Lexington transit service for disabled, elderly hit with fines over shoddy service

A provider of transportation services for Fayette County residents with disabilities has been fined nearly $70,000 over the past two months for hundreds of missed and excessively late pick ups, according to Lextran documents.

RATP Dev, a Texas-based transportation provider, has been plagued with complaints since it took over providing Wheels paratransit services in the fall of 2022.

The American Red Cross had operated the ride-share service for people with mobility issues for decades prior to RATP Dev’s contract. The American Red Cross ultimately decided to suspend providing that service in 2022.

The two-year contract with Lextran, the area’s public transportation authority, allows the contractor to be fined for excessive tardiness, shoddy customer service and other issues.

December was the first month RATP Dev could be dinged for poor customer service.

RATP Dev was fined $32,100 in December for:

• 138 missed trips

• 182 excessively late trips.

According to documents the Lexington Herald-Leader received through an Open Records Act request, some of the excessively late complaints — when the contractor arrives 30 minutes or more late— included one where the contractor was more than two hours late and multiple trips where Wheels was an hour late.

RATP Dev’s contract says it can be fined for complaints if those valid complaints are more than two per 1,000 trips requested.

RATP Dev was fined $37,400 in January for:

• 120 missed trips

• 249 excessively late trips

• Four accidents

• Five discourteous behavior by driver complaints.

In total, the Wheels provider was fined $69,500.

RATP Dev is paid a base fee and a per ride cost of $21.96, according to its contract. In total, it will have been paid $8.6 million in base fees by June 30, Lextran documents show.

Emily EllIott, director of planning and community development for Lextran, said the fines will be taken out of RATP Dev’s payments.

In its original September 2022 contract, the company was supposed to be fined for poor performance starting in October 2023. However, the start date was delayed until December due to the two sides hammering out what data would be used to calculate fines.

On-time rates, ridership plummeted

Riders have complained about unreliable service for 18 months. Those who rely on the service to get to work and appointments are sometimes are left without a ride, or must wait hours for Wheels to show up.

Some have quit using the service, which is funded in part through federal transportation funding, Lextran funding and $1.60 or $2.00 ride fees, depending on the length of the ride.

As on-time rates plummeted under RATP Dev’s contract, ridership also tanked, according to documents.

In January 2020, there were 20,400 rides given. The American Red Cross had an on-time rate of 92% that month.

In December 2023, there were only 11,963 rides given and the on-time rate was 79%, the highest on-time monthly rate for RATP Dev since it took over in September 2022.

Starting in December, Lextran began meeting with RATP Dev twice weekly after hearing multiple complaints from riders about the service, said Randolph Williams, assistant general manager of Lextran. Prior to that, the two groups met once a month.

Williams said in February, there were also 18 compliments for the Wheels provider, a first for RATP Dev.

“We are seeing some improvements and we are hoping those improvements continue,” Williams said.

Elliott encouraged riders to give Lextran feedback. The public transportation system has a lot of data but data only tells part of the story.

“The more we hear from the public, the more we can make refinements,” Elliott said. “I think feedback — good, bad and otherwise — is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle.”

There may be a new Wheels provider soon. Lextran recently released a request for proposals for the Wheels/paratransit service. Those proposals are due in April, Williams said.

In 2022, there were two additional bidders besides RATP Dev, according to Lextran documents. One of those bidders was disqualified due to a possible conflict of interest, records show.