Editor’s note: This is the third in a series exploring issues with Jackson’s transit system, JTRAN.
On-time pickups and drop-offs, trips within two hours, and operators who respond to calls are just a few of the paratransit performance standards that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi ordered JTRAN and the City of Jackson to comply with in a 2010 consent decree.
However, for the past 14 years, JTRAN has still not been able to fully meet these standards, although things have improved somewhat since 2010. Now, the City of Jackson is seeking to terminate the consent decree, making the decree and its provisions once again the subject of controversy.
Public transportation standards such as on-time pickup and drop-off are a service JTRAN continues to work on and are especially important to Jackson’s disability community, many of whom rely on JTRAN’s paratransit as their only means of transportation to work or important medical appointments.
Currently, the consent decree is on hold, and Disability Rights Mississippi has filed a motion to extend the consent decree.
“We have filed a joint motion with the city to stay the consent decree until a resolution is reached, whether that be through a court resolution or through an agreement between the parties,” Hunter Robertson, an attorney with the Mississippi Disability Rights Association, said at a JTRAN Paratransit Advisory Board meeting on Wednesday.
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The group is drafting an outline of a proposal to present to the city for negotiations. The ruling will be stayed until the city and Disability Rights Mississippi reach a resolution or settlement. If a settlement is reached, Disability Rights Mississippi said it plans to pursue court proceedings.
“We will continue this work indefinitely to ensure that people with disabilities in Jackson have reliable, timely and accessible transportation,” said Jane Walton Carroll, communications director for the Mississippi Disability Rights Coalition.
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In 2010, individuals and disability groups in Mississippi filed a lawsuit against the City of Jackson for failing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding paratransit.
The lawsuit resulted in a consent decree that outlined performance standards for JTRAN, including telephone wait times of less than three minutes for 95% of callers, not turning away more than 10 trips per month, meeting at least 95% of all pickups within 30 minutes of the scheduled pickup time and 99% of all pickups within 45 minutes, 95% of drop-offs before the scheduled time, no trips lasting longer than 120 minutes for more than 5% of all paratransit trips, and no more than 20 missed trips per month.
The Mississippi Disability Rights Association hopes to negotiate the same agreement it put in place 14 years ago.
“If we can meet the standards that have already been set, we’ll call it a success,” said Polly Tribble, executive director of the Mississippi Disability Rights Association.
The city of Jackson did not respond by time of publication.