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HART Considers Taxis For Paratransit Service
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Published: May 27, 2008
TAMPA - People with disabilities might soon be catching taxis instead of specially equipped vans and buses.
Swamped with requests for its wheelchair-accessible vehicles, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit is considering hiring a private company to take over all or part of the service.
Paratransit usage has soared 30 percent each of the past four years, partly because of population growth and marketing to make the elderly and disabled aware of its services. The agency anticipates giving 100,000 of the door-to-door trips this fiscal year, a figure that might increase by a third next year.
At the same time, HART faces a $3 million shortfall in its next operating budget because of the passage of Amendment 1 in January. That's forcing the agency to hunt for savings.
"Times are tight and we are collecting less in ad valorem taxes, but there's also this incredible demand," spokeswoman Kathy Karalekas said.
To cope, officials are floating the idea of asking private operators, including taxi companies, to start handling weekend paratransit service next year. If satisfied, the agency might expand the service to weekdays.
Federal law requires transit agencies to operate paratransit and charge users no more than twice the fare of regular buses. HART charges $3 for each paratransit trip.
The law makes no prohibitions against contracting out part or all of the service, and several Florida cities and counties already do so, including Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando and Pinellas County.
Pinellas Uses Taxis
HART hasn't made a decision, but it's considering a system similar to the one at Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, which uses a van service for people in wheelchairs and taxis for people who can walk.
About 60 percent of HART's paratransit users walk well enough to take a taxi. HART would negotiate a flat rate to reimburse taxi operators for each ride.
Unless HART cuts costs, its $2.8 million paratransit program will need an additional $236,000 to keep up with the growth next year. The agency's 2008 operating budget is $53.9 million.
"The sooner we implement it, the sooner we could realize savings," Karalekas said.
At $5 million, Pinellas' paratransit budget is almost twice that of HART's, but it provides more than twice the number of rides, about 256,000 this year, and pays less on a per-ride basis.
Between taxis and vans, Pinellas operates 110 vehicles and employs about 150 drivers, although some answer calls only at peak times. Hillsborough has 43 drivers and 36 vehicles.
The biggest difference between the agencies is the cost per trip.
Hillsborough pays an average of $33.29 for a single trip; Pinellas pays $19.97 a trip.
One reason for the difference is that Hillsborough is spread out. Its 1,200-square-mile service area is twice that of Pinellas', meaning drivers here spend more time on the road and burn more gas.
Another reason is that HART's drivers work under a collective bargaining agreement like regular bus drivers, while the company Pinellas uses - Clearwater-based Transportation Contract Service Inc. - does not.
Before making any changes, HART will need to notify the system's 1,100 users and schedule public meetings.
Other Changes Suggested
If the agency decides it wants to bid out the service to transport companies, the first public meeting could happen in June or July, said Ruthie Reyes, paratransit manager.
"We're exploring the issue," she said. "No decision has been made yet to go forward with a vendor."
Until that happens, Reyes is pushing other in-house changes to save money.
She wants to narrow the window for accepting reservations. Currently, the system's users can call from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to reserve a ride the next day. She wants to make the cutoff 5 p.m.
Additionally, riders can cancel within an hour's notice on the day of the ride. Reyes would require two hours' notice.
Gloria Mills, a transit user and advocate for the blind, said she doesn't mind using taxis and privately operated vans, but she thinks the reservation window HART is proposing will cause problems for riders who can't make personal calls during working hours.
"I'm all for them trying to save money, as long as the service is equal to the service we have now," she said. "The system they have now is fairly efficient and the drivers are good. Many have been there a long time and we know them. We know their patterns. Nobody likes change, but I understand if that's what they have to do."
Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.
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