Dialysis patient says ACCESS LYNX service makes him late to his treatments

Man tells News 6 he goes to overnight dialysis treatments 3 times a week

ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando man who depends on public transportation to get him to his medical appointments said the Access Lynx bus service has been running late a lot lately. And he's discovered he's not the only one.

James Burgess said in some of the extreme cases, he's had to cut his dialysis treatments short, which over the long run could pose a health hazard.

"Sometimes, they'll only be like 10-15 minutes late which isn't really a big problem," said James Burgess, "But other times they're like an hour, hour and a half late."

Burgess told News 6 he goes in for overnight treatments three times a week to a dialysis center in Celebration that offers the overnight service. The treatments are vital to keep his kidneys functioning and keep him alive. He said that's why he sets up his rides with Lynx with plenty of buffer time -- often two hours in advance -- to make sure he gets to the dialysis treatment center on time. But even with that, he said he ends up late to his appointment. He said he's even been left without a ride a couple of times.

"I've been left once at dialysis and once here at my house," said Burgess, who relies on crutches to get around.

He also doesn't own a car.

That is why he depends on the Access Lynx service to get him to and from his dialysis treatments.

He said he even pays $4.50 each way to use the service.

However, he said, while he appreciates the service Lynx offers, he feels they are getting more and more unreliable.

"They'll make some excuse like the van broke down which I can kind of understand," said Burgess. "But I don't understand why they don't send another van. I have a chair time and I have to be there at my chair time."


Burgess said the month of September was especially bad, and not because of the hurricane. Remember those two times he says he was left behind? Burgess said he had to call a cab to get to and from his dialysis appointment costing him almost $90 round trip. That's something Burgess said he simply can't afford.


"It's really a problem for me because my income is limited," said Burgess. "And the $90 this month made me not able to pay something."

Burgess said what's even worse is when he is stuck on the Access Lynx bus for hours just trying to get home.


"They picked up two other people and rode them around, dropped them off," said Burgess. "Then they picked up somebody else from their house, dropped them off to dialysis -before they dropped me off home."


For patients like Burgess, it is vital for them to get to and from dialysis as soon as possible.

"When you are finished with dialysis, you just want to go home because it makes you weak and tired," said Burgess.

News 6 Investigators contacted Access Lynx to try to get results for Burgess. They would not agree to an on camera interview, but did send us this statement.


"We at LYNX do not take customer concerns lightly. Every concern is investigated and resources are dedicated to areas if needed. Looking at Mr. Burgess’ concern there were a few issues that unfortunately happened on some of his trips. Since July 1 he has traveled 64 times on ACCESS LYNX with an on-time performance of 83 percent. We strive for perfection but, sometimes that is not reality due to trip travel times, accidents, weather, traffic and trip distances. Currently we have a consultant reviewing the program as a whole for efficiencies. Soon there will be a new paratransit contract, new vehicles, partnerships with taxis and transportation network companies. We are working towards a mobility management model where we will have the call center in-house and right sizing the service vehicles for individual trips. We believe these steps will alleviate the concerns of Mr. Burgess or any of our 2,400 daily scheduled ACCESS LYNX customer trips," Matt Friedman, Lynx spokesperson said.

They also sent us this link to explain more about some of the ways the service goes above and beyond to service their clients, including door-to-door service, instead of just curb-to-curb.
But for James Burgess, he said something has to be done for him and other patients out there that are relying on Access Lynx to get them to and from their medical appointments.

"I'm not asking for miracles," said Burgess. "But I'd like to not have to ride for two or three hours in the morning to get home."

And both Burgess and the director at his dialysis center (who asked not to be named) said he's not the only one dealing with this situation. Others have, too.


Here is a list of reasons Lynx provided for late transports:
•         Trip distances
•         Peak traffic times
•         Accidents
•         Mechanical failures
•         Number of trip requests within the same time frame
•         Inclement weather
•         Other passengers
 
Here is a list of things Lynx is considering to improve transportation issues.
•         Providing additional vehicles to our contractor (LYNX owned and rental).
•         Replacing aging fleet.
•         Taxi voucher program.
•         Use of Transportation Network Companies.
•         Consultant review of productivity and efficiencies.
•         Increased oversight of contractor operations via cohabitation.
•         Moving call center functions in-house.
•         Mobility management, moving trips to other modes.