Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act requires that “No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, 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.
If you believe you have been discriminated against because of your race, color, national origin, or disability, or you have a complaint about the accessibility of our transit system or service, you can file a formal complaint. Please provide all facts and circumstances surrounding your issue or complaint so we can fully investigate the incident.
How do you file a complaint?
You can call us at (907)-495-8411, download and use our Title VI/ADA complaint form or request a copy of the form by writing Sunshine Transit, PO Box 1189, Willow, Alaska 99688.
You may file a signed, dated, and written complaint no more than 180 days from the date of the alleged incident. The complaint should include:
Your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. (See Question 1 of the complaint form.)
How, why, and when you believe you were discriminated against. Include as much specific, detailed information as possible about the alleged acts of discrimination, and any other relevant information. (See Questions 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the complaint form.)
The names of any persons, if known, whom the director could contact for clarity of your allegations. (See Question 10 of the complaint form.)
Please submit your complaint form to the address listed below:
Kimberly Schlosser, Executive Director Sunshine Transit
P.O. Box 1189
Willow, Alaska 99688
Do you need complaint assistance?
If you are unable to complete a written complaint or if the information is needed in another language, we can assist you. Please call us at 907-495-8411 or email us at sunshinetransit@yahoo.com.
How will your complaint be handled?
Sunshine Transit investigates complaints received no more than 180 days after the alleged incident. We will process complaints that are complete. You will receive a letter acknowledging that we have received your complaint.
Sunshine Transit will generally complete an investigation within 90 days from receipt of a complaint. If more information is needed to resolve the case, we may contact you. Unless a longer period is specified, you will have ten (10) days from the date of the request to send the requested information. If the requested information is not received, we may administratively close the case. A case may also be administratively closed if you no longer wish to pursue it.
After an investigation is complete, Sunshine Transit will send you a letter summarizing the results of the investigation, stating the findings, and advising of any corrective action to be taken. If you disagree with the determination, you may request reconsideration by submitting a request in writing to Sunshine Transit’s Executive Director within seven (7) days of the date of the summary letter, stating with specificity the basis for the reconsideration. Sunshine Transit’s Executive Director will notify you of the decision either to accept or reject the request for reconsideration within ten (10) days. In cases where reconsideration is granted, Sunshine Transit’s Executive Director will issue a determination letter upon completion of the reconsideration review.
Do I have other options for filing a complaint?
We encourage that you file the complaint with us. However, you may file a complaint with Alaska Community Transit or the Federal Transit Administration.
Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
Alaska Community Transit
PO Box 112500
Juneau, AK 99811
(907) 465-4070
TTY: Relay Alaska 1-800-770-8255
dot.alaska.transit@alaska.gov
Federal Transit Administration
Office of Civil Rights
Attention: Title VI or ADA Coordinator
East Building
5th Floor-TCR
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590