After hundreds of complaints, TARC3 director says improvements still a work in progress

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It was really no surprise to Marcellus Mayes. Tuesday evening, TARC3 was a couple minutes late picking him up from Louisville City Hall for a ride home.

But Mayes, who's blind, will not complain. He believes, as the president of the Metro Disability Coalition, he has it better than other TARC3 riders, who he says he hears from almost daily.

"I just heard two days ago a lady was left with additional bags at Walmart, and she had been waiting three hours for a ride," Mayes said, as he waited for his ride.

Mayes was at City Hall to hear the latest testimony from Carrie Butler, the executive director of Transit Authority of River City (TARC).

In recent months, TARC3 — TARC's public paratransit service for the Louisville area — has caused riders with disabilities like Mayes to stage protests, write letters to city leaders and demand better after riders have been left stranded or made hours late to and from work or important appointments.

Tuesday afternoon, the Metro Council Public Works Committee requested specifics of Butler's plan to improve TARC3.

"I mean, I've thought it," an exasperated Butler told members. "Maybe I should get in my personal vehicle and pick people up. There's no back-up taxi cab. There's no back-up service."

In recent weeks, Butler's focus has been on hiring, since she attributes short-staffing to many of the recent problems.

Carrie Butler, the executive director of TARC. (WDRB Photo)

"There is a shortage of labor force," she said.

Butler said TARC3 had 50 open positions in June. In July, the number of openings was reduced to 40. Now, with a few more in training and other applications received, TARC3 likely needs about 25 more hires.

Butler told council members that a new radio ad will begin broadcasting soon to help bring in more applications.

As a result of the recent hires, Butler explained that the numbers are already looking better.

Each month, TARC measures the percent of completed trips to determine if riders are being stranded (i.e. "missed trips") and, if so, how many. According to Butler, TARC3 documented 59 missed trips in January 2021. In June, the number climbed to 900. As of the third week of July, the number declined to 160.

"July had 99% of trips completed," Bulter said.

However, the number of late trips is not as improved. TARC3 measures the percent of late pick-ups in a metric known as "on-time performance."

In January 2021, according to Butler, the on-time performance for TARC3 was 95%. In May, the percent dipped to 87%. In June, it dropped again to 85%. In July, it climbed back to 90%.

"We're pleased with the progress, but we know it's not enough," said Butler.

While Mayes acknowledges "modest improvement" he is skeptical of the numbers and believes they don't tell the whole story, since they don't necessarily capture the riders who he says have given up on the service they've deemed too unreliable.

"I think a lot have lost confidence in TARC and are not riding trips," he said.

Before he boarded his TARC3 bus Tuesday, he said he now believes that TARC needs new leadership and said he and others are also exploring a class action lawsuit.

Related Stories: