Insurance expires, halts Call-A-Ride operations

The Call-A-Ride service, which reached its end of operations with Pacific Development Inc. on Friday, was transferred to the Office on Aging but the vehicle’s insurance expired that same day, potentially affecting its operations next week if the insurance is not renewed.

Aging Center director Joseph Palacios said the Call-A-Ride service vehicle was turned over to his office Friday and it was late in the afternoon when they discovered that the insurance of the vehicle had expired on the same day.

Palacios said the Aging Center took over the service but only for two to three months, just to ensure that regular service to its clients would not be interrupted.

“Until the Council for Developmental Disabilities finds another private business entity to handle its operations, the Aging Center would be glad to ferry clients with disabilities around Saipan,” he said.

DD Council executive director Antonio Chong earlier said that three private entities have pending proposals for the program.

Palacios said the Office of the Governor and the DD Council approached him three weeks ago for the possible temporary takeover. He said some of the PDI’s clients are also the Aging Center’s clients. “So we’re pretty much related,” he said.

Palacios said he is happy with the turnover but he said he would still follow up with Chong regarding the insurance of the vehicle. If fixed soon, the Aging Center would resume operations of the program, if not Monday afternoon, then early Tuesday.

Chong said there are 200 people who benefit from the Call-a-Ride program every month.

He said that PDI spent some $9,000 a month on personnel, fuel, and maintenance to sustain the service. This monthly expense would be up due to the high fuel costs at this time, he added. The DD council has two vans, including one that is in the shop for repairs.

Chong met with Gov. Juan N. Babauta last week to finalize plans for the program and asked for funding assistance.

PDI earlier notified the council that it would stop providing transportation service to people with disabilities as part of its contingency plan for Japan Airline’s withdrawal next month.

“[It] would be very challenging to continue the operation of the [Saipan] Call-a-Ride program after Sept. 30, 2005 due to the [pullout] of Japan Airlines from the CNMI. But the pullout of JAL has impacted PDI tremendously and is unable to continue to operate this service,” PDI general manager Yoichi Matsumura said in a letter to the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities.