We Need Dial-A-Ride Back

A city government has five responsibilities. It should provide safety for all citizens through law enforcement and fire protection. It should provide well lit, clean and well maintained, roads including leaf and snow removal. It should provide for sanitary conditions including clean drinkable water, a good sewer system and waste removal. It should provide public parks, with recreational opportunities. And, it should provide reliable public transportation.

Unfortunately, once again public transportation has gotten the short end of the stick. Last week Roseview Transit announced that it was terminating it's evening transportation service. The downsizing began in 2002 when Roseview decided to combine its regular evening bus line service and its Paratransit service into one program. It called this program "Dial A Ride". Under this program any citizen who was in need of transportation was supposed to be able to call Roseview Transit by 4:30pm. Roseview Transit promised to provide door to door transportation, using the Paratransit vans.

When the Dial A Ride program was instituted I hailed the decision. I wrote a letter to the editor praising Roseview Transit for making the service provided equal for all citizens. The new door to door system provided for greater personal safety after dark for all riders. Later that fall, Roseview Transit was nominated for and received the "Service Provider Of The Year Award" from the Community Council On Disability Awareness for its role in improving the lives of the disabled through the Dial A Ride program.

Unfortunately, Roseview Transit never lived up to its promise to respond to all citizens requesting a ride. They only hired one driver to provide the service between 6:30 and 12:30. This meant that Roseview could only schedule 24 riders per evening. I, and other citizens soon learned that those slots were filled in advance by people who knew they would need transportation to get to work or to attend classes at IU- East or Ivy Tech. I discovered that, just as in the case of daytime Paratransit service, the only way that I could be sure to get transportation was to call in at least one week in advance.

I and several other members of the Community Council On Disability Awareness met with Mayor Shelly Miller to request that more drivers be added to the evening shift. We were told that the budget had already been set for 2003, but that the city would apply for a grant to increase the budget for the following year. Then, shortly after Mayor Sally Hutton was elected, we met with her. She also gave us a sympathetic ear, and promised to try to come up with additional funds for the next year. Now, instead of hearing that the Dial A Ride program is being expanded to meet the need, we are being told that it has been unsuccessful, not cost effective, and will be eliminated.

Once again the heavy hand of government has struck a blow against the poorest and least mobile citizens: youth, some disabled persons, senior citizens, those who are prohibited from driving, and those who are not able to afford their own vehicles. If only 1 percent of the population was in need of transportation on any given evening, the City of Richmond and Roseview Transit should be held responsible for providing 380 rides per evening. Clearly, a complete, unbiased study of the need should be made before the city is allowed to shirk its responsibility to provide public transportation in the evenings.

Dr. Greene is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and a resident of Richmond, IN. He is also the author of Benjamin's Dog Joseph, Feeling Better: The Wisdom of the Doc, You Can Feel Better: How to cope with chronic pain and physical disabilities, and co-author of Walking Free: the Nellie Zimmerman Story.

For further information about his books, please visit www.densmorereid.com

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