Part two: Customer Service Expectations for ADA riders

King Country Metro KCM Transit policy and practice for drivers when serving passengers with disabilities.

          This is the second part of a three part series on King County Metro guidelines for passengers with disabilities, and those using mobility devices and will address the following questions. What level of customer service should riders with disabilities expect from KCM employees?  Who has control over the personal space of a customer using a mobility device: the passenger or the KCM driver?  Can riders with disabilities request to attach belts to their mobility devices, or do they have to let the KCM driver touch their mobility device?

Customer Service: what level of customer service should riders with disabilities expect from KCM employees?

I have used Metro services since I first moved to the Seattle area in 1998 and though did not use the lifts then, I did realize how important they were for passengers with disabilities and seniors.  After I started using a scooter as my main means of transportation I knew that I could only use King County Metro service, because my scooter was too large for the local busses in my county.  This service is wonderful, but at times I experience KCM drivers that are nice and treat me with respect, while at other KCM drivers treat me like I cannot think or take care of myself. I picked up a few key points from the two driver’s manuals about how drivers are expected to interact with riders using mobility devices, the rights of the riders, and the expectations that metro has of the drivers. 

   

          The part time operators’ manual listed that since 1978 King County Metro has been a leader in providing accessible public transportation for passengers with disabilities. Currently 100% of the Metro fleet is equipped with ramps, or lift systems to serve passengers with disabilities and seniors (King County Metro, 2012, p. 104).   Metro bus drivers are trained to use people first language when talking to or about customers using disability equipment and should say “a person using mobility equipment will be boarding and not announce a “chair” needs space please make room, (King County Metro, 110).  

Personal Space: who has control over a customer’s personal space when riding KCM buses? 

Who has control over the passengers’ personal space when they are using the public transportation system? Both manuals state that the person with a disability has control over their personal space, and that the driver should ask before they reach out to touch a mobility device or a person with a disability (King County Metro, 2012, 4.22, p. 110).

Personal autonomy: who is in charge of securing a mobility device: the KCM driver or the person with a disability using the mobility device? 

How to secure a mobility device can be a hot topic between riders and drivers.  According to the manuals metro drivers have the final say in how a mobility device is safely secured, and can check the mobility device before going to the next stop; but riders can opt to secure their own device or ask the driver for help (King County Metro, 2012, p. 106). 

For more information about national disability transportation laws and advocacy check out AAPD.org (American Association for People with Disabilities), this website includes equal rights advocacy tools to improve the rights for people with disabilities.  The link below will take you directly to their transportation page. (http://www.aapd.com/resources/power-grid-blog/transportation-equity.html). 

Next week’s blog is the last in this series and will outline how accessible KCM’s bus stops are, and when and how to call metro for assistance.

Reference:

Washington, King County Metro, The Book, (2012)

Washington, King County Metro, PTOManual (Part-time Operators Manual), (2012)

This Blog was written by Tanya Atkinson