A new system aimed at improving paratransit transportation service for Chicago's disabled commuters has left some riders stranded and others stuck in long, difficult commutes, advocates and riders told bus company representatives yesterday.

The complaints came at a board meeting for the Pace Suburban Bus Company, which took over paratransit operations from the Chicago Transit Authority two years ago in July 2006 as part of a legislative effort to streamline the service.

Paratransit provides door-to-door service for people unable to use fixed-route bus and rail service. It was mandated under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act for any public transportation agency receiving federal funds.

Pace has provided its paratransit services exclusively through private contractors since taking over the service. But spokesman Patrick Wilmot acknowledges that the company has yet to find a way to maximize efficiency.

Until recently, three contractors, Cook-DuPage Transportation (CDT), SCR Medical Transportation and Art's Transportation, each operated overlapping citywide services. In an effort to improve service, Pace officials decided to purchase a computerized reservation system and split the contractors into assigned zones.

They also hired two new contractors.

As of March 28, Art's Transportation and Jay's Transportion began providing overflow service as well as "subscription" service for regular, weekly pick-ups, while three companies, CDT, SCR and MV Transportation, Inc., are each responsible for one zone.

Within days of the system's implementation, however, the computer system crashed, according to a company press release issued in April.

But riders say that wasn't the only glitch.

William Crosby, who lives at 86^th and Bishop, complained that many of the contractors seem to have "no respect" for riders' time or appointments.

Crosby and other riders described spending hours on paratransit buses, as drivers drove far out of their way to pick up and drop off other passengers.

According to paratransit rider Martha Cooper, who uses a wheelchair, her commute on Tuesday lasted five and a half hours.

Rider Sharon Lamp, who also uses a wheelchair, said one person who had planned to testify at Wednesday's meeting was stranded in Rosemont instead.

Lamp said the issue becomes a matter of human dignity when riders are "held captive for hours," with no stops to use a washroom.

Although Lamp described the problem as "chronic ... along all contractors," some  complaints were concentrated on the area north of Fullerton Avenue served by MV Transportation.

Anne Gunter, advocate from Progress Center for Independent Living in Forest Park, said some of MV's staff are ill-equipped to provide safe transit or deal with the disabled.

"I have had several confrontations with them when they did not want to secure my chair properly," she said.

Larry Biondi, of Progress Center for Independent Living, agreed. He said his driver got lost yesterday morning taking him to work.

"I tried to tell her the way and she disregarded me," he said.

Representatives of MV Transportation were not among the speakers at Wednesday's meeting.

Alva Rodriguez, of the Suburban Access Squad, said the problem  "defies the legislative intent to provide a coordinated and improved regional paratransit system."

Instead, she said, "we now have a system in chaos in which PACE is providing separate and unequal services to different areas of Chicago and surrounding suburbs."

Pace officials were quick to acknowledge that the paratransit transition has not gone as smoothly as they would have liked, and committed to creating a "blue ribbon panel" to investigate and recommend corrective actions.

Pace Board Chairman Richard Kwasneski said the committee will be comprised of leaders from the disabled community, consumers, advocates and specialists in the provision of paratransit service.

Kwasneski said the details of the committee's composition  should be available by the next Pace board meeting in June, with their recommendations to be presented in November.

"We want riders to know that we're listening to what they're saying to make more improvements to the system," Kwasneski said.

Pace estimates that its special services unit provides transportation to approximately 40,000 Chicago riders per month.