Not sure who wrote the first part of this e-mail, but if you haven't gotten a chance to read the new rules of Access-A-Ride, here they are.
----- Original Message ----- Michael J. Cush
Assistant Director of Workforce Development and Training VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired 500 Greenwich Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10013 Phone: (888) 625-1616 Ext. 710 Fax: (212) 219-4078 Please Visit our websites: http://www.blindline.org & http://www.visionsvcb.org -----Original Message----- From: nancymiller@xxxxxxx [mailto:nancymiller@xxxxxxx] Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 4:29 PM Hi everyone, Happy New Year! We are all using different kind of services and many times looking only on the dark site of it. It is not so bad if we look on it and try to do something to make it better not just complaining or morning about it. Im Access-A-Ride user for more then 15 year and it is fortunately and unfortunetly almost only one kind of transportation which I can use in order to go somewhere. Today I want to shore with you about some good new changes in Paratransit AAR which began from end of last year. If you want to now more, go to MTA website www.mta.info <http://www.mta.info/> 1. MTA NYC Transit Expands Access-A-Ride Service Into Nassau and Westchester Counties In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that requires Paratransit service to extend service by a three-quarter-mile corridor beyond fixed-route service, Access-A-Ride (AAR) customers can take trips across the New York City borderline to nearby areas of Nassau and Westchester Counties. Formerly available only for travel within the five boroughs of New York City, AAR will now operate as far east as the following streets in Nassau County When you call 877-337-2017 and ask to reserve a trip to a location in Nassau or Westchester County, the reservationist will tell you if the location is within the three-quarter-mile service area. 2. Revised No-Show/Late Cancellation and Subscription Policies Late cancellations are re-defined. A late cancellation occurs when a customer cancels a trip less than three hours before the scheduled trip. For example, if a trip has an 8:30 p.m. scheduled pick-up time, you must cancel it no later than 5:30 p.m. the same day. In addition, the formula for deciding if customers missed or late-cancelled trips establish a pattern or practice that justifies suspension of service has been changed. Under this policy, reserving seven or more trips within any month and no-showing and/or late-canceling three or more (40 percent) of those scheduled trips will be considered a pattern or practice of missed trips and a violation of our No-Show/Late Cancellation policy. Violations of this policy occurring within the same rolling 12-month period may lead to suspensions that run from two months (for a first violation) to three years (for a fourth violation). Prior to suspension, customers receive a notice of suspension and have an opportunity to appeal their suspension. 3. Subscription Service Policy This service is designed for customers who travel from the same location to the same destination at the same time of day for each trip, at least one day a week. Trips on subscription service are prescheduled. Under this revised policy, customers will maintain subscription service unless they cancel 40 percent or more of their trips in any two consecutive months (with a minimum of seven trips a month) or if there is a consistent pattern of cancellations of any part of a subscription. Customers still retain the right to request advance reservation trips. 4. Canceling Same-Day Trips Customers are responsible for canceling advance-reservation trips and subscription trips no later than three hours before a scheduled pick-up by calling 877-337-2017 or 718-393-4999 (customers who are deaf call through the relay), pressing #1 for English and #2 for Spanish, then pressing #5 for Transit Control. 5. Do you know that You may call Transit Control during the 30-minute waiting period to inquire about your vehicles location and its estimated time of arrival (ETA). If it is more than 30 minutes after your scheduled pick-up time, contact Transit Control. A CIA will tell you the ETA or will locate another AAR vehicle to pick you up. If no AAR vehicle is available within a reasonable time, the CIA can authorize your calling a taxi or car service. When you travel within a borough and must arrive at your destination at a specific time, you can reserve a return trip one hour after your appointment time. Example: Your appointment time is 10 a.m. You can reserve an 11 a.m. return. When you do not have to arrive at your destination at a specific time, your return trip can be reserved one hour and 30 minutes after your scheduled pick-up time. Example: Your pick-up time is 10 a.m. You can reserve an 11:30 a.m. return. When you travel from one borough to another and you must arrive at your destination at a specific time, you can reserve a return trip one hour and 30 minutes after your appointment time. Example: Your appointment time is 10 a.m. You can reserve an 11:30 a.m. return. When you do not have to arrive at your destination at a specific time, your return trip can be reserved two hours after the scheduled pick-up time. Example: Your pick-up time is 10 a.m. You reserve a noon return. I hope that new information with AAR services help you have AAR ride service more comfortable. Luda
