MATAplus Must Change

MATAplus Must Change

Planning progress for MATA includes upgrades to the paratransit system.

By Allison Donald and Tim Wheat

Using MATAplus in Memphis should feel like freedom for people with disabilities, not a fight. For too long, the disabled community in Memphis has dealt with a frustrating and often unreliable transportation system, one that asks people to plan their lives around a reservation system that’s frankly insulting in its inefficiency. While MATA “Ready-Ride” is able to schedule on-demand transportation, MATAplus still requires people with disabilities in Memphis to schedule rides three-days in advance. Federal law requires “next-day service,” but MATAplus is so mired in illegal capacity constraints on the system that they don’t even try to follow the federal regulations. - Read more about Capacity Constraints - 

The most immediate and critical change the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) must enact is a shift to next-day paratransit service. It’s the top priority, a matter of human dignity and equal access. Asking a person to call three days in advance for an essential ride is a fundamental barrier to employment, healthcare, and social engagement. This lack of equitable service is an additional hurdle to the disability community and a harm to social determinants of health. Poor access to transportation isolates our community and expands the costs both individually to people with disabilities and the costs to the community.

In a world where on-demand ride-sharing services exist, a three day wait for a vital public service is unacceptable. Advances in transportation in the past 40 years have left people with disabilities behind. There are not equal options of accessible taxis or Lyft and Uber. MATA needs to find the operational will to ensure that people can book a ride today for tomorrow. That basic request is not just reasonable, it is our civil right. 

However, it is not just the reservation system that harms the Memphis community and stagnates MATA’s service. Consulting firm TransPro’s assessment revealed a crippling inefficiency where a vast majority of trips were made with only one passenger on the vehicle. Because ADA-mandated paratransit is designed as a shared-ride service, MATA’s operational inefficiency represents a severe failure, driving up the cost per trip and contributing to the system's overall fragility. 

Achieving this level of service requires a cultural and administrative overhaul, beginning at the very top of the paratransit division. MATA must resist the urge to fill the crucial role of Paratransit Director with a long-time MATA administrator who is steeped in the agency's existing, failing protocols. This position demands an outsider, a proven leader with extensive experience specifically managing and modernizing paratransit operations in a metropolitan area. This individual must possess a deep understanding of ADA compliance, eligibility and, crucially, a user-centric approach to service delivery. Their mandate should be clear: modernize the system and prioritize the rider experience, not just the budget.

The agency also needs to stop operating in a vacuum when it comes to the community it serves. A vital partner for this shift is Disability Connection Midsouth (DCM), an organization staffed by people with disabilities who inherently understand the daily challenges of navigating Memphis. MATA should formally include DCM in the paratransit eligibility and service appeal process. When a person’s application is denied, they deserve a fair and informed review. Having DCM on the appeals committee would ensure that lived experience and a non-agency perspective guide decisions, adding a layer of transparency and empathy that is currently lacking. 

Furthermore, DCM must be brought in to revamp MATA’s travel training programs. Their expertise in independent living skills, including training on navigating transportation options, makes them an invaluable resource for teaching people how to use the fixed-route services when possible, which benefits both the rider and the paratransit system's capacity. Collaborating with DCM is a necessary step to embed genuine community input and expertise into the fabric of MATA's services.