DR Elmore, so sorry your ride was a bust. In my experience these rides often do not go well. I receive 12 free round-trips to medical appointments each year as part of my health insurance -- a great perk, in my view. But it's always a pain. The previous ride scheduling company was most likely overseas, as all the reps had accents and were sometimes difficult to understand. they'd ask the time of your appointment, then manually calculate the pick-up time. But they allowed too much extra time, an hour for what is easily a 30-minute trip. The current scheduling company does it by computer and it doesn't allow enough time. If my appointment is at 9:15, they'd say the pick-up time was at 8:49, then say that the ride might be there 15 minutes earlier or 15 minutes later. What?! I have to fudge my appointment time accordingly. Then there are the kamikaze drivers.
I've often said that if I knew a reliable driver I'd schedule with him or her and pay for it myself, but I don't know of anyone. Ubers aren't always available, but maybe they would be if you scheduled in advance. I haven't found a solution, but I do appreciate the $50+ that it saves me.
I hope you find a way to deal with Access-a-Ride that is satisfactory.
