A Success Verbatim

Center Park Bus Letter 8.31.17.pdf1/ 3 Metropolitan King County Council August 31 st , 2017 Harold Taniguchi – Director             King County Department of Transportation           King Street Center             201 S. Jackson St. Suite 815       Seattle, WA 98104-3856 Dear Harold, We wanted to reach out to you regarding the planned discontinuation of the Center Park (CP) bus. We are happy that Metro has delayed the discontinuation until Spring 2018, but we believe there needs to be additional analysis and mitigating action before any discontinuation. We are aware that staff from KC DOT have been engaged with Center Park residents in order to prepare them for the elimination of the CP bus, and to educate them on alternative modes of transportation options such as fixed routes, Access Paratransit, and taxi script. With the recently completed audit of Access Paratransit by the KC Auditor’s Office, and recently announced steps by KC DOT to improve Access Paratransit, there are several issues that are of great concern to us. In addition, the Center Park residents themselves have contacted our offices with great concerns about the termination of this route. We understand there are unavoidable realities that must be faced: both CP coaches have neared the completion of their effective service life, without readily available replacement parts or comparable coaches within Metro’s current fleet. However, the pause in the RFP process for Access service and the dispatching of these services to address concerns with the RFP that were brought to light in the audit magnifies the need to delay eliminating the CP but and explore more viable, long-term solutions. Finally, several Center Park residents attended our Metropolitan King County Council meeting on Monday, July 24, 2017, to express their grave concerns regarding the elimination of the CP bus as well as the inadequacy of Access or other current service to fill the multifaceted purpose the dedicated bus provides. While we are aware that a certain amount of apprehension was to be expected, it is our feeling that the audit, the current RFP, and the extreme vulnerability of this population have created a problem with the timing of what would be a major change under ideal circumstances. To make this change now would not only be ill-advised, we believe it is counter to King County’s principles of Equity and Social Justice. Center Park residents depend on this route for more than transportation. For many, it is their only opportunity to interact with their neighbors, participate in social outings, and experience the sense of community we take for granted. As you’re well aware, the residents are low-income, and many suffer from severe physical disabilities. Some of those who suffer from other forms of disability have a difficult time qualifying for Access and their admittedly challenging qualification process – especially for those who speak English as a second language. In short, we’ve found the Center Park residents to be proud, informed and resilient people. At the same time, due to certain limitations, they may be disenfranchised without proper access to services. It’s at times like this that our oft-stated commitments to ESJ are truly put to the test. Therefore, we are proposing that the elimination of the CP bus is suspended until a viable and comparable alternative to address several of the needs of the residents can be developed. While we fully understand the logistical and fiscal challenges of another coach, we believe the highly capable staff Metro/DOT can develop an alternative that would provide the following: - Similar to the CP bus, there will be no barriers for residents to qualify, they need only to pay the fare - That a replacement have the ability to replicate the same “community” capacity regarding standard and large wheelchair space for shopping and other outings - That – unlike Access – it be readily available for certain scheduled social, recreational and practical outings for the residents without the tedious process of prior reservation, as well as some unscheduled uses We realize there are more facilities similar to Center Park than there were when a dedicated route for residents was initially developed. However, equity isn’t the withdrawal of services from one underserved population of residents so that they’re on a par with other, increasing numbers of similarly situated group of residents. We know that social interaction is a quality-of-life issue. The Center Park residents depend on the social interaction and subsequent outings as an essential element of their lives. While a dedicated Metro bus appears to not be a feasible option as we move forward, my sincere hope is that you can come up with a better long-term solution such as a modified large Access van or one similar to the Connector transportation coaches routinely used in our region. Thank you in advance for helping us assure that this dignified group of Center Park residents are able to continue experiencing the degree of transportation opportunities many of us taken for granted. Sincerely, Joe McDermott, Chair Larry Gossett, Councilmember            Metropolitan King County Council    Metropolitan King County Council    District Eight   District Two Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Councilmember Rod Dembowski, Councilmember            Metropolitan King County Council    Metropolitan King County Council   District Four District One