.
Mr. Kingsberry said DTC does need to make improvements. DTC has been working for the last several months in making improvements to its program called “No Shows.”
Sen. Marshall asked whether DTC does internal desk audits of its scheduling personnel, and vehicle drivers, so that if there is a pattern, or weakness in the scheduling system that involves certain drivers or schedulers, that DTC has the internal documentation to deal with that particular situation.
Mr. Kingsberry replied, “We make changes to the schedule every day. Actually, we make changes to that – different people, different days, different systems – we do that routinely. We have made improvements – we've made changes that didn't work, so we changed it to something else. And that is an ongoing process. Part of the changes with the scheduling is we force many trips in that aren't with the capacity with the resources that we have. We don't deny any trips. So if you schedule, we add you on to the last minute, sometimes. So that is the challenge with the schedule. You may have a perfect schedule, then we add 100 trips on that morning, and it is not a perfect schedule.”
Rep. Hudson asked whether there are vacant positions for drivers.
Mr. Kingsberry replied, “yes.”
Sen. Marshall asked about the hourly wage for a driver.
Mr. Kingsberry said the top wage is over $20 an hour plus major benefits.
Sen. Marshall asked if DTC has difficulty recruiting drivers, part time/full time.
Mr. Kingsberry replied, “Let me say for the record, our drivers are some of the best in the whole country. But it is a difficult job – notwithstanding some of the challenges we've heard today, and some of the difficulties. The drivers are doing an exceptional job, but it is difficult, sometimes, dealing with the driving side, and the customer side, and all of that. The difficulty with drivers – one difficulty is, you need CDL's, especially licenses, but you also need to be able to deal effectively with customers. And sometimes you don't have a good mix of that in the person that, you know, has a CDL, maybe a truck driver, or something – excellent driver, but he can't handle the customers. So the difficulty in finding the drivers, that is part of it. It is a unique, it is almost like a spiritual calling to be an operator. It is a difficult job, and it is hard finding the right people to do that job well. But some of the customers will tell you when they like their drivers - -perfect driver, he makes their day, so, finding drivers is sometimes difficult.”
Sen. Marshall asked if drivers are provided any sensitivity training.
Mr. Kingsberry replied, “That is what we tell a lot of people that apply - They don't have the sensitivity. The driver training – some people tell us it is too much – some people tell us it is not much – 8 weeks – so it is difficult training – long training, but we think it is very necessary to have safe drivers on the road.”
Pat Maichle made the following comments: (From written comments submitted)
Thank you for allowing me to present this testimony. I am speaking today as a parent of a young adult who regularly rides the paratransit vans to work. I am also speaking as a lifelong resident and taxpayer in the State of Delaware. My daughter has ridden the paratransit buses/vans for the past 6 years to travel from our/her home to work and back.
I want to make two separate points for the purpose of this hearing. The ability for my daughter, who was educated in Special Education and who has Down Syndrome, to work at a competitive job because she has transportation has the following outcomes.
Her self esteem is high.
Her level of independence is high.
Her ability to pay taxes is high.
Her ability to have commercial health insurance and to pay her own co-pays is high.
Her ability to pay her own rent is high.
Her ability to be a consumer of goods is high.
Her ability to be a contributing member of our community is high.
Her ability to be independent of State funds for services is high.
As a taxpayer in this State, it seems fiscally sound to continue to provide this service in Delaware and to expand it, if at all possible, to Sunday hours. Even though there has been a misperception that the paratransit service is only a "social service", many Delaware citizens utilize the paratransit system to get to and from their places of employment. Paratransit is the means to independence for these same people.
Secondly, on most days the service that is provided to my daughter is dependable. Although there is a concern that the driver may be using the cell phone often when she is driving. As long as the trip is a typical one, the service is fairly routine. The problems arise when a deviation from the norm occurs as when my daughter has a doctor or dentist appointment or when the driver has to take off from work. The routine in these cases is that my daughter is left, often for hours, either at home or at a doctor's office with no idea of when a ride will arrive. When she or I call to find out when a ride will arrive, the standard answer we receive is that "the driver will be there in 15 minutes", no matter where the driver is or if there is a driver to come. My daughter is left with no timetable to communicate to her employer and she is often very late to work on these occasions. The parents of the young people that ride the van with her often have to leave work to take as many people as they can to work to try get them to work at a reasonable time.
On one occasion, my daughter was left at a doctor's office for 3 hours at which time I was able to leave work in Dover to drive to Middletown to get her. I had called DART every half hour during that time to find out when she would be picked up to go to work. I was told by several DART employees and Logisticare that the driver would be there in 15 minutes, over an over again. I was finally told that the driver was lost in Middletown for 3 hours! It takes about 10 minutes to drive from one end of Middletown to the other. It is impossible to be lost in Middletown for 3 hours. Was there ever a driver at all? When I picked up my daughter that morning, she was upset, the doctor's staff was upset, and I was upset. We went directly back to Dover to the Governor's office.
