Disclosure about Access-A-Ride conflict of interest

Readers: Time for me to go to the woodshed. In my Sunday Dear John column, I have been soliciting comments about Access-A-Ride from readers.

The reason is because I got a tip that the rules under which people get rides had changed — namely, I was told they would now have to book trips both ways ahead of time. So they would no longer be able to call when an appointment was finished for the return trip.

I did not disclose, though I should have, that I heard about these possible changes because I have a relative who owns one of the car services that provides rides to Access-A-Ride. This relative’s service no longer is one of the main providers for Access-A-Ride on Staten Island; it’s a subcontractor, because someone else outbid for the contract.

I also did not note that my 92-year-old mother was using Access-A-Ride (she no longer does). So I had a personal interest in what people were saying about the service.

This topic is one that is important to the elderly and disabled who rely on the service. But I should have noted my family’s connections so that readers could judge whether I had a conflict of interest. For that, I’m sorry.