About a dozen members of the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan, some with canes and service dogs, gathered outside the terminal for about two hours on Sunday displaying hand-lettered signs like “We are not second-class citizens,” “Safety for Seniors” and “Equal Rights for Disabled Travelers.”
Service users are routinely picked up and dropped off late for critical medical appointments, and are often put on hold for long periods of time by MTA's Mobility/Paratransit Service, the lawsuit says.
The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority's board voted unanimously to part ways with Select Ride and awarded a new, three-year contract for door-to-door services for people with disabilities and seniors to Blue Cab, beginning May 1.
Transit advocates say the crisis with the Casino Revenue Fund has become so acute that state lawmakers must intervene — otherwise, paratransit riders may be left stranded. They characterized it as a life-or-death situation, including the possibility that some dialysis patients may not be able to make it to the hospital for their treatments.
Under the partnership with CleanFUEL USA, the company will provide products and services to expand ASV’s line of alternative fuel vehicles, namely propane autogas. Meanwhile, the Westport WING Power System is a dedicated natural gas fuel system for light-duty specialty vehicles built on Ford truck chassis and backed by a Ford factory three-year/36,000-mile engine and powertrain warranty.
The company picked up and dropped off passengers at the stop for years before the federal government shut it down in 2013. Before it can operate in the city again, the operation must first get a bus stop permit from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The process includes a visit to the local community board for public input.
The additional safety measures were identified as part of Metro’s collaborative review with the National Transportation Safety Board investigation team into the January 12 incident, but are not to be misconstrued as formal recommendations from board.
The operations are targeting a 3% reduction in fuel consumption using the technology, which is being rolled out on its fleet of 2,400 buses. This initiative follows a successful pilot program in the UK in which a 3% improvement in fuel efficiency was achieved across UK bus operations.