In my last post I mentioned another time that Lyft had missed an opportunity to possibly improve their services by being a little more proactive. This event surrounds a passenger that might have needed more help than most drivers could have been ready to handle. Luckily it ended without incident but it could have gone sideways on numerous levels!
The ride started off like any other ride, I got the ping with the additional note that this was going to be a 45+minute ride. Which tells me to buckle up for anything! Once I ended up going on a two hour drive, it’s all good I get paid!
So, I roll up to what looks like a medical clinic and get this cryptic text from Lyft that this ride is a nonstop ride, that I am not to make any additional stops and to take any bags from the passenger and put them in the trunk. I was not sure what to make of this so I tried calling the requester with no luck. This ride was requested by some third party service, I have encountered these before when someone that has limited access to a phone or computer needs a Lyft. I tried contacting Lyft about this ride no luck, I even tried to ask someone at the desk of this ‘clinic’ about this ride…no luck. What I did find out was that this was not a clinic, it was a locked psych ward…..oh no…..
Now, I started my work career as a security guard back in 1999 working at a hospital with a very active psych ward. Everything from self admitted, suicide watches and 5150 holds (Non-Voluntary Holds). I ended up helping out quiet a bit, being 6’2 and a solid 200 lbs I was used more like an orderly than a security guard. Once I found out that my passenger was coming from a locked down mental health facility, that message made more sense.
The nurse brought out the patient, walked them to the clinic door and then left. She did not do any hand off with me at all, she was back behind the access controlled door before the patient even made it to the car. She handed off this patient and just washed their hands of them! The passenger had all their belongs with them, four paper bags and according to the message I was suppose to take them from them. But the nurse did not inform me of anything and I was not about getting into a wrestling match with someone about THEIR belongings.
As far as I know Lyft is not trained, rated or even liable for any type of medical transport. So many questions were running through my mind about this person that was now sitting behind me rifling through their bags. Then I hear the sound of pill bottles rattling around behind me. I look in the rear view mirror hoping not to see them popping pills out of the bottles! At this point I start to engage in small talk, I was looking to distract them from whatever it was they might have been up to and to make them aware that I was paying attention to them. Luckily they just start talking….and talking. Come to find out that they were on a 5150 hold that was lifted earlier today and I am taking them to a halfway house out in the middle of no where. They had been put on a multi step program to get them back into society.
The ride itself was super chill, my passenger was very young; they could not have been over 21! They just unloaded all their issues and pains, I do not really say much I just let them talk. It was a sad story that I hope has gotten better, they seemed to be on the right track to getting getting better. I was just concerned that they were messing with their pills, I know that once they get to the home they take their meds and do a count. I was just hoping they did not sneak any out and I would later get a call from Lyft asking why I did not take their belongings like the text instructed.
This whole situation had disaster written alllll over it! I personally have been in this situation on many occasions as a security officer. I once sat with a 5150 patient for 9 hours. When working with people that are in a mental health facility you need to have some serious people skills. You need to know how to talk to people, show them that you are listening, and even connect with them. Sometimes the security officers were the only people they interacted with that did not have lab coats on. It is not easy and not everyone can do it, and all I kept thinking about was what if the next Lyft driver that picks up someone like this has a serious issue, how are they going to know what to do? We are not trained for this and I would say the majority of people have no idea what a 5150 patient even is!
I sent my concerns to Lyft, which by the way can be really difficult! I did get a canned response back about my situation and that was it. After another try and another canned response I let it drop. And I know that was a shit move on my part, I should have pushed more but life sits still for no one. Nothing came of the ride I gave and nothing came of the emails I sent, I just kept on plugging away at my life and I sure hope my passenger has done the same.
This was a serious missed opportunity for Lyft, if they are going to provide these types of services they really need some type of in-service for their drivers. I was telling this story to someone that is currently a security officer at a hospital and he said that Lyft and Uber drivers have flat out turned around in the hospital parking lot and canceled a ride once the driver saw that they were picking up passengers from certain parts of the hospital. It seems they release the 5150 patients from a certain door and the drivers have learned not to take those rides…..say what you will about that, but once you have an incident you will do whatever it takes not to have another one.
I know that this is probably a very difficult policy to write but something is going to happen and at that point it will be too late for someone. But, that is all I have to say about that, with all the this Corona Virus stuff going around this is probably pretty low on their priority list at the moment. They already have stuff on service dogs, handicap passengers and probably stuff about LGBT passengers….so there might be something in the works!
So until my next rant or share, please share the world around and please remember to WASH YOUR HANDS…..that mouse and keyboard your are touching is nasty!