The Law
Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) hereby gives public notice of its policy to uphold and assure full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and all related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. Title VI and related statutes prohibiting discrimination in federally assisted programs require that no person on the grounds of race, color or national origin be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
Complaint Procedures and Forms are available on the website at www.RideCARTS.com.
Filing a Complaint
Any person who believes they have been aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice regarding CARTS’s Title VI Program has a right to file a formal complaint. Any such complaint must be in writing and submitted to CARTS Title VI Coordinator within 180 days following the date of the alleged occurrence. A person may also file a complaint directly with the Office of Civil Rights for the Federal Transit Administration or Texas Department of Transportation. For more information regarding civil rights complaints or if information is needed in another language, please contact:
Capital Area Rural Transportation System
Title VI Coordinator
P.O. Box 2107
Bastrop, Texas 78602
Texas Department of Transportation
125 E. 11th St., Austin, TX 78701-2483
Federal Transit Administration
Office of Civil Rights
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
La ley
El Sistema de Transporte Rural del Área de la Capital (CARTS) por la presente da aviso público de su política para defender y asegurar el pleno cumplimiento del Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 y todos los estatutos y reglamentos relacionados en todos los programas y actividades. El Título VI y los estatutos relacionados que prohíben la discriminación en los programas con asistencia federal exigen que ninguna persona por motivos de raza, color u origen nacional sea excluida de la participación, se le nieguen los beneficios o sea objeto de discriminación en ningún programa o actividad que reciba ayuda federal. financiero asistencia.
Los Procedimientos y Formularios de Quejas están disponibles en el sitio web en www.RideCARTS.com.
Presentar una queja
Cualquier persona que crea que ha sido agraviada por una práctica discriminatoria ilegal con respecto al Programa del Título VI de CARTS tiene derecho a presentar una queja formal. Cualquier queja de este tipo debe hacerse por escrito y presentarse al Coordinador del Título VI de CARTS dentro de los 180 días posteriores a la fecha de la supuesta ocurrencia. Una persona también puede presentar una queja directamente ante la Oficina de Derechos Civiles de la Administración Federal de Tránsito o el Departamento de Transporte de Texas. Para obtener más información sobre quejas de derechos civiles o si necesita información en otro idioma, comuníquese con:
Capital Area Rural Transportation System
Title VI Coordinator
P.O. Box 2107
Bastrop, Texas 78602
Texas Department of Transportation
125 E. 11th St., Austin, TX 78701-2483
Federal Transit Administration
Office of Civil Rights
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590
Title VI Complaint/Procedure
TITLE VI COMPLAINT PROCEDURE (Spanish)
All formal complaints under CARTS Title VI Program will be filed in accordance with the following complaint procedures related to providing programs, services, and benefits. However, these procedures does not deny the complainant the right to file formal complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Federal Transit Administration Office of Civil Rights, and Texas Department of Transportation or seek private counsel for complaints alleging discrimination, intimidation or retaliation of any kind that is prohibited by law.
General:
Any individual, group of individuals or entity that believes they have been subjected to discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, as prohibited by Title VI nondiscrimination provisions by CARTS, may file a written complaint with Capital Area Rural Transportation System, Title VI Coordinator, at P. O. Box 2107, Bastrop, TX 78602. Complainants have the right to complain directly to the appropriate federal agency. Every effort will be made to obtain early resolution of complaints. The option of informal meeting(s) between the affected parties and the Title VI Coordinator may be utilized for resolutions. The Title VI Coordinator will notify the General Manager of all Title VI related complaints as well as all resolutions.
A formal complaint must be received within 180 days following the date of the alleged incident. CARTS will only process complaints that are complete.
Title VI Complaint Form is available upon request; however, a complaint may be filed in any written form and mailed to CARTS’ main office at P.O. Box 2107, Austin, TX 78602. The complainant may also access the Title VI Complaint Form via our website at www.RideCARTS.com.
