Riders with disabilities struggle with changes to GoRaleigh transit program

GoRaleigh Access, which provides transportation for people with disabilities within the city of Raleigh, rolled out a new ride booking system Tuesday, but riders say it's not going smoothly.

The new system contracts with dozens of taxi companies with registered users who call to book a ride 24 hours in advance. Since the software launched, dozens of blind and disabled riders told WRAL News they are having to wait for hours for their ride if it shows up at all.

Quameisha Hiatt, who is blind, has been using the GoRaleigh service for more than 10 years.

"It's a great service for blind, visually impaired people with disabilities," she said. "It helps us have our independence and be able to travel independently, efficiently and safely."

This week, Hiatt was told by a driver she couldn't bring her guide dog, Waylon, inside the car. She told WRAL News it was the first time her guide dog wasn't allowed to ride with her, even when she uses Uber and Lyft.

"It took awhile for me to actually process what was happening," Hiatt said. "I was just shocked because these people are trained, they know about blind people, they know about service animals."

Hiatt uses Waylon to cross streets and get around the city.

"He makes a big difference in how I get around, how I identify things, how I feel things, how I see things, and my safety is not the same," she said. "I don't feel as safe as I would with him."

Michael Moore, Raleigh's assistant city manager, told WRAL News changes to the program went into effect Aug. 1. The software introduced new features for riders and is meant to help clients better track their rides.

However, Moore said the new system didn't carry over some important information from the old program, including rider profiles that described needs based on their disabilities.

Another blind rider, Kyle Seitz, works with an organization that employs blind and visually impaired persons. He said his cab never arrived Thursday to take him to work., but two Raleigh staff members reached out to him the same day.

"They are aware of the problems," Seitz said. "A lot of it had to do with the new software. They assured me that we are a priority."

Brandi Hunter also uses the service because she is vision impaired.

"Tuesday morning, when everything changed, I was unable to get a ride to work," she said.

Hunter said she called dispatch more than a dozen times on Tuesday and was on hold for an hour.

"The queue only has room for 24 callers," she said. "If you are not in that 24 it will hang up on you and you have to keep calling back."

Since Tuesday, more than a dozen complaints were shared with WRAL. Riders complain they can't reach the call center, they are having to book expensive Uber trips and they are not being told who is picking them up, which is a potential safety issue.

"With the previous system when we come out of work, our cabs are already there," Seitz said. "We know [drivers] personally, we know who to expect, they know who to look for. They'll come out and say, 'Kyle I'm here.'"

Hunter said the disruption has left her and others with impairments feeling powerless.

"I just feel that when our control is taken away from us it takes away everything that we've strived so hard to get," she said.

In an interview with WRAL News, Moore was apologetic.

"We know it is a huge issue for them to be able to get to work and get to doctor's appointments and do that on time," he said. "We really appreciate their patience, and we just want them to know we're working really hard to get this worked out."

Moore said there have been improvements to the new system every day, and trips have improved since the software update launched on Tuesday.

"We've got a whole separate team looking at data [and] making sure the profiles are in the system and that they're correct," Moore said. "I am terribly sorry that we missed those trips. For those folks, I understand that this is a lifeline for them in so many ways, but we're going to get this right, and we're working hard to do that right now."

Moore said eventually there will be an app option available for riders with Android and iOS devices.

"In the future, they'll have lots of other options that will make the system a lot more smooth and a lot easier for them, even down to like an Uber-like thing where they'll be able to see where their driver is," he said.

Moore said, in addition to improving their ride planning system, the city is working on ADA training for drivers.

People experiencing issues with the GoRaleigh Access program were asked to email transportationinfo@raleighnc.gov.