PRESS RELEASE
Ability Chicago
June 20, 2013
CHICAGO PARATRANSIT; PHONE BUSY SIGNALS PLACE CONSTRAINTS ON RIDE AVAILABILITY
Ability Chicago performed a study of Pace Suburban Bus Chicago Paratransit reservation phone system over a 3 week period, beginning on May 17, 2013 and ending on June 7, 2013. Pace Suburban Bus have zone subcontractors, CDT, MV Transportation, and SCR that provide Chicago zone paratransit service, who each handle their own phone reservation for next day rides.
With concerns from paratransit riders that have been raised over the last year between Monday to Friday with the hours of 5:00pm and the close of next day reservations of 6:00pm experiencing long hold times, dropped calls, and busy signals.
The studies results identified an area of concern, experiencing 35% Busy Signals of calls placed with one of the Chicago paratransit providers, CDT. The study did not experience Busy Signals with MV, or SCR. With these telephone and capacity issues, the CDT system is possible not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
With Hold Times, a study standard of 5 minutes was used, all 3 carriers answered the calls in a timely manner; with a exception of 1 day with MV Transportation with 16 minutes on hold, and the same day the phone rang 11 and 15 times before we hung up and redialed.
With Dropped Calls MV and SCR there were no dropped/disconnected calls. With CDT we did experience 2 dropped/disconnected calls during the study.
The findings of the Ability Chicago study have been shared with the Federal Transit Authority (FTA).
Contact:
Jim Watkins
Ability Chicago
jimwatkins@abilitychicago.info
# # #
Ability Chicago
June 20, 2013
CHICAGO PARATRANSIT; PHONE BUSY SIGNALS PLACE CONSTRAINTS ON RIDE AVAILABILITY
Ability Chicago performed a study of Pace Suburban Bus Chicago Paratransit reservation phone system over a 3 week period, beginning on May 17, 2013 and ending on June 7, 2013. Pace Suburban Bus have zone subcontractors, CDT, MV Transportation, and SCR that provide Chicago zone paratransit service, who each handle their own phone reservation for next day rides.
With concerns from paratransit riders that have been raised over the last year between Monday to Friday with the hours of 5:00pm and the close of next day reservations of 6:00pm experiencing long hold times, dropped calls, and busy signals.
The studies results identified an area of concern, experiencing 35% Busy Signals of calls placed with one of the Chicago paratransit providers, CDT. The study did not experience Busy Signals with MV, or SCR. With these telephone and capacity issues, the CDT system is possible not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
With Hold Times, a study standard of 5 minutes was used, all 3 carriers answered the calls in a timely manner; with a exception of 1 day with MV Transportation with 16 minutes on hold, and the same day the phone rang 11 and 15 times before we hung up and redialed.
With Dropped Calls MV and SCR there were no dropped/disconnected calls. With CDT we did experience 2 dropped/disconnected calls during the study.
The findings of the Ability Chicago study have been shared with the Federal Transit Authority (FTA).
Contact:
Jim Watkins
Ability Chicago
jimwatkins@abilitychicago.info
# # #
If you are interested in more information of the Study, have any questions, want to be involved - please send an email with your request.
If you have experienced any issues with the Pace Paratransit Phone system, please feel free to share and we will include with our files.
Please pass on this information to organizations, and others that use the Pace Paratransit service... TY
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