Today, January 27th, 2012, I had this company pick me up TWICE - Once in the morning to go TO my…read moreDialysis, and the 2nd to return home. I am a "regular" Handi-Van rider, (At LEAST every M/W/Fri) and in the area, are a few additional others. This morning, I had a driver who mentioned that he had to pick up someone else, on Young Street. Yet - he went around the block and headed WEST on Beretania. When he was just before Keeamoku, I asked him "I thought that you said you were going to pick someone else up?" He said "yes", and then I said "A Lady on YOUNG Street"? He AGAIN said "yes". So I told him he was GOING THE WRONG WAY! So I told him to turn onto Keeamoku, (he had to cross ALL THE WAY!), then left onto Young Street (behind the new Hale Pawaa building). He did, and I said "just go straight until I say it is coming up, then slow down and stop".... BTW - he initially was following his GPS, and I will explain WHY he NEEDED that... So it was who I thought it was, told him to stop, and he picked her up. She normally goes to Ala Moana, and The Handi-Van (which this company was REPRESENTING and SUB-CONTRACTING for) drops off at either in front of the Post Office (which is where she is normally dropped off) or on the backside - Ala Moana Blvd but INSIDE the parking lot "behind" the big Bus Stop... (*I then understood why the Post Office - from the back she would have to walk in with NO benches to stop and rest.) Apparently when she goes to Ala Moana, she goes to Makai Food Court, and asked if he could drop her off there instead of the Post Office. He didn't understand WHERE this was, so I had to DIRECT him ALL THE WAY down to ATKINSON (he didn't know THAT street either), direct him AROUND Ala Moana, and into the lot and made the left right in front of the food court. We had FINALLY arrived...After dropping her off, he needed to know HOW TO GET OUT OF the SHOPPING CENTER! So I HAD to ask - "You don't know this place?" And he said - Believe THIS - "I have only been here a WEEK"! Now HOW can someone that hasn't even been here a MONTH be driving Handicapped and the elderly with OUT even knowing WHERE YOU ARE GOING? At least a BASIC idea, but having been here ONLY ONE WEEK, how do you even get HIRED? How do you pass and get a LOCAL CDL with OUT knowing at LEAST the AREA?
BUT - it gets MUCH BETTER. This afternoon, for my ride home, I had this company AGAIN - But this time, I KNOW the guy was trying to INCREASE their MILEAGE (THAT is what they actually use the GPS for - it records the miles used/taken.) Imagine this - My Dialysis is at HMC/St Francis ON Liliha. So this guy drove UP Liliha, to Wyllie, and went to Nuuanu. I THOUGHT he was going to cross over and get on the FREEWAY, but no - he turned DOWN Nuuanu, went downt to Kawananakoa, and turned left to GET ON THE FREEWAY! From where I was, if he went DOWN Liliha, he could have turned LEFT on a NUMBER of occasions - Kuakini St. then go to the SAME intersection he ENDED up at! OR - Go down Liliha, turn left onto Judd, THEN turn right onto Nuuanu and then turn LEFT AT Kawananakoa, a BLOCK BEFORE where he turned. AND another way - go STRAIGHT DOWN Liliha until you cross the bridge and turn left onto the Liliha ON-RAMP to the FREEWAY! ANY of these would be SHORTER than the way HE went! So you think he was "PUMPING UP" the MILEAGE? Guess what? OTS pays them by MILE, and WE pay, in CITY (and partially Federal) TAXES for this Service! And these "PRIVATE" Sub-Contracted Transport Services get paid MAJOR MILEAGE DOLLARS! So my COMPLAINT is with THIS COMPANY and BOTH rides today!
FIRST - How do you even THINK about hiring someone that has only been here for a WEEK and DOESN'T know even MAJOR roadways? (I blame the City too, for giving him his CDL in the first place - or does he even HAVE a CDL? Not like a TAXI that are REQUIRED to POST their LICENSES...) AND...
SECOND - For INFLATING the MILEAGE - What, you think I've lived here ALL MY LIFE and DON'T know the roads? Or - you think me STUPID, perhaps? I AM going to file a WRITTEN COMPLAINT to OTS about THIS ONE! But first, I gotta call Customer Service on Monday (too late now) to REPORT THIS!