Messy dispute between TARC, contractors leaving some disabled riders stranded

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A messy dispute between Louisville's public transportation system and some of its contractors left some disabled riders stranded.

TARC contracts out its para-transit service, known as TARC 3, providing transportation services to riders with intellectual or physical disabilities.

On Monday, some of those drivers went on strike over pay.

"I'm really concerned about whether I got a ride the rest of the week to go to work," Geralene Bell, 66, said Monday after her TARC 3 ride failed to show up for the second time since Friday. "I got up at 5 a.m. to prepare myself for work, and my supervisor called and said the buses are not transporting you all."

Bell folds laundry at Louisville's VA hospital and must prepare herself early as mobility is a challenge. She gets around in a motorized wheelchair and said she rides TACR 3 daily for "everything." It's her method of transportation to the store, church and work. She said missing work forces her to make cuts on an already tight budget.

"I only get social security, but a small amount, and if I don't have the work money, it's not enough," she said.

TARC is in the midst of a contract transition, cutting ties with its old TARC 3 service provider, First Transit, and moving to an agreement with MV Transportation.

"While the first day of our transition this Saturday went smoothly, Sunday did not meet our expectations, and there were too many late or missed trips," MV Transportation Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Womack said. "We are working very closely with our local and regional partner operators and are committed to maintaining the safest and most qualified workforce."

Bell is not the only victim of the bumps in the road.

Zoom Group, Inc. is an organization providing support for people with disabilities in Louisville. President and CEO Melissa Marvel confirmed 15 clients in pre-vocational training programs did not make it in Monday due to TARC 3 issues with rides.

"Our programs were impacted by this dispute, and we hope they resolve it swiftly," Marvel said.

Drivers On Strike

When there is no bus available, a cab driver will pick up for TARC 3. Z Trip cab drivers say the deal with MV Transportation, TARC 3's new service provider, cut the pay in half for those runs. The new agreement switches their pay base from a meter run amount to an hourly wage.

Z Trip employee Sam Nouaim said drivers were told Friday, hours before the new rates took effect the following day.

"We got blindsided," Nouaim said. "They said deal with it or don't drive, so we're not driving, and I'm sorry for my passengers. I really am. Many called me today, but this is just not fair."

About 50 Z Trip drivers gathered in a parking lot off Phillips Lane on Monday, driving their cars in circle as a sign of protest. They've declared a strike, refusing to drive TARC 3 customers until the change in pay structure is addressed.

"As people, we deserve to have respect, we deserve to have dignity, and they're not treating us like that," Z Trip driver Moussa Sy said. "We should have a seat at the table for this thing to work as a team."

Z Trip's leadership sent a video message to its Louisville cab drivers. In it, Z Trip President and CEO Bill George told workers that TARC made the decision when a new contract went out for bid to switch from a per-trip basis to hourly.

"We are paid based on what the contract bid rate was, the $28.05 an hour," George said in the video message obtained by WDRB News. "Most people will figure out that they are paid the same money or very close and that we've protected the contract for the next five years."

Nouaim disagreed with that math. He said a Z Trip driver in Louisville working 40 hours a week pays $14 an hour to Z Trip for the lease on the car and gas out of their own pocket. Nouaim estimates the new $28 an hour wage after overhead will work out to be $7 to $10 in a drivers pocket.

George strongly urged his worker in the video not to drive forward a work stoppage, as it would jeopardize the taxi company's new agreement with MV Transportation. He said Z Trip drivers from others state's would be mobilized to fill any gaps created by Louisville Z Trip drivers on strike.

"I'm here to tell anybody that was a regular (cab) driver who refuses to work on Monday will be forever banned from working for our company for TARC again," George said. "If you choose not to work on Monday, do not ever ever think you will get a route again. This is not a threat. This is business."

TARC CEO Ferdinand Risco was out of the office Monday, according to emails. A spokesperson for the bus company did not return WDRB News' requests for on-camera interviews.

"As with any transition, obstacles are to be expected," TARC Communication Manager Jeremy Priddy said via email. "We are confident our new partner MV Transportation will resolve this matter soon and the service provided to our customers will improve throughout the region.”

TARC 3 Service

TARC 3 service is an ongoing concern as drivers, no matter who they work for, deal with a potentially vulnerable population. Through open records requests, WDRB News discovered more than 4,600 complaints logged against the para transit service between January 2017 and August 2019.

Among the more common complaints: late drop-offs and pick-ups, reckless driving and insufficient assistance provided to disabled customers. These issues may have contributed to TARC leadership's decision to end the relationship with First Transit and contract with MV transportation to operate the TARC 3 service.

That decision only further complicates the tension among bus drivers. First Transit drivers received layoff notices. According to an employment warning notice, First Transit sent to Kentucky labor officials the company will eliminate the jobs of 166 workers, mostly bus drivers. Auto technicians, supervisors, dispatchers, administrative employees and managers will also be affected.

Many are expected to be hired by MV transportation, but a union contract is not yet set.

"We are working very closely with our local and regional partner operators and are committed to maintaining the safest and most qualified workforce," Womack said. "We are equally committed to providing fair and equitable compensation."

Local Amalgamated Transit Union President Theo Hamilton said customers like Bell are caught in the middle of the fallout.

"You're the victim, and you're in trouble, and it's bad," Hamilton said. "MV, in my opinion, is not being forthright with the information that we've discussed. We sat down and talked about this transition, and they are not holding up to every part of that."

MV Transportation fully takes over TARC 3 services April 1. The next two months are meant to be a time of transition. Bell really needs TARC 3 back on track before then.