SCAT

Last edited by Liv on May 19th, 2006, 8:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

SCAT

by

I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
Published on May 17th, 2006, 1:10 pm
Rift: Greensboro

While the city council deliberates on the new budget proposal, Greensboro's disabled residents continue to try and make their voices heard by their local government.

Now the conversation has come up between myself and a good friend of mine after seeing the news last night. My friend, who happens to be disabled and rides the SCAT bus to and from work told me that the proposed increase in fees to ride the SCAT bus would severely limit her ability to go places. It was deeply upsetting to see my friend contemplating being able to eat or to get to work.

Currently she states for about 35 dollars a month she's able to purchase a SCAT pass that allows unlimited travel. The new proposal would raise the cost of the pass to $75.00 and limit her trips to 40. Being that she has to work, and that in itself would require 2 trips a day, not to mention any additional traveling she may have to do for food, entertainment, or miscellaneous travel, this will be a great burden to her financially. We both commented on the fact that being employed at a decent job, is not a common situation among most individuals who ride SCAT, even though she might be the least affected by the increase. If its going to be difficult for her, can you imagine how troublesome this issue is for the majority of disabled, and low-income citizens who rely on SCAT? If these people could afford their own car, or had the capability to drive one, while would they shell a car payment in money each month to city government? Yet when the city of Greensboro is trying to figure out how to pay for their expensive toys like the downtown city park, or helping fund Carroll's Center Point Skyscraper, who do they ask to pay for it? The disabled? Somethings wrong with this picture.

Sandy Carmany has a very lon... uh, detailed post about GTA, it includes a discussion of the fiscal challenges for SCAT and possible solutions. At first glance, they seem pretty reasonable to me. What do you think?

I'm at work right now, and alot of the blogs won't come up on the companies Netscape version 100BC.... but I'll look when I get home. The friend of mine (don't know if she wants her name used yet) who is diasbled and rides SCAT wrote a piece for me to post.... She tells me she's still working on editing it down, but hopefully she'll have it for me to post this weekend. I'll post it over on 101 too if she emails it to me.

I did read it Roch... and it sounds like pretty much what my friend was saying about SCAT. Bottom line is for those people who REQUIRE SCAT... they'll go from 35.00 a month to 70.00 month and it will limit you to 40 trips. Since most of us work 5 days a week, and that's 2 trips a day, times 4 1/2 weeks in a month (carry the 5 divide by 9), that means just to go to work each SCAT rider will have a need for 45 trips, and that's if they don't go out to the grocery store, the movies, or city council meetings to strangle the people who will pass this. That means they'll have to buy 2 SCAT passes for $70.00 which equals $140.00, and a total increase in monthly expenses of $105.00........ What is that like a 200% increase. Very dumb idea people.

Furthermore if its costing the city $25-35 dollars a trip per person for SCAT, then they need to get a better manager to run the program, or a better accountant? Seriously there is no was it costs 35 dollars to drive 5 miles in a van when its shared by 5-10 other riders. Your saying it costs 100-150 dollars just to pay your driver, fill these suckers up, and repair them. Bollocks.

Last edited by Liv on May 18th, 2006, 5:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I've been working on my anger management skills for sometime, but no offense Sandy, if you want to keep an open dialog, like your blog states... your going to have to read between the lines.

This blog is my attempt to have an ongoing dialog with citizens and keep you up to date on issues I deal with on the Greensboro City Council and other governmental bodies on which I serve.

My comments which I posted to her blog after Roch asked my opinion on Carmany's post on GTA fee restructuring:

Bottom line is for those people who REQUIRE SCAT... they'll go from 35.00 a month to 70.00 month and it will limit you to 40 trips. Since most of us work 5 days a week, and that's 2 drips a day, times 4 1/2 weeks in a month (carry the 5 divide by 9), that means just to go to work each SCAT rider will have a need for 45 trip, and that's if they don't go out to the grocery store, the movies, or city council meetings to strangle the people who will pass this. That means they'll have to buy 2 SCAT passes for $70.00 which equals $140.00, and a total increase in monthly expenses of $105.00........ What is that like a 200% increase. Very dumb idea people.

Furthermore if its costing the city $25-35 dollars a trip per person for SCAT, then they need to get a better manager to run the program, or a better accountant? Seriously there is no way it costs 35 dollars to drive 5 miles in a van when its shared by 5-10 other riders. Your saying it costs 100-150 dollars just to pay your driver, fill these suckers up, and repair them. Bollocks.

Her response:

Liv,
You ask some good questions, but I'm not going to publish comments that contain name-calling and talk about strangling people. If you want to "clean it up" a bit, I'll be happy to publish and respond.

Thanks!

Sandy Carmany

My Response:

don't worry about it Sandy, I publish it myself.

Thanks.

Am I really saying anything that needs to censored?
No offense to Sandy, but I felt this was too important not to post.

Namecalling??? Just the usual---no defense--attack the messenger

Hi Liv,

Sandy offers some more details. Among them, she points out that the 40-trip pass doesn't need to be used in a single month and that the only other option when it expires is not to have to buy another 40-trip pass, one can pay for single rides.

It is unfortunate you and Sandy got off on the wrong foot. I know you have an honest concern about this issue and I know that Sandy is extremely good at listening to citizen's concerns. She's especially receptive to suggestions for solutions.

