COUNTYWIDE : Transit Service for Disabled Improving

After a rocky start six months ago, the county’s transit service for the disabled continues to improve, both riders and transportation officials said.

Although some passengers report occasional scheduling glitches, most agree that the new private van operator, DAVE Transportation, is doing a satisfactory job of providing rides for disabled people and senior citizens in need. Riders also said that transit officials have been responsive when problems are reported.

“I’ve gotten excellent service. They’ve been very quick,” said Anaheim resident Patricia Bayley, who sometimes uses the county’s van service to go shopping.

That assessment contrasts sharply with the situation in January, when scores of riders were left stranded on the first week DAVE Transportation took over service. In the chaos, one Alzheimer’s patient was accidentally left at the wrong stop and an elderly man rode in a van for four hours before being dropped off at his home.

The confusion lasted only two days, but many riders were jarred by the experience.

A few months earlier, DAVE Transportation was awarded the van service contracts from the county after it placed a lower bid than the nonprofit agency that had provided the rides for years. Some passengers opposed the move, fearing that a new company and new drivers might not look out for the special needs of the disabled.

But over the last few months, riders said, both the county and DAVE Transportation officials have displayed respect and attentiveness to their concerns.

Rider Phyllis Collier, who sits on the Orange County Transportation Authority’s quality assurance committee, said county officials have responded swiftly when problems with service arose. “We’ve gotten a good response,” said the Irvine resident. “We’ve gotten to talk directly to the people involved.”

OCTA officials held sensitivity training seminars with DAVE Transportation drivers in an effort to show them how to accommodate people with different kinds of disabilities. Drivers also received training on how to secure wheelchairs in the vans and how to make the passengers’ trips as smooth as possible, said Judith McCourt, OCTA’s deputy director of operations.

Social services workers who deal with the disabled agree that OCTA’s efforts have made a difference. “They’ve improved considerably,” said Shirley A. Cohen, executive director of the Feedback Foundation, a nutrition center. “They’ve done the training and that has helped.”

Anyone with questions or concerns about the van service is asked to call OCTA at (714) 636-RIDE.