Disabled Chicago commuters dominated the first half-hour of a Pace Suburban Bus Company board meeting yesterday, calling its service to the disabled slow, rude and unsafe.

"If Pace cannot step up to the challenge of fixing the mess they have made of our paratransit system, then it is time for them to step down," said Dr. Ayo Ma'at, of Independent Movement of Paratransit Riders for Unity Vehicles, & Equality, a Chicago advocacy group.

"Enough is enough."

Paratransit systems provide door-to-door service for people unable to use fixed-route bus and rail systems. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act mandated that any public transportation agency receiving federal funds provide such services.

Pace took over paratransit operations from the Chicago Transit Authority in July 2006 as part of a legislative effort to streamline regional paratransit service.

However, shortly after the transition, riders began complaining of "late pickups, excessively long trips, and difficulty getting through on the telephone system to reserve a ride," according to a Pace press release issued in March.

Part of the problem, says Pace spokesman Patrick Wilmot, was that Pace contracted with three private companies whose services overlapped throughout the city.

These, and other inefficiencies, were the target of dozens of public hearings and policy discussions that eventually led to a series of reforms, which went into effect in March 28.

They included: hiring an additional contractor, assigning each contractor to a specific zone, purchasing a computerized dispatching system and GPS trackers and eliminating a "will-call" service that allowed riders flexibility with their pick-up times but reaped havoc on contractors' ability to coordinate and guarantee pick-ups.

But it was clear at Wednesday's meetings that the changes have not gone over well with riders.

"It was a change for the worse," said Darlene Hale, the mother of a man with severe disabilities.

The zone system is "confusing, irritating and extremely stressful to disabled people," Hale told officials at the meeting.

"Instead of calling one carrier like you used to, you have to make two or three phone calls for the same trip," said Hale.

Ma'at, a paratransit rider, agreed. She said that her respiratory problems make it not only uncomfortable but unsafe for her to spend long hours waiting for a bus to arrive, particularly in the heat.

"The service changes are putting people in stress and making them ill," she told the board.

Ma'at said that trip lengths have not improved, and that it took her 3 ½ hours to get to the Arlington Heights meeting from her North Side home.

Celia Jackson, also a paratransit rider, expressed opposition to the elimination of the will-call system, which she says makes it impossible for riders to coordinate pick-up times from medical appointments.

Some of the riders reserved particularly harsh words for MV Transportation, a California-based company that began serving Chicago on the same day reforms were implemented.

Before the board meeting, riders gathered in the Pace lobby, complaining that MV's drivers do not know how to properly secure their wheelchairs, do not allow passengers to stop to use the restroom during particularly long journeys and are often rude and disrespectful.

Paratransit rider Debbie Pittman said MV drivers, "complain when they have to assist people like a visually impaired person."

"They say it slows them down. I've had a number of people call and tell me about that."

MV is prohibited in its contract with Pace from speaking to the media. However, Wilmot, the Pace spokesman, said that problems with MV were apparent within weeks, and that, following an April 10 meeting, the company replaced their Chicago manager.

"Pace and MV management agreed that the transition was not handled in an acceptable manner," Wilmot said, adding that the issues included MV being short on staff and vehicles.

"Those issues have been addressed now," he said.

Responding to other concerns, he said that MV's drivers are required to complete disability awareness training and that as long as trips take roughly the same amount of time as the fixed-route system, contractors are within ADA guidelines.

He also said that the new computer system is allowing the agency to coordinate trips more efficiently, though that can mean more stops.

That, he said, is in everyone's interest, as state guidelines mandate that 10 percent of the system's operational costs be passed on to the consumer.

Wilmot says consumers are "encouraged to report excessively long trips to the agency, so that we can investigate every incident."

To that end, Pace has established a "blue ribbon committee" to explore service issues for riders with disabilities. The committee is expected to issue a set of recommendations in December.

Although board Chairman Richard Kwasneski was quick to point out that 25 percent of the Pace-appointed board is comprised of riders, those at the meeting scoffed at how few of them are from Chicago. Three of the 32 committee members are Chicago paratransit consumers.

"I hope we can move forward," committee member and Metra ADA committee chair Alva Rodriguez told the board.

"I just hope and pray things can get better among you guys, and you guys are able to work with the community to make the system work. They are getting impatient because their lives are at stake."

Correction: State guidelines mandate that 10 percent of the paratransit system's operational costs be passed on to the consumer. An earlier version attributed the requirement to federal guidelines.

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