HANDICAPPED SERVICES HAVE THEIR LIMITS

Recent complaints from handicapped residents concerning problems in scheduling wheelchair-accessible taxis in Cape Girardeau is evidence that the service is being heavily used. But the handicapped people say their needs aren't being met.

The operator of the service, Terrence Kelley of Kelley Transportation, says he is doing everything possible to meet the demand by adding a second wheelchair-accessible van to his fleet. The second van can carry two wheelchair-bound people, whereas the other one can haul only one. He says he can't afford to do more.

Wheelchair-bound residents say they can't get a taxi when they need it, particularly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and after 6 p.m. any day. Kelley said he has a van for people in wheelchairs operating on the streets constantly from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and a wheelchair-accessible van on call overnight. But he also said he has problems getting his employees to drive the vans for people in wheelchairs. Drivers are paid on commission based on the number of riders they carry, and not much money can be made driving a van that accommodates just one rider.

Kelley Transportation, which operates the only taxi service in Cape Girardeau, is subsidized by the city to provide service to the elderly and handicapped. Under the agreement, users buy up to 16 coupons a month for $1 apiece from the city, and each coupon is good for rides anywhere within the city limits. The city pays Kelley $3.25 for each ride it provides on a coupon in addition to the subsidy under the contract.

The taxi service is bound by both its contract with the city and the federal Americans With Disabilities Act to make its services available to disabled people, and it is doing so. Simply not providing taxis in timely fashion to handicapped people isn't a violation of either. No one has lodged a complaint with the city concerning the scheduling problems.

Kelley has provided the subsidized service since 1981, and it is the only company to ever bid on operating it. The late Claude A. Kelley III, founder of the company, did much to help the poor and elderly of the city, and his compassion remains visible today by virtue of the contract to provide the subsidized service.

Few cities offer the door-to-door taxi service being provided in Cape Girardeau, and companies that do charge prices many times higher than those in Cape Girardeau. The scheduling problem should be resolved, and the company is trying to do so. The only other alternative is no public transportation for the handicapped, and that isn't a viable alternative.