March 23, 2015

The Honorable SecretaryAnthony Foxx 

### us Department of Transportation 1200 New JerseyAve, SE Washington, DC 20590
Subject: Support for Access Services' Petition for Rulemaking

Dear SecretaryFoxx:

On my own behalf, as anAccess Services rider, and those individuals that I have served and am continuing to serve, I am writing to you in support of Access Services' Petition for Rulemaking that asks for an amendment to the Department of Transportation's regulations concerning the calculation ofAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit fares.
During, a period of over the past 40 years, I was employed in several non-profit organizations that servedpeople with developmental disabilities and a mixture of other disabilities in general. The many caseloads that I dealt with throughout my employment life, about 90% ofmy clients were on "fixed" incomes, and many were below the poverty line. All of thesepeople were having trouble meeting their basic dailyneeds. In addition for the past 36 years I have and am still servingpeople living with disabilities in the Second Supervisorial District of Los Angeles County that covers the South Central area of Los Angeles, ie., the inner city, as a member of the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities. I was just recently, re-appointed at the beginning of this year, by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

Access uses a simple, two-tier coordinated fare system that has been in existence for nearly twenty years. This systemwas originally implementedwith the consultation ofmany disability communities and a number of advocacy groups as being fair and easy for riders to understand. I am very concerned that any new fare systemwill be significantlymore complex and lead to confusion amongst, particularly those withmemory and other physical impairments. Many ofmy clients that I served in the mid-eighties, would not be competent enough to deal with any kind of change in calculating and understanding a new fare structure, which is being proposed. I am also concerned that a new fare systemwould lead to higher fares for certain clients, many of whom live on fixed-incomes and who can least afford topay for any kind of increase. Any increasemay cause a rider to have to make a choice between a doctor's visit trip, a trip to the pharmacy or a trip for food or possibly looking for another paratransit service, orjust remaining at home.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, and will be celebrating, its 25th Anniversary this July. The ADA has been a blessing for people with disabilities inAmerica. The Department and the Federal Transit Administration deserves a lot of credit for ensuring that transit agencies comply with these regulations. However, in this instance, I am urging the Department to amend the regulations to allowAccess' coordinated fare to continue as it has for the last two decades.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for your attention regarding this matter.

Respectfully,

John B. Troost 3650 Fairland Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 291 9212 winnie**codv@a~~.ne~**

cc: Karen Bass, Congresswoman, 37th Congressional District Andre Colaiace, Deputy Executive Director, Planning and Governmental Affairs Holly J. Mitchell, State Senator, 30th Senatorial District Mark Ridley-Thomas, LA County Supervisor, 2nd Supervisorial District Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, Assemblyman, 54th Assembly District Shelly Verrinder, Executive Director, Access Services, Inc.,



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### MrJohnTroost 3650FairlandBlvd ViewPark,CA 90043



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