Letter To Schindler Group 5-19-2023

DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA
MAYOR
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
May 19, 2023
Paul Bloom
Chief Operating Officer
Schindler Group
20 Whippany Rd #122
Morristown, NJ 07960
Ensuring all residents and visitors can access County services including our public transit
system is a top priority for my administration and a core obligation to our community. I share
the public’s profound and growing frustration about the significant challenges with elevator and
escalator outages at transit stations – which have made parts of our transit system entirely
inaccessible to riders with limited mobility.
Public trust in our services – and in our commitment to address deficiencies with County
facilities swiftly – is paramount. For the last several months Miami-Dade County has sought
answers from Schindler Group and an action plan to restore accessibility at our transit stations,
but unfortunately the extended down times remain an ongoing problem. This failure to provide
equal access to all riders is unacceptable and requires immediate solutions.
It’s particularly critical that we address the continued outages at stations where both the
elevator and escalator are out of service, providing no alternative to riders who are unable to
take the stairs.
Following our latest meeting this week, please find a summary of staff’s concerns and several
immediate next steps.
Summary of concerns
The Schindler Group currently holds two maintenance contracts for conveyance systems with
Miami-Dade County including 143 units in Department of Transportation and Public Works
(DTPW) facilities. While the majority of the units are included in the legacy contract with the
Schindler Group, 27 units (15 elevators and 12 escalators) were assumed under emergency
contract E10230 on June 10, 2022. It is worth noting that at the time of emergency contract
execution, only two units were suffering major outages (Eleventh Street Station and Fifth Street
Station). When the contract was assumed, Schindler conducted an assessment of all units
resulting in proposals for these two units which were reviewed and executed by DTPW in an
expedited manner. Since approval of these proposals, the department has approved numerous
proposal for these two units. To date, both units are still inoperable and the schedule has been
delayed several times. Further, units at the Financial District Station, School Board Station, and
Adrienne Arsht Center Station became inoperable in Fall 2022 while Schindler was responsible
for the units under the emergency contract.
STEPHEN P. CLARK CENTER • 111 N.W. FIRST STREET • 29TH FLOOR • MIAMI, FLORIDA 33128-1930 • (305) 375-1880 • (305) 375-1262
There are growing concerns with the extended outages at various sites and in particular
about the failures of multiple conveyances at vulnerable sites that have left impaired
patrons with no access on or off the platform.
Currently, Schindler is holding the system at approximately 95.5% in-service; however, both
contracts held by Schindler require availability of no less than 98% for each escalator, and 99%
for each elevator on a monthly basis. The current in-service percentages required in the
contract are not being met at this time. County staff has identified the following sites as the
most vulnerable throughout the system due to lack of redundancy in conveyance units:
• Adrienne Arsht Center Station – Escalator inoperable for 217 days
• School Board Station – Escalator inoperable for 204 days
• Financial District Station – Escalator out for 199 days
• Eleventh Street Station – Escalator inoperable for 384 days
• Fifth Street Station – Elevator inoperable for 365 days
There should not be any period of time when both elevator and escalators are inoperable
for an extended period at a single transit station. To address these delays and ensure
that all transit patrons can access our facilities, we are requesting Schindler adhere to
the following responsiveness and performance standards for transit conveyance
systems and immediately take the following actions:
• All major outstanding repairs for units currently out of service that can be repaired must
be completed within 30 days, and moving forward, any other units that become
inoperable should be repaired within 30 days
• Minor repairs must be completed within one hour of formal notification from DTPW
• Schindler should provide daily communication with DTPW staff to provide scheduled
dates for website updates and deployment of station signage
• Schindler should have representation at daily check-in calls with the Mayor’s office to
provide updates on current health of the system and ongoing repairs
• Any changes or delays to repair schedules must be communicated to DTPW
immediately so that we can adjust and inform the public. Shifting repair timelines have
remained a challenge and erode public trust in our commitment to rectify these issues,
and staff is looking to pursue damages as stipulated into our contract based on delays
to the projected repair schedules.
Further, I have directed staff to evaluate and present all options for my consideration to
ensure the units that can no longer be fixed are replaced expeditiously. These options
include but not limited to allowing Schindler to replace these units or contract with other elevator
service providers on an emergency basis. Our main consideration for this work is the speed
with which these providers can replace the units.
Additionally, I have directed our staff to assess conditions of stations and determine what
repairs and enhancements are needed from an infrastructure perspective. South Florida
weather means the units in these stations are subject to harsh conditions and deteriorate faster
than those installed inside buildings, and I have asked staff to explore all possible options for
repairs and hardening of these facilities – including seeking state and federal funding – to make
improvements and retrofits where needed in order to enhance the lifespan of our conveyances
moving forward.
Finally, we are also exploring options to enhance our current efforts to provide alternatives to
riders with limited mobility unable to access certain stations, including expediting roll-out of the
GoConnect system to provide more seamless on-demand transportation.
We appreciate your swift attention to the concerns in this letter as we work together to do
everything possible to restore public access to our transit facilities.
Sincerely,
Daniella Levine Cava

Mayor
c: Jimmy L. Morales, Chief Operations Officer, Office of the Mayor

Office of the Mayor Senior Staff
Eulois Cleckley, Director and CEO, DTPW
Namita Uppal, Director, Strategic Procurement Department
Alex Muñoz, Director, Internal Services Department
Josiel Ferrer-Diaz, P.E., Deputy Director & Chief Operations and Maintenance Officer, DTPW

Letter To Schindler Group 5-19-2023

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DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA

Daniella Levine Cava

c: Jimmy L. Morales, Chief Operations Officer, Office of the Mayor

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