Access-a-Ride patron George O'Brien relies on a wheelchair because of nerve damage in his lower back.

Driving straight to my house takes about 20 minutes.

Access-a-Ride is a shared ride, you know - 20 minutes I don't expect, 40 minutes, that's fine, an hour, hour and a half . . . two hours, wow. We're starting to get ridiculous.

I always plan at least two hours earlier than when I have to be there to deal with access-a-Ride and how long they're going to make me wait.

Then they may wander around the city picking up people. I've spent as much as four hours wandering around the city before they drop me off.

Everybody has to do all sorts of things to try to beat the system. You might have to be way early - whatever you have to do.

I tried for awhile to get them to leave me at a fast food restaurant by my work.

The air conditioning is out at my work, and so I was just trying to find a cool place to sit because I had to go to work that early.

Well, that didn't work out either. They asked me if I worked there, and I said no. So then that meant that they could get me there at any time they wanted to.

Whatever I do - whether it's a doctor's appointment, grocery shopping, whatever - it takes me four hours longer to do it.