A March 5 article about problems with MetroAccess service did not make it clear that Scott McDaniel, a MetroAccess rider, is an employee of Service Sources Inc., which operates the Woodmont Center in Arlington County. The article also misstated the nature of his disabilities. McDaniel is legally blind, and although he has other disabilities, he and his parents say he is not mentally disabled.
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What Disabled Riders Endure
As they pulled onto I-66, the driver said his GPS device had stopped working and he had gone to Springfield to switch vans. He said he had not had a break since 5 a.m. An MV executive said 200 drivers had either quit or been fired since the company began easing into service in October, before it officially took over the contract in January.
Shah's driver got lost once on the return trip, a mistake amounting to perhaps five minutes, after which they both turned on their GPS devices. Around 4:30, the van pulled up to Shah's driveway.
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"We are here, my friend," the driver said. In all, Shah said, it was a very good day.
William Poyner
'It's a nightmare.'
William Poyner, 72, suffers from glaucoma and inflammation of the optic nerve. He is legally blind and last drove in 1962.
For his 2:45 p.m. eye doctor's appointment, he wore a black wool overcoat, a black Greek captain's hat and Gucci sunglasses.
Poyner, who lives on Van Ness Street NW, had requested a van for 1 p.m. and was still waiting 50 minutes later. Each time he called MetroAccess, he was put on hold, listening to a recording telling him it is easy to book or check on a ride reservation. "It's a nightmare," he said.
At 1:52, Poyner asked the front desk clerk to call for a cab. It arrived at 2:05.
The cab ride cost Poyner $14.50 and delivered him to the doctor's office, on 20th Street NW, about 2:20 p.m.
When Poyner told medical secretary Lonni York that his MetroAccess van did not arrive on time, she replied: "That's typical. . . . I've seen a lot of passengers get stranded."
She said that patients wait months to see the specialist and that because of MetroAccess's unreliability, some lose their appointments.
At 3:30 p.m., MetroAccess called Poyner's cell phone to say the vehicle for his return trip was waiting. He said that he wasn't ready, and he was told that a van would be there at 4:30. It arrived on time, and Poyner climbed in at 4:37.
The driver told him that he had another 4:30 pickup across town, on Maryland Avenue SW. Poyner pointed out that his home was only 10 minutes away.
