OIG: Amtrak could improve service to passengers with disabilities

Amtrak could provide better customer service to passengers with disabilities, according to a new report from the Amtrak Office of Inspector General.

While Amtrak has ongoing efforts to improve its service to passengers with disabilities, the OIG determined two key issues: Amtrak has no overarching strategy; and is not fully leveraging relevant data, OIG officials said in the report.

An overarching strategy would establish goals, metrics, staff roles and priorities to guide customer service to passengers with disabilities. The passenger railroad's current initiatives are not well coordinated between departments, OIG officials said. The departments which provide customer service do not consistently involve Amtrak's Accessibility Office in initiatives.

For example, the Digital Technology and Innovation office did not coordinate with the Accessibility Office when modifying the Amtrak mobile app. Accessibility is not always prioritized in initiatives company-wide, OIG officials said. When it is, there are no meaningful ways to measure how effective accessibility initiatives are. 

Amtrak is also not regularly analyzing key data that could provide insights, such as customer surveys, ridership figures and customer service audits. Additionally, the OIG found that the Accessibility Office is not tracking all customer complaints and their resolutions. Approximately 69% of customer complaints tracked by the OIG were not in the Accessibility Office's complaint spreadsheet. Key data such as dates and resolutions to complaints were not always tracked in the office's spreadsheet, either.

The OIG also recommended that the Accessibility Office begin leveraging other data sources, such as ridership trends among passengers with disabilities, and passenger injury claims data.

Issued July 11, the OIG's full report can be read here.