On another occasion, my husband and I were accosted by a DART driver in our farm yard while my daughter was held captive on the bus. The driver yelled at us that we had made a report about him to DART. He yelled that my daughter was lying and that we had no business making a report against him. I spoke in person to an administrator of DART about that incident. It didn't happen again, but we still wonder who is driving our daughter and what they are capable of doing.
In conclusion, I ask that you respect the value of the paratransit service and be aware of the broad and long lasting positive effects the service has on people's lives and the economy of Delaware. I also ask that you seriously consider instituting both an impartial review Board for DART and police background checks for the drivers of our buses and vans. Thank you for your timely consideration.
Referencing comments made by Karen Gallagher and Jamie Wolfe, Ms Maichle also stated that she has witnessed DART vans speeding up Rt. 1.
Donald O'Bier. Mr. O’Bier made the following comments:
I happen to be a Paratransit driver. There are 3 problems with the system mainly. One, the administration. Two, the drivers, and in some cases, the people riding the bus. For the simple reasons, some of these riders here can tell you. They get ready to go to work or whatever. And the next rider that the driver goes to pick up is not ready. We are supposed to wait 5 minutes. You've got 7 people on the bus, and the first 2 are ready, and the next 5 takes 5 minutes each. You are going to be late. I'm sorry, but that is just the way it is.
For the driver's part, you've got drivers who don't show up for work. You've got some of them that call up as many as 15 or 20 times in a year. When a driver has 20, 22 passengers to pick up that day, and he doesn't show up for work because Kmart has a sale, or a fishing fly reel sale someplace, those people have to be picked up by the rest of the drivers. They already have a schedule. Nobody wants to do anything about those people who call up constantly.
You then have scheduling. Well, to start with, let's take reservations. You ladies and gentlemen up there, the next time you are going down South Governor's Avenue, see what the last address is. It is roughly 1500. When I get a manifest that says 1905, you know something is wrong.
Scheduling. When you are scheduled to pick up 5 people at 6:00 in the morning. One happens to be in the back of the race track. One happens to be at base housing. One happens to be out on Route 8. There is no way in this God's earth you can pick them all up at 6:00. And with all of this, what I would like to see, is management, union, and some riders. Some of the honest, diligent ones to sit down, discuss these things, and figure out a way to correct them. Because as it is going right now, it is a band-aid put on top of a band-aid, and every now and then those band-aids get wet and they all fall off. I thank you.
Joseph Poli, Jr. Mr. Poli made the following comments:
Good evening. I am a general service worker for DART. And for those of you who don't know what that is, and I see that is everybody, I clean the buses, and fuel it. I want to talk a little bit about the overtime. This is an issue that doesn't affect me directly as an employee, but affects just about every other employee in the company. I'm in the position to see every operator come in to North Wilmington at night, both Paratransit and Fixed Route, and these individuals can't get out of the seat. I wake them up when they park their bus to take it in for service, and they are asleep. I wake them up, and they say, hey, Joe, when are you getting off? 2:30? Can you swing by the employee line and wake me up. I'm too tired to drive home. And this is every single night. I've even seen them fall asleep standing at a red light, waiting to cross the street. They work too many hours, and whether they are asked to work, like Mr. Kingsberry says, or whether they are forced to work, like so many of them tell me, it is just too many hours for them to work.
And what I would like to ask Mr. Kingsberry to do, and the committee to do, is to take action to provide more drivers, at better starting pay, which by the way is not $20 an hour, ok. And better benefits, so that we have more personnel to take the job, keep the job more than 3 or 4 weeks before they quit, so we can keep our personnel up, and we can avoid the cost of not doing this.
Now, I used to be a transit cop, and the one wish I had as a cop was to arrive one minute before the crime took place and grab them. I grew up with all the cop shows. I know what is eventually going to happen. Eventually, someone is going to drive a bus off the road. We've already had many accidents due to fatigue. We've had people taking off of buses to the hospital – operators, due to fatigue. What we haven't had is a massive casualty, or fatality. Now, I saw that on my old job with a train, and sooner or later, as more and more people ride, and we have less and less operators to drive these buses, and more and more of them are compelled by one form or another to work the overtime, somebody is going to fall asleep at the wheel. Well, that has already happened. But somebody is going to fall asleep at the wheel, and they are going to be dead. We are going to have a whole bunch of people dead.
Then, we won't have any problem getting more operators. So in fact, I am not really asking you to do what I want. I know you are going to do what I want. I am asking you to do it before we have to pay for it with fifty lives. Thank you.
