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Beaufort Area Transit - "Get on the Bus... Come Ride with Us!"
Title VI Compliance
Title VI Policy Statement
It is the policy of Beaufort Area Transit Non-Profit Private Transportation Corporation to ensure compliance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; 49 CFR, Part 21; related statutes and regulations that ensure no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability, be excluded from the participation in, or be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance from the United States Department of Transportation.
Dianna Griffin, Beaufort Area Transit Transportation Manager
Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against should contact:
Beaufort County Developmental Center/Beaufort Area Transit
1537 W. 5th Street
Washington, NC 27889
Beaufort Area Transit
Title VI Notice to Public
U.S. Department of Justice regulations, 28 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 42.405, Public Dissemination of Title VI information, require recipients of Federal financial assistance to publish or broadcast program information in the news media. Advertisements must state that the program is an equal opportunity program and/or indicate that Federal law prohibits discrimination. Additionally, reasonable steps shall be taken to publish information in languages understood by the population eligible to be served or likely to be directly affected by transportation projects.
Beaufort Area Transit hereby gives public notice that it’s the policy of our organization to assure full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, Executive Order 12898 Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, Executive Order 13166 Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Profanely, and related nondiscrimination statutes and regulations in all programs and services. It is the organization’s policy that no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, sex, age, income status, national origin, or disabilities be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program, activities, or services for which Beaufort Area Transit receives Federal financial assistance.
Any person who believes they have been mistreated by an unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI has a right to file a formal complaint with Beaufort Area Transit. Any such complaint must be writing or in person with Beaufort Area Transit, 1537 W. 5th Street, Washington, NC 27889, within one hundred eighty (180) days following the date of the alleged discrimination occurrence. Title VI Discrimination Complaint forms may be obtained from the Beaufort Area Transit Office at no cost by calling 252-946-5778.
Nondiscrimination Policy
POLICY:
It is the policy of this agency to provide equal opportunity to all people who are admitted to, participate in, or are the recipients of Beaufort Area Transit services.
PURPOSE:
To describe Beaufort Area Transit policy of nondiscrimination.
PROCEDURES:
As a recipient of Federal financial assistance, Beaufort Area Transit does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or on the basis of disability or age in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits of any of its programs and activities or in employment therein, whether carried out by Beaufort Area Transit directly or through a contractor or any other entity with whom Beaufort Area Transit arranges to carry out its programs and activities.
This statement is in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Regulations of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued pursuant to the acts, Title 4 Code of Federal Regulations Part 80, 84, and 91. (Other Federal Laws and Regulations provide similar protection against discrimination on grounds of sex and creed)
In case of questions concerning this policy, or in the event of a desire to file a complaint alleging violations of the above, please contact the Beaufort Area Transit Manager.
*Complaints must be filed no later than 180 days after the alleged act of discrimination occurred.
Passenger Service Complaint Procedure
Customer satisfaction is a priority for Beaufort Area Transit. Passenger complaints are a significant tool for improving performance and customer satisfaction.
Submitting Complaints
Beaufort Area Transit staff who encounter persons wishing to make a complaint (either in speaking with them in person or on the telephone) shall provide them with a Complaint Report and the procedure for which the complaint will be addressed. Passengers are encouraged to submit written complaints or service suggestions to administrative staff. However, passengers that are unable to submit a written complaint may call the Beaufort Area Transit office. Under these circumstances, the complainant will be interviewed and the staff person receiving the complaint will convert the complaint to writing. The staff person recording the complaint will sign and date the Beaufort Area Transit complaint form.
Complaints:
- Should be in writing (using the Beaufort Area Transit complaint form) or complainant may call and have staff convert the complaint in writing.
- Must be signed and dated.
- Must be submitted within 15 calendar days of the date of the offense;
- Must be submitted to:
Beaufort Area Transit
1537 W. 5th Street
Washington, NC 27889
252-946-5778
Complaint Review and Response
The Administrative Staff will review and investigate all
Complaint Reports received.
