Scheduling and dispatch woes on Howard County?s bus system serving riders with disabilities are on the mend, transportation officials said.
“It?s a work in progress. We are monitoring it,” Howard Transportation Chief Carl Balser said.
Riders who rely on the paratransit service, which accounts for about 14 percent of riders on Howard Transit, had complained of missed or delayed pickups for rides ? which at times led to missed doctor?s appointments ? and difficulty reaching dispatch operators.
“People are waiting hours for buses that don?t come or come at the wrong time,” said Richard Kirchner, head of local group Transportation Advocates.
Since the problems were raised two weeks ago at a public forum with County Executive Ken Ulman, bus operator First Transit Inc. has responded with fixes, Balser said.
The phone system was experiencing software glitches, he said, which are being corrected.
A software system used to help with scheduling was instead scrambling the appointment times. Now, a supervisor double checks drivers? lists before they head out, Balser said.
Drivers also are testing the buses? wheelchair lifts each morning to make sure they are operational and a bus with a faulty lift won?t leave the station, he said.
Some of the bus problems existed when the company took over in June, but the transition exacerbated them, said Sharonlee Vogel, a transportation advocate and chair of the county?s Commission on Aging.
The woes were compounded by the condition of the aging buses and malfunctioning air conditioning in the stifling summer heat, she said.