It seems as if some reform of SCAT is going to happen (and I think it may be well justified), but if you think there are better ways to do it, ways that can minimize the impact on riders, keep talking to Sandy.

I read her post this morning. I have nothing against Sandy at all, but oddly she finds offense in humor. I understand what she's doing, but its a tad obnoxious. Then again alot of people think I'm obnoxious. Anyhow... I hold nothing against anyone... I just don't think you should be blogging if your going to censor simple well justified comments.

Anyways we're straight as far as I'm concerned.

Back to the issue... If Sandy would really like to see if the councils proposals are good for the riders, then I recommend she record how many trips she makes to and from work, to lunch, to other places. I drive very little, and I say my one way trips are closer to 350-500 a month.

People don't realize everytime you go anywhere its 2 trips, one there, and one back.

Her averages have got to be off, or the one SCAT van that comes to my work is the exception. It's usually filled to the brim, with 5-10 individuals.

I'm hoping my friend emails me her article she is writing, since she is the one who is truly effected by it.

I posted this comment on Ed's Blog:

I wonder if Sandy, or for that matter any of the council members would care to perform an educational experiment, of riding SCAT for a month in leu of a car, and adding up the costs? Surely this could be arranged, could it not?

Seriously who makes 40 trips per month?

Last edited by Matt on October 27th, 2007, 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

..

Ed Cone:

Is SCAT designed to offer people the full range of mobility available to people who are able to drive themselves or use other transportation, or is it a baseline service?

I think it's designed as the latter, and even as such seems exceptional by the standards of other cities.

I'd like to see everyone have a ride whenever and wherever needed, but it that what SCAT is meant to do, and is that a realistic goal for a public service?

Oh I'm sure your correct Ed, but deep in my heart, I wonder if you or me, were to become dependent on SCAT tomorrow due to injury or accident, would we not want the freedom we currently have? Would we be OK to say, I'm disabled now, and I'm going to have just use baseline travel? I want my community to care for its elderly, and disabled, it's poor, and its homeless.

If it was a matter of absolute need to increase these cost, I'd say OK, but its not. Not when we just tossed a couple million into the Wachovia building so a few privileged rich people can own 1/4 of a million dollar condos. Maybe my priorities are different then most people, but my hope is compassion wins out over greed.

(I would be more inclined to a small increase in the current unlimited pass, perhaps over several years, then dropping the bomb on the disabled all at once if it is inevitable.)

Nope, your the only one Matt... **May 19th, 2006, 12:07 pm** Reply with quote

Nope, your the only one Matt...

It's been said that we gave millions of dollars to fund the Wachovia "extreme makeover" because the benefits down the road will pay for itself. Has anyone taken the time to consider the economic impact of not being a proactive para-transport city by increasing the fees? Could it be, that down the road we will end up paying a bigger price in then end, by having disabled individuals not working, or spending there money in Greensboro?

A few days ago, I began discussing the SCAT proposal both here online and at work with my friend, Regina who actually rides SCAT. I asked Regina if she would mind putting her thoughts down on an email so I could post them, and she agreed. Perhaps the hardest part for city council members, will be to walk a mile in someone else's shoes when they make their decision? Here's Regina's email:

I think the proposed increase of the SCAT fare from $35 for a monthly pass which allows unlimited rides for the month to a $75 40-ride pass is unfair. Most of the people who use the service are on fixed incomes. Many of us who use this service rely on the transportation system on a daily basis. For most of us its our only means of getting around town. The increase is more than double what many of us are already paying. This increase is drastic to say the least. If this budget gets passed, many activities that we participate in such as going to the movies, shopping, dinner, etc. will be have to be cut back. This is not fair to us. This service was designed specifically for people with disabilities. The SCAT service allows us to be independent . If we are unable to afford to pay this new higher price, our many of us will lose that sense of independence. I am not opposed to an increase of some sort. I just do not agree with the drastic increase of more than one hundred percent to the current cost and I am also against the elimination of the unlimited-ride monthly pass. Surely there is some middle ground that can be reached so that all parties involved can be satisfied. I implore you to carefully weigh all sides before making any final decisions.

Regina Mitchell
SCAT Client

Good article and video on WXII 12 about the upcoming fare hike that Greensboro city council wants to impose on the city's disabled. But like a scene from the movie Braveheart SCAT riders ask, "You've come to fight as freemen, and freemen you are. What will you do without freedom?! Will you fight?"

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Bus fares may be going up in Greensboro -- but one group is fighting back.

Members of the city's disabled community said they can't afford the increase.

The service is called SCAT, Greensboro Transit Authority's shared-ride transportation service. Disabled riders can buy an unlimited pass, but city leaders said they can no longer afford to provide an unlimited service.

A task force proposed to eliminate the unlimited service and allow frequent users to purchase a pass for 40 trips at a cost of $70.

That's twice the $35 pass currently purchased by riders like Jeff Johnson, who said SCAT does more than just take him to work, church and the movies.

SCAT riders held a news conference Friday to call attention to the proposed fare hike. Some said they were angry with the plan but not surprised.

Err... maybe the city council should read this, or just look at the cover and see a double meaning that might hold true to a city that is trying to find truth and reconciliation?