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Disabled elderly woman told MetroAccess doesn't have safe access to her home

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Published  December 12, 2019 11:06pm CST
Capitol Metro
FOX 7 Austin

Disabled elderly woman told MetroAccess doesn’t have safe access to her home

For years, Willie Piper said the MetroAccess bus would come pick her up at her home in North Austin. Now it's a different story after recently moving.

AUSTIN, Texas - An 88-year-old Austin woman with disabilities who relies on MetroAccess vans to pick her up at home is now being told they can't.

Instead, CapMetro said they will pick her up down the road which she said she can't get to on her own.

“I can't walk to there, I tried I can't do it. I have bad knees, I have arthritis, I had three knee replacements and hip replacements,” said Willie Piper.
 
Piper is a part of CapMetro's MetroAccess program, a service for those with disabilities unable to ride regular buses to help get them around the city.

“It's very difficult for me to walk and stand, I can't do a whole lot of standing,” said Piper.

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For years, Piper said the MetroAccess bus would come pick her up at her home in north Austin. Now it's a different story after recently moving.

“They said they picked up here when we gave the new address,” said Piper.

Piper's home, while still in the service area, is on a road which dead ends. She said sometimes the bus will come to her home directly to pick her up, other times she's told she has to walk to the end of the road because they can't turn around.
 
CapMetro provided this statement from Chad Ballentine, vice president of demand-response and innovative mobility:
 

Piper's son Dwight said he's been trying to figure out what's going on as his mom cannot make the walk in her condition.

“They continue to tell me they are going to get together and come back with a solution, weeks have passed,” said Dwight Piper.    

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Dwight said CapMetro's statement doesn't make sense as he said other big vehicles pass through regularly.

“The trash truck is much bigger then the bus, it practically doubles in size,” said Dwight Piper.
 
Dwight said when looking for a home for his mother they checked to see if MetroAccess would pick up at the address, otherwise, they would have never moved there in the first place.