Monroe County Transit Authority is reviewing a letter from a Brodheadsville man about its shared ride program.

Mike Vianello recently sent a letter to MCTA Board Chairman Richard Mutchler, other board members and the county commissioners in which he spells out his concerns with the service.

Vianello directs the members of the board to an article that appeared in the Times News on April 21 titled “Transit Troubles in the Poconos.” Vianello characterizes the article as telling of the “terrible treatment and horror that the Pocono Pony is inflicting on Monroe County’s elderly people, senior citizens, invalids, handicapped, infirm, ill, poor and disabled citizens.”

The major sticking points of the letter are long wait times for those being returned from medical appointments, and wasteful, inefficient routes.

The letter implores Mutchler to make MCTA employees “immediately stop the horrors complained of,” in the article.

Mutchler addressed Vianello’s letter at Thursday evening’s MCTA board of directors meeting. The letter was not discussed in detail, nor was any response made at the meeting.

Mutchler noted that while Vianello had been diligent in contacting a number of the board members, there were four who had not yet received copies of Vianello’s correspondence.

“I am going to personally see that each board member has a copy of the information and the article,” Mutchler said when questioned after the meeting. “I will then contact each director to get their response and input. I will forward my findings to Peggy (MCTA Executive Director Peggy Howarth) to put into a letter responding to Mr. Vianello. I will ask Peggy to run that letter past our attorney before it goes out, but I believe that he should have a response within a week.”

Mutchler said the reason he wanted the solicitor to review the letter was that since Vianello has raised his concerns to such high levels he just wants the response reviewed.

When asked, Howarth said that the authority is very aware of complaints and makes an effort to address them.

“We have a management meeting on the second Thursday and fourth Wednesday of every month to address complaints and kudos,” she said.

“We would like more kudos than complaints, but there are eight people who regularly attend and we spend about two hours addressing concerns and complaints and coming up with resolutions. We find that these review sessions are a great way of making sure that the right hand knows what the left hand is doing.”

There were not specific recommendations discussed regarding Vianello’s letter.