FYI-------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
From: luda demikhovskaya <ld261@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;> Subject: Some good news for Access-A-Ride users Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:25:17 +0000
Hi everyone,Happy New Year!We are all using different kind of services and many times looking only on the dark site of it. It is not so bad if we look on it and try to do something to make it better not just complaining or morning about it.I?m Access-A-Ride user for more then 15 year and it is fortunately and unfortunetly almost only one kind of transportation which I can use in order to go somewhere.Today I want to shore with you about some good new changes in Paratransit ?AAR which began from end of last year.If you want to now more, go to MTA website www.mta.info1.. MTA NYC Transit Expands Access-A-Ride Service Into Nassau and Westchester Counties In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that requires Paratransit service to extend service by a three-quarter-mile corridor beyond fixed-route service, Access-A-Ride (AAR) customers can take trips across the New York City borderline to nearby areas of Nassau and Westchester Counties. Formerly available only for travel within the five boroughs of New York City, AAR will now operate as far east as the following streets in Nassau County When you call 877-337-2017 and ask to reserve a trip to a location in Nassau or Westchester County, the reservationist will tell you if the location is within the three-quarter-mile service area.2.. Revised No-Show/Late Cancellation and Subscription PoliciesLate cancellations are re-defined. A late cancellation occurs when a customer cancels a trip less than three hours before the scheduled trip. For example, if a trip has an 8:30 p.m. scheduled pick-up time, you must cancel it no later than 5:30 p.m. the same day. In addition, the formula for deciding if customers? missed or late-cancelled trips establish a ?pattern or practice? that justifies suspension of service has been changed. Under this policy, reserving seven or more trips within any month and no-showing and/or late-canceling three or more (40 percent) of those scheduled trips will be considered a ?pattern or practice? of missed trips and a violation of our No-Show/Late Cancellation policy. Violations of this policy occurring within the same rolling 12-month period may lead to suspensions that run from two months (for a first violation) to three years (for a fourth violation). Prior to suspension, customers receive a notice of suspension and have an opportunity to appeal their suspension.3.. Subscription Service PolicyThis service is designed for customers who travel from the same location to the same destination at the same time of day for each trip, at least one day a week. Trips on subscription service are prescheduled. Under this revised policy, customers will maintain subscription service unless they cancel 40 percent or more of their trips in any two consecutive months (with a minimum of seven trips a month) or if there is a consistent pattern of cancellations of any part of a subscription. Customers still retain the right to request advance reservation trips.4.. Canceling Same-Day TripsCustomers are responsible for canceling advance-reservation trips and subscription trips no later than three hours before a scheduled pick-up by calling 877-337-2017 or 718-393-4999 (customers who are deaf call through the relay), pressing #1 for English and #2 for Spanish, then pressing #5 for Transit Control.5.. Do you know that· You may call Transit Control during the 30-minute waiting period to inquire about your vehicle?s location and its estimated time of arrival (ETA). If it is more than 30 minutes after your scheduled pick-up time, contact Transit Control. A CIA will tell you the ETA or will locate another AAR vehicle to pick you up. If no AAR vehicle is available within a reasonable time, the CIA can authorize your calling a taxi or car service. · When you travel within a borough and must arrive at your destination at a specific time, you can reserve a return trip one hour after your appointment time. Example: Your appointment time is 10 a.m. You can reserve an 11 a.m. return. When you do not have to arrive at your destination at a specific time, your return trip can be reserved one hour and 30 minutes after your scheduled pick-up time. Example: Your pick-up time is 10 a.m. You can reserve an 11:30 a.m. return. When you travel from one borough to another and you must arrive at your destination at a specific time, you can reserve a return trip one hour and 30 minutes after your appointment time. Example: Your appointment time is 10 a.m. You can reserve an 11:30 a.m. return. When you do not have to arrive at your destination at a specific time, your return trip can be reserved two hours after the scheduled pick-up time. Example: Your pick-up time is 10 a.m. You reserve a noon return.I hope that new information with AAR services help you have AAR ride service more comfortable.Luda