1. The Complaint must meet the following requirements:
a. Complaint shall be in writing and signed by the complainant(s). In cases where Complainant is unable or incapable of providing a written statement, a verbal complaint may be made. The Title VI Coordinator will interview the Complainant and assist the person in converting verbal complaints to writing. All complaints must, however, be signed by the Complainant or his/her representative.
b. Include the date of the alleged act of discrimination date when the Complainants became aware of the alleged act of discrimination; or the date on which that conduct was discontinued or the latest instance of conduct.
c. Present a detailed description of the issues, including names and job titles of those individuals perceived as parties in the complaint.
d. Federal and state law requires complaints be filed within 180 calendar days of the alleged incident.
e. CARTS will notify their PTC by email or fax of any Title VI – related complaints received within 10 working days of the receipt of the complaint, including a paper or electronic copy of the complaint form.
2. Upon receipt of the complaint, the Title VI Coordinator will determine the need for additional information and will investigate the merit of the complaint.
3. The Complainant will be provided with a written acknowledgment that CARTS has either accepted or rejected the complaint.
4. A complaint must meet the following criteria for acceptance:
a. The Complaint must be filed within 180 days of the alleged occurrence.
b. The allegation must involve a covered basis such as race, color or national origin.
c. The allegation must involve CARTS Transportation Service or one of its Federal-Aid subcontractors, or contractor.
5. A complaint may be dismissed for the following reasons:
a. The Complainant requests the withdrawal of the complaint.
b. The Complainant fails to respond to repeated requests for additional information needed to process the complaint.
c. The Complainant cannot be located after reasonable attempts.
6. After the Title VI Coordinator reviews the complaint, he/she will issue one of two letters to the complainant: A Closure Letter or a Letter of Finding (LOF). Once CARTS Title VI Coordinator accept the complaint for investigation, the Complainant will be notified in writing of such determination. The complaint will receive a case number and will be tracked on a log that will identify the complainant’s name, basis, alleged harm, race, color and national origin of the Complainant.
7. Once CARTS Title VI Coordinator completes the investigation a report will be submitted to the General Manager within 90 calendar days from the date of the acceptance of the complaint. The report will include a narrative description of the incident, identification of persons interviewed, findings and recommendations for disposition.
8. The report and its findings will be reviewed by the Title VI Coordinator and the General Manager and in some cases may be reviewed by CARTS Legal Counsel. The Report will be modified as needed.
9. The General Manager will make a determination on the disposition of the complaint. Dispositions will be stated as follows:
a. In the event CARTS is in non-compliance with Title VI regulations remedial actions will be listed.
10. Notice of the General Manager’s determination will be mailed to the Complainant. Notice shall include information regarding appeal rights of Complainant and instructions for initiating such an appeal. Notice of appeals are as follows:
a. CARTS will reconsider this determination, if new facts or findings are found.
b. If Complainant is dissatisfied with the determination and/or resolution set forth by CARTS, the same complaint may be submitted to the Texas Department of Transportation or FTA Office of Civil Rights, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
11. A copy of the complaint and CARTS investigation report/letter of finding and Final Remedial Action Plan, if appropriate will be issued to FTA within 120 days of the receipt of the complaint.
12. A summary of the complaint and its resolution will be included as part of the Title VI updates to the FTA.
IIf the complainant is not satisfied with CARTS resolutions, complaint Forms (also available in Spanish) can be obtained from CARTS, 5300 Tucker Hill Lane, Cedar Creek, TX 78612. You can also obtain a complaint form from our website: www.RideCARTS.com. Select “about” and click on the Title VI link.
CARTS will notify TxDOT Public Transportation Coordinator by email or fax of any Title VI-related complaints received within 10 working days of the receipt of the complaint: including a paper or electronic copy of the completing form. Complaints can also be directly filed with the following agency:
Attn: Public Transportation Coordinator
Texas Department of Transportation
125 E. 11th. Street
Austin, TX 78701-2483