LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Teresa Hall has been riding with Lextran Wheels since 2016. She wanted to share her continued concerns with the service.
She says, "People in management positions choose to ignore the constant feedback from the Wheels clients."
Saturday afternoon, when a Wheels bus was turning onto Nicholasville Road from the New Circle ramp, it flipped on its side. Police say a Wheels rider was transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The driver is facing charges. Hall says this is just one example of what she says is a pattern of unsafe driving.
"We need safety. We have people that have been critically injured because of this. They're elderly as it is but when you sustain certain injuries when you're elderly, you have then until you die,” shares Hall.
Lextran's director of planning, technology, and community relations, Fred Combs, says he can't comment on the specifics of Saturday’s incident. He says it's an ongoing investigation, but he does share that safety is a priority.
Combs says, "We are very concerned about safety at Lextran, on fixed-route and on paratransit service. All of our employees go through a thorough background checks, we have extensive training programs before they're put out into service. Safety is our number one priority."
Combs encourages riders to reach out to them if they're continuing to have issues. Last October, the Wheels program was taken over by RATP-Dev. Combs explains that some changes have been implemented to improve the system.
"Again, we are working closely with RATP-Dev, every single day and we are aware of some of the on-time performance issues, we're working very hard to solve those. We have seen some real improvements over the past few months, we know we're not where we need to be, but we'll continue to make improvements to make our community proud,” says Combs.
He shares the Wheels service had around 13,000 riders last month. Hall hopes to see a change in the service she knows so many others need.
"I don't have a car, I don't have the liquid assets, I have to live within my income. I don't have the finances to hire Uber and Lyft — which are wonderful services — but those of us that ride don't have that. Many who ride are very shy, they've been degraded, demeaned all their life, they don't have confidence. I will speak out,” says Hall.
Lextran leaders say that for scheduling questions or concerns, people can call RATP-Dev. For comments, concerns, and feedback, people can reach out to Lextran directly:
Compliance Specialist
compliance@Lextran.com
859-255-7756
People can also visit www.Lextran.com’s Contact Us page for any other questions or concerns.
