Disabled Riders Left Stranded as Escambia County’s Transit Handoff Turns Chaotic

A promised “smooth transition” to a new transportation-disadvantaged provider has instead meant missed pickups, lost applications, and a blind rider stranded alone at night—while Escambia County won’t answer questions about what went wrong.

Since the start of the month, riders have been calling with the same complaint: buses not showing up, rides canceled without warning, and no one from the county willing to explain why. This week on Rick’s Blog Live, I sat down with Carolyn Grawi, executive director of the Center for Independent Living of Northwest Florida, to untangle what’s actually happening with transportation for people with disabilities in Escambia County.

• The short version: ECAT relinquished the state’s transportation disadvantaged (TD) program, the state handed it to a new contractor, RideITL CARES, and the handoff has been anything but smooth.

County Administrator Wes Moreno and his team have M.I.A. on the problem, taking no responsibility for their role in the chaos. On “Rick’s Blog Live,” I sat  down with Carolyn Grawi, executive director of the Center for Independent Living of Northwest Florida, to break down Escambia County’s chaotic transfer of the transportation disadvantaged program from ECAT to Ride ITL CARES — and the missed pickups, lost applications, and stranded riders left in its wake.

• ECAT told riders the switch to Ride ITL CARES would be seamless. Read Escambia County CTC Transitions Letter copy

Grawi says that promise fell apart fast. Some riders got double-booked. Others got no ride at all, with ECAT canceling at the last minute and citing coverage areas it hadn’t disclosed in advance.

Making things worse, riders are now being told they need new applications on file with the new provider—information many say was never communicated. Global Connections Employment, one of the region’s largest employers of workers with disabilities, told me last week it received no notice that its team members needed to refile.

• Note: Escambia County CTC Transitions Letter copy didn’t tell readers they needed new applications.

The County Isn’t Talking

On July 8, I requested the county’s written transition plan and an interview with the staffer who handled the transfer of rider records last week. I was told: “We are going to politely decline an interview request on this topic. Escambia County has provided RideITL Cares with the necessary information to transition the Transportation Disadvantaged service, including rider qualifications and trip information.” Gwari and others disagree.

• We still have not received the county’s written transition plan after waiting nearly two weeks. Does one exist?

Watch the full conversation with Carolyn Grawi, and we cover the story fully in the next issue of Inweekly, which goes live online at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

—Featured Photo Licensed under the Unsplash+ License