UTS was the low bidder of three, beating out the former transport contractor the Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA), with a price of $263,628. BCRTA charged the vet board roughly $290,000. UTS also served the veterans in the county for nearly a decade from 2001 to 2010, taking them to medical appointments.
On Jameson’s trip to the VA last month, he had called for a ride and left the pick-up area briefly to go get his prescription filled. He was told he was a “no show” so the driver left. He kept calling UTS to try and get another driver to fetch him, but the line was constantly busy. He finally enlisted the aide of the VA police because he was stranded and eventually made it home.
Jameson said the UTS policy seems to be the drivers arrive at the appointment, wait in the vehicle for five minutes and then take off. He said the difference between UTS and BCRTA is like night and day.
“The Butler County Regional Transit Authority would be here on time, and they would wait 15 minutes if a person wasn’t ready,” he said. “They would call the person to let them know that they were there, and some drivers would even get out and knock on the door. They were very considerate, understanding, kind and treated a person like a person.”
The vet board has received a half dozen complaint letters and dozens of calls since UTS took over April 1. Other vets have complained the drivers don’t know where they are going, scheduled trips conflict with school children pick-ups and the Job and Family Service contract, among other issues.
“If I myself am spending three hours a day on the phone talking to disgruntled veterans, imagine, multiply that by seven people (the service officers),” Assistant Vet Board Director Anna O’Neill said. “They only send them to me when they are really irate.”
She met with UTS President Carolyn Burer last week and said the complaint calls have lessened since then. Both the veterans’ contract and the $10 million JFS contract both started the same day.
Burer said she was very concerned about the problems — especially Jameson’s six-hour ordeal — and they have been working very hard to address the concerns.
“This week there’s not been any issues,” she said. “I called just checking in with everybody today, and we’ve put several things in place that would remedy any problems. There is really nothing unresolved at this point. We are always looking, and if something happens, we get on it.”
Jerome Kerns, executive director for JFS, said there are about 350 to 400 JFS riders a day, and he has only heard a handful of start-up complaints. He said he has been through some really “horrible” transitions, and this one was smooth.
“I’m not concerned at all, when you consider the volume of transportation we’re dealing with and the transition that we had,” he said. “All the folks that are eligible for this type of transportation through Medicaid, and we’ve maybe had a few complaints in a month? I’m not concerned. Now that doesn’t say the concerns aren’t real or people didn’t experience those.”
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