Civil Rights Complaints
Any person who believes he or she has been denied benefits or excluded from participation in services of any program or activity administered by USDOT or its sub-recipients, consultants, or contractors on the basis of race, color, national origin (including LEP) may file a complaint pursuant to Title VI and/or related statutes. In addition to Title Vi, GoCary also prohibits discrimination based on sex, age, disability, religion, medical condition, marital status, or sexual orientation. The following information is necessary to assist us in processing your complaint. All Civil Rights complaints are considered formal.
Complainants must file a signed, written complaint no later than 180 days from:
The date of the alleged act of discrimination;
The date when the person(s) became aware of the alleged discrimination; or
Where there has been a continuing course of conduct, the date on which the conduct was discontinued.
The complaint should include the following information:
The complainant’s name, mailing address, and contact information (i.e., telephone number, email address, etc.)
How, when, where, and why the complainant believes he or she was discriminated against. Include the location, names, and contact information of any witnesses.
Any additional information the complainant deems significant and pertinent to the grievance(s).
The GoCary Civil Rights Complaint Form may be used to submit the complaint information. Complaint forms can also be obtained by contacting the GoCary Transit Program Coordinator at 919-653-7141 or BetterTransit@GoCary.org. The complaint may be filed in writing with the Town of Cary at the following address:
Town of Cary/GoCary
Transit Program Coordinator
P.O. Box 8005
Cary, NC 27512
In addition to filing Civil Rights complaints with the Town of Cary Transit Division, complainants may also file a Civil Rights complaint with the following agency:
U.S. Department of Transportation
Attn: Office of Civil Rights
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590
Civil Rights complaints received by the Town of Cary are investigated by the Town of Cary’s Transit Program Coordinator. Once a complaint is received, it will be reviewed by the Transit Program Coordinator to determine if the Town has jurisdiction. The complainant will receive an acknowledgment letter informing them whether the complaint will be investigated by the Town.
The Transit Program Coordinator will begin an investigation within fifteen (15) working days of receipt of a complaint. The Transit Program Coordinator will assign an internal tracking number on the complaint form.
The Transit Program Coordinator will contact the complainant in writing no later than thirty (30) working days after receipt of complaint for additional information, if needed, to investigate the complaint. Failure of the complainant to provide the requested information in a timely basis (within 10 days unless the Transit Program Coordinator provides a different timeline) may result in the administrative closure of the complaint or a delay in complaint resolution. A case may also be administratively closed if the complainant no longer wishes to pursue their case.
Reasonable measures will be taken to preserve any information that is confidential. At a minimum, the Transit Program Coordinator will:
Identify and review all relevant documents, practices and procedures;
Identify and interview persons with knowledge of the Civil Rights violation, e.g. the person making the complaint, witnesses or anyone identified by the complainant, anyone who may have been subject to similar activity or anyone with relevant information.
The investigation will be completed within ninety (90) days of receipt of the complaint. Upon completion of the investigation, the Transit Program Coordinator will complete a final written report for the Transit Director. The report shall include a background summary of the complaint, findings of the investigation and a conclusion. If a Civil Rights violation is found to exist, corrective actions and remedial steps as appropriate and necessary will be included in the report and taken immediately. A closing letter summarizing the results of the investigation, stating the findings and advising of any corrective action to be taken as a result of the investigation will be provided to the complainant.
If the matter cannot be resolved, then the complainant will be informed of his/her right to appeal to the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Civil Rights at the following address:
U.S. Department of Transportation
Attn: Office of Civil Rights
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590
NOTICE:
Complainants are encouraged to send all written correspondence through the U.S. Postal Service via certified mail in order to ensure that documents are easily tracked. If complainants choose to submit complaints by facsimile and/or email, an original, signed copy of the complaint must be mailed to the Transit Program Coordinator as soon as possible, but no later than 180 days from the alleged date of discrimination.
If your complaint is not specifically related to the GoCary transit service, please review the Town of Cary's ADA Grievance Procedure.
Upon request, alternative formats of this policy will be produced for people with disabilities.
Call 919-653-7141 or email BetterTransit@GoCary.org