ST. LOUIS — Metro’s Call-A-Ride service will no longer be available for some trips starting today. This change comes despite a complaint filed by disability rights advocates with the Department of Justice last week. Metro Transit officials had announced these cuts in February to parts of St. Louis County.
According to Metro Transit, over a six-month period last year, 250 customers of 4,000 users who made 10 or more regular trip requests and would not be eligible for the service beginning today. This is the first change to Call-A-Ride’s service area since 2016, and it will eliminate service for some areas on the far north, south, and west fringes of St. Louis County beyond I-270.
People like Aimee Wehmeier, who have been with Para-Quad for at least a decade, know firsthand how Metro Call-A-Ride’s plan to cut services in some areas will impact riders who need it most. On Friday, leaders of several organizations serving people with disabilities and additional community allies filed a complaint regarding Metro’s Call-A-Ride Para transit program with the Federal Justice Department.
Metro claims that the majority of customers will not be impacted because their origination and destination trips are within the federally-required service area. However, the complaint alleges that many Call-A-Ride users are trapped in their homes, missing doctor’s appointments, and at risk of losing their job due to service cuts.
