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metro news D.C. Metro's revamped paratransit program saves $25 million Faced with surging ridership and an es- calating budget, the Washington Met- ropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) looked for a way to revamp its MetroAccess paratransit services. "Over four years, the paratransit bud- get from 2005 to 2009 doubled from $52 million to $104 million," explained Christian T. Kent, assistant GM, Access Services. "[The growth] was mostly driv- en by all these additional customers signing onto the service and fi nding it was meeting their needs, so we were re- ally the victims of our success." A long, lingering issue Metro experi- enced was that nearly 100% of people who applied for MetroAccess attained certifi cation. So, in 2009, the agency took the certifi cation process in-house, switching to a more medical clinic-type approach, which required potential customers to fi ll out the application with their physician before sending it to Metro which would then set up an appointment with the applicant, ex- plained Frank Roth, director, eligibility certifi cation and outreach. "When we started doing it this way, we found it was more effi cient for the customer," Roth said. "It was also more effi cient for us. We could get them in for their appointment, take care of their assessment and get a determina- tion made on them." Metro's new business model for cer- tifying MetroAccess customers includ- ed attention to detail, strong customer focus, and several innovative approach- es, including employing recreational therapists to conduct paratransit eligi- bility assessments. The agency's new model also assigns a case worker to ev- ery customer. "When the applicant makes the call to schedule the appointment, one person will follow them through the As part of its revamped paratransit program, Metro provides travel training and outreach to cus- tomers with disabilities to teach them about the accessibility features of the bus and rail systems. process, work at completing the assessment, and make the fi nal determination," explained Roth. "If there are any questions post- assessment, that person would actually be the one to work with that customer because of their familiarity." Metro's last step for the certifi cation process includes a quality control step. Roth and his staff review all fi ndings of paratransit service ineligibility. This practice has improved the customer re- lationship and resulted in an 80% de- crease in appeals. "Because the old model had some ineffi ciencies built in it, when we fi rst started the new model, we had a high- er than industry standard ineligibility rate," said Roth. "Now, it's pretty close to the industry standard. Also, because of the way we do our assessments, we don't get a whole lot of appeals that come in after that." Metro also created a reduced fare program for customers who don't qualify for MetroAccess. If they have a qualifying disability, they are automati- cally enrolled in the program. As part of its revamped paratransit program, Metro also provides travel training and outreach to customers 6 < mETRO mAGAZINE SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2012 with disabilities to teach them about the accessibility features of the bus and rail systems. Riders who qualify for Me- troAccess service but are able to make use of bus and rail services for some trips are offered fare free access as an incentive. In fi scal year 2011, customers opted for the free ride on 559,106 bus and rail trips, saving Metro more than $25 million in paratransit service costs. "We empowered the customer with knowledge that they don't have to use paratransit just because they are eligi- ble," said Kent. Metro's new approach to paratransit services has earned the agency the 2012 Innovation Award from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), which it will receive during a ceremony at APTA's Annual Meeting in Seattle this October. "When we fi rst considered these changes, we wanted to make sure cus- tomers knew it was being done for their benefi t," said Kent. "Whenever you talk about paratransit eligibility and even imply you are making a change, most customers [think] we're taking away benefi ts from them. It's taken a lot of promotional effort to let people know they have more options." metro-magazine.com WMATA photo by Larry Levine