Armond D. Walden. Mr. Walden made the following comments:
Well, tonight is just going to be an introduction. I want to thank the co-chairs and the Committee for the opportunity to be here tonight. I speak to you from previous experience with the company. But before I say anything, I just want to let you know, I am a transit operator. I am a professional. I really represent about 463, almost 500 members. And although I have heard things tonight, I just want to express to the committee here that we are professionals out there on the road. And just as you heard my colleague speak, we are tired, working long hours and the summer is about to come. Some of you may or may not have heard of what happened in Sussex County last summer, but we were gasping for air so to speak, trying to get relief from all the hours. As a matter of fact, we lost good operators who resigned, and a couple went to the hospital, if you already heard. We don't want that to happen a second time.
In all fairness, the staff that you see now was not really a part, or in place, when we first approached the committee. So in all fairness, I really hope that as we heard recently that there will be definite changes that will be made that will benefit the public. That is our major concern, and I want to express to the public things for your excellent, brilliant testimony here tonight. And I think as a result that you will see some changes. And I am really hoping that the committee here will see to it and follow through and make the necessary changes so that there will be in Delaware a premier transit authority, and I will say that in advance, authority that will serve the public well.
Serving the public well, tonight we heard only one side of the story. You will notice you haven't heard anything from any transit riders, because they are not here. In this county, the service shuts down before this hearing is over, so it can get people here, but it can't get people home. New Castle residents cannot ride this service back home from this hearing. Thank God there is one in the 27th and we hope there will be those who will give testimony, who ride the public transportation transit service.
Also we did have a clarification on the rate – pay rate. Paratransit pay rate, and I want to touch that very briefly and I am going to close here shortly. Operators come in starting just over $13, and they top out at about $18.28. Operators on the fixed route side come in and they start out just under $12, and they do indeed after almost 6 years or over 5 years top out at $20.14. Meanwhile, after coming from training, and I do not believe included in that training is any kind of customer service sensitivity, but as I said before, we are professionals and we need to clean our own house, and I think we are going to take care of that because the public need good service. If they have to stand and wait for approximately 30 to 45 minutes for a bus to come, then at the very least, they can be greeted by a professional when they get on the bus going from point A to point B, by someone who can serve them on the bus getting them from point A to point B with some kind of courtesy. And we are going to correct that situation, but we do need your help. We need your assistance.
I noticed, and I am going to end with this because I have more testimony on the 27th - DTC has partnership with every organization except for one, and that is Amalgamated Transit Union, Locale 842. We are last in the consideration. We are trying to find the spot that really belongs to us. We can help this transit agency to improve it's service throughout the whole state. We've been fairly successful getting the matter of the Sunday service to the forefront. We would like to be partners with DTC on that. We hope you take that as a very real consideration. Expanded services are needed in this state. There are people who cannot – in the nursing industry, who cannot go to work and the entry level requires them to work on Saturdays and Sundays. And although they may be limited on the Saturday service, they can't make it to work on Sundays. They have to turn a job down. How can welfare…to work, really work, successfully. So once more, I want to thank you for the opportunity of being able to testify. I am really happy to hear from the public, and I am really happy that this is a beginning of what we would call a new day. I believe we can see a brighter future for transit in the State of Delaware. Thank you very much.
Rep. Oberle commented that he was heartened by Mr. Walden’s comments. Rep. Oberle stated that he can draw several other examples, most recently where he attended meetings where the rank and file on management were in the same room, both taking a very positive viewpoint of the path forward as it relates to many different subject areas. Rep. Oberle said it is critical to have that level of cooperation if this Committee is going to move forward and serve the public in a manner that everyone expects and demands.
Rep. Oberle also said that having worked briefly with the new Secretary of Transportation, it has been a refreshing breath of air. To date, he expects that to continue. He stated that he believes there is an opportunity to move forward to make things better for everyone in the State of Delaware in many areas, including public transit.
Rep. Valihura said that Mr. Walden talked about partnership, and in broad terms about working together. (Rep. Valihura referenced a brochure from the ATU entitled “EXACT CHANGE”) Rep. Valihura said when he read the “EXACT CHANGE”, he said, “oh, cute.” He said it then hit him that there was a double meaning there. Rep. Valihura said the second meaning doesn’t fit in with the big, broad partnership kind-of aspect. The brochure may be fine within the ATU organization, however sending it out to the legislators suggests what you are looking for. Rep. Valihura said it is all about the message. He stated that Mr. Walden’s message tonight was a much better message then what the brochure says on its face.
Rep. Oberle commented that sometime we address our constituencies a little bit different than we might in the real world environment. He said he takes Mr. Walden at face value, and looks forward to a cooperative working relationship between both the rank and file, DTC and DELDOT as this Committee moves forward.
V. Concluding Remarks/Next Steps
Rep. Oberle stated that many people have to catch a bus at 8:30. As such, this Committee will defer further discussion and comments from DTC officials until the next public hearing on April 27, 2006. At that public hearing, there will also be an opportunity for public comment.
Rep. Oberle said that DTC will ensure transportation will be provided to all those who care to attend the hearing on April 27th at 5:30 p.m. at the State Police Troop #2, in the Newark area.
VI. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 pm.
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