Administrative Staff will respond to all protests in writing (certified mail), addressing each substantive issue raised in the protest. Response will be made by Administrative Staff within fifteen calendar days after receiving the complaint. A copy of the response will be forwarded to the CEO. The written response will advise the Complainant that she/he has the ability to submit a written request for a second review of the matter.
Second Review
In the event the Complainant believes that the situation has not been resolved satisfactorily, she/he may submit a written request for a second review of the matter. This written request must be received by the Transportation Manger within fifteen calendar days of the date noted on the Beaufort Area Transit response letter. The request for second review must be addressed to Beaufort Area Transit, 1537 W. 5th Street, Washington, NC 27889.
Once received, the Transportation Director will forward the written request to the Beaufort County Developmental Center CEO, who will render a written response to the complainant. The written response will be sent via certified mail to the complainant within 15 calendar days after being received by Beaufort Area Transit.
Complaint Procedures Alleging Discrimination
It is the policy of Beaufort Area Transit Non-Profit Private Transportation Corporation to ensure compliance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; 49 CFR, Part 21; related statutes and regulations that ensure no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability, be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance from the United States Department of Transportation.
Any person alleging discrimination based on race, color, or national origin has a right to file a complaint within 180 days of alleged discrimination. At the discretion of the complainant, the complaint may be filed with the federal department, the state recipient, or Beaufort Area Transit. The complaint may be filed through a legal representative. The identity of the complainant is not necessary, provided the information is sufficient to determine the identity of the recipient, and indicates the possibility of a violation. Should the complaint be submitted to Beaufort Area Transit, the following procedures will be followed:
A. All complaints, written or verbal, made to Beaufort Area Transit shall be accepted. In the event a complainant sets forth allegations verbally and refuses to reduce such allegations to writing, the person to whom the complaint is made shall reduce the elements of the complaint to writing.
B. Discrimination complaints, whether written or verbal, should contain the following information:
- Name, address and telephone number of the complainant if available
- Name and location of the entity delivering the service.
- Nature of the incident that led the complainant to believe discrimination was a factor.
- Basis of the complaint, I.E., race, color, or national origin.
- Names, addresses and phone numbers of people who may have knowledge of the event.
- Date or dates on which the alleged discriminatory event or events occurred.
- A complaint log shall be kept by Beaufort Area Transit to the proper state authorities.
C. Discrimination Complaints:
- Complaints shall be handled within 90 days of their
Receipt by Beaufort Area Transit, depending on the nature of the
complaint and the complexity of the investigation.
- A certified letter shall be sent by Beaufort Area Transit acknowledging
receipt of the complaint to the complainant and
NCDOT/PTD.
- A preliminary inquiry shall be conducted by Beaufort Area Transit on
all complaints to substantiate or refute the allegations.
- If the preliminary inquiry by Beaufort Area Transit indicates that the complaint is valid,
then a full complaint investigation shall be initiated. A certified letter
shall be sent by Beaufort Area Transit to the complainant and any persons of interest notifying them that an investigation has begun and they should contact Beaufort Area Transit to schedule a date, time and place of interest, or shall be notified at this time that no discussion should take place regarding this complaint other than with the investigator without prior approval and knowledge from the investigator.
- If the allegations are not substantiated, a certified letter shall be sent by
Beaufort Area Transit to the complainant and NCDOT/PTD that contains a description of the allegations investigated, the scope of the investigation, the facts learned and closing statement summarizing the basis on which the determination was made.
- If the allegations are found to have merit, a certified letter shall be sent
by Beaufort Area Transit to the Complainant and NCDOT/PTD that contains the results
Of the investigation, recommendations and detailed plan of action as well as a means and time frame for follow-up to the recommendations. The complainant or his/her representative and NCDOT/PTD will be advised of each step of the process by Beaufort Area Transit.
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