Patrons of the Vitran ADA service (Americans with Disabilities Act) on St. Thomas and St. John will have to arrange for alternate transportation for awhile, including getting to the polls Tuesday. All three vehicles designed to serve the disabled, two on St. Thomas and one on St. John, are out of commission.
Acting Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood said the parts to service the vehicles had been ordered but were sent to St. Croix in error.
"We're trying to find a forklift" to move the parts to a boat to get them to St. Thomas, Callwood said. He explained that the parts were "very large."
Vitran supervisor Louis Petersen said Friday night he has been trying to get parts for a week. He said the parts needed were engines.
"One went down first, and then the other one," Petersen said, referring to the vehicles. "I'm not sure about the one on St. John."
A statement from Government House said ADA clients can call 774-5678 to arrange alternate transportation. Callwood said someone should be at the number at all times to assist.
However, Petersen said all the regular ADA clients had already been informed there was no service available. With Election Day on Tuesday, Petersen expressed concern about getting the elderly and disabled out to vote.
Though Government House said alternative service would be provided by affiliate nonprofit organizations on a first-come first-served basis, Petersen said to his knowledge none of those affiliates had been contacted yet.
"I guess we'll do that on Monday," he said, and "wait to see if we get any calls."
Callwood said in the statement from Government House that service would be based on the ability of the affiliates to provide it. He could give no estimate of how long the Vitran ADA vehicles were expected to be out of service.
