NJ Transit has six months to start improving its Access Link public ride service for people with disabilities, after the U.S. Attorney's Office found a pattern of late trips, excessively long rides and missed pickups – the same trend WNYC identified after a review of ridership data and interviews with longtime passengers.
NJ Transit agreed to make changes in a settlement with the federal government in December. But advocates and riders say if Access Link wants to substantially change — it’ll need far more drivers. The service had nearly 700 drivers in 2019 but that number dropped by hundreds during the pandemic, NJ Transit records show. In the last few years, the number of late trips also ticked up, the data show.
WNYC joined a rider with a brain injury for four trips last summer, finding drivers almost always arrived on time in the morning, but were consistently late in the afternoon. One time, the driver showed up four hours late.
“People with disabilities shouldn't have to wait hours upon hours to get the service,” said Javier Robles, a Rutgers University professor and chair of the New Jersey Disability Action Committee. Robles is quadriplegic and relies on the service.