I could just hop in my car and run errands or visit friends. Having a vehicle is freedom of movement. I could just take a scenic drive someplace or impulsively see a movie. This is something I took for granted as I’m sure most of you readers do also.
This freedom of movement was upended after my accident.
I didn’t travel much the first few months of my injury. I was hospital bound at Mary Free Bed. My first real venture in the community was for my uncle Jim’s funeral.
It was on my birthday, January 19, and it was very cold and snowy. The home health agency provided transportation for me as a courtesy, even though I was still a patient at MFB.
It was a fiasco.
It was a blizzard that morning with blowing and drifting snow throughout the day. The driver had a difficult time getting the ramp to work. She had to call various people to get instructions on how to get it unstuck. After about 45 minutes, she was successful in getting the ramp down.
Easy Peezy from here, right?
Not by a longshot.
Even though the van was built to accommodate power wheelchairs, my head would not clear the top of the door opening. I reclined the chair a few times to try again but was unsuccessful.
I reclined the wheelchair even more. On the way up the ramp, my chair tipped backwards, scaring the living shit out of me along with the driver and my wife at the time. Thank God the castor wheels located in the front and back of the chair prevented me from flipping backwards.
I was scared and discouraged at this moment. I would have quit and just put my tail between my legs and gone back to my hospital room sucking my thumb. But it was uncle Jim’s funeral and all my extended family coming into town.
Ultimately, we recruited some security personnel from MFB to power off the wheelchair and they pushed all of 600+ pounds of band in machine. I squeezed underneath the top and breathed a sigh of relief when I was finally inside.
They buckled me in and strapped a seatbelt on me. I was half an hour late for the service at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. The drive was dicey because of the Snow and ice. Upon arrival, we recruited some men from my church to ease me back down the ramp.
This wasn’t a good start experiencing my new mode of transportation. As you can figure, not any old vehicle can haul me and Blue Steel (the name of my wheelchair) around town. Even a mini man formatted to accommodate wheelchairs.
So, a curious reader such as yourself may ask: well Howard, how do you get around?
Sit back and let’s review my options.
Hope Network
My most convenient mode of transportation is provided by Hope Network. They have a fleet of minivans and a couple big vans that we call big blue. Big blue is almost the size of a mini bus and has a side lift ramp. It’s very roomy but there’s one big drawback. The suspension is awful and gives a very bumpy ride which jacks up my tone and spasticity.
I opt for the minivan instead. All of them have rear ramp entries. I like this because I can go straight in and get settled without having to do an Austin Powers 18 point turn in the cramped space.
The agency has some Dodge Caravans (now discontinued) and Chrysler Pacificas with higher head clearance. One advantage with a side entry minivan is that a wheelchair can settle in and ride shotgun. The view is much better than sitting in the back.
Hope Network provides transportation to and from medical appointments. The staff will also transport me to other places if I pre-arrange this and there is appropriate staffing in the building.
The Adventures of Public Transportation
Another option for me is provided by public transportation. Grand Rapids has The Rapid. My option is called the Go Bus, which transports people of various disabilities.
It cost $2.50 a ride and you have to purchase paper tickets. The main fleet of buses can transport six individuals and accommodate three power wheelchairs. It has a side lift entryway and is easy to maneuver around.
Most of the buses are older. You feel every nook and cranny of the road. At times I feel like a basketball being bounced around.
The newer buses have better suspension but depending on where you are seated, the shoulder harness of the seatbelt comes across your neck. The quality of your ride also depends on the experience of the driver. The experienced driver knows how to buckle me in and is more careful of avoiding or slowing down for bumps on the road.
The Rapid is slowly replacing the old fleet with newer buses that provide smoother rides.
I have to call scheduling at least the day before of reserving transportation. They give me a 25 minute window of my pick up time both two and from my destination. There are times they are later but this only happens about 20% of my rides.
Most of the time I arrive early to my destination. I can sit outside and enjoy the fresh air on nice days. It’s not nice, I may have to try and squeeze myself into a corner to not block human traffic coming and going.
Misadventures with Go Bus
But not all is hunky-dory with public transportation. I will give an example after paying a visit with the Be Nice folks of the Mental Health Foundation, located across town near Grand Rapids.
They sent the short van and the lift could not lift me up at all. I waited 20 minutes for a regular size bus, which was quite full with five people including a guy in a manual wheelchair.
My only option was to sit in the back corner over the left rear wheel well. From the SW part of Grand Rapids, we dropped off and picked up people starting at Kentwood, which is SE of Grand Rapids.
Next stop was northeast Grand Rapids to the intersection of Plainfield and 4 Mile to pick up another passenger at Goodwill. This is the northernmost route the rapid can take.
The bus traveled to East Leonard to drop that person off. This is the extreme opposite end of town of where I live.
The next to be dropped off was the man in the manual wheelchair near the Fuller and Leonard intersection. I was next to be dropped off. It was a three hour ordeal and a very bumpy ride.
This was the most extreme problem with public transportation. I sometimes get surly drivers who barely communicate. I almost missed a couple of the rides because the bus went to the wrong pick up spot.
Once, I almost got on the wrong bus on a pick up from Sojo’s. Fortunately, another resident came out to inquire if this was his bus, which it was. I almost ended up going to church instead of meeting a friend to see a movie. The driver apologized for not confirming my name prior to trying to load me up.
The primary drawback of public transportation is the limited areas it covers. Cascade Township chose not to renew the contract with The Rapid two years ago. This borders Grand Rapids Township, which is very close to where I reside. The bus stops at the northeast part of town at Plainfield Township.
The last option is private transportation companies. I occasionally utilize these companies when my destination is outside of the bus route.
This is a good option if insurance covers the transport to medical appointments. Some personal use round-trip to visit my mother costs almost $100 round-trip out-of-pocket. She only lives 5 miles away.Private Transportation Companies
Best Alternative Transportation
I have a couple good friends named Marcus and Nick who also have spinal cord injuries. Nick owns his own home healthcare company and has a few vans his clientele can use.
I’m very fortunate that they’re willing to loan me one of their vans on occasion along with a home health worker.
Conclusion
These are my transportation options. It takes some foresight, strategic planning, and problem-solving to manage transportation.
It’s possible to purchase my own vehicle. Insurance would cover altering it so that it was wheelchair accessible. The cost of maintaining the vehicle doesn’t quite make sense to me yet. It’s a possibility in the future.
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Some pictures from the big blue van.
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