LeeTran passenger left alone, drop-off policy questioned

Allison Reiter rides on a LeeTran passport van everyday to get to wherever she needs. Three days out of the week they take her to the Goodwill learning center. But on Wednesday, they showed up ahead of schedule.

She realized when they picked her up early that something was going to go wrong, according to Reiter.

The van dropped Reiter off in front of the store 45 minutes before it opened. She says she was nervous because she was left there all alone and didn’t know what to do.

“When I got on the bus, I asked the bus driver if she had any other pickups because I can’t get in the building until nine,” Reiter said.

The driver called dispatch to ask what to do. She told Reiter she could either go home or sit outside until the store opened. Reiter said she felt pressured into saying she would wait outside, despite being uncomfortable with it.

Lee County officials said that Reiter’s file indicates that she can be left alone and does not need a personal care attendant. Her mom says she is in touch with Lee County commissioners to get the drop-off policy changed.

Here’s the full statement from Lee County:

Allison Reiter has been a regular LeeTran Passport customer since 2011, renewing her active status in both 2014 and 2017. Passport regularly transports Ms. Reiter to various locations in Lee County. Ms. Reiter requested transportation to Goodwill Industries with a drop off time of 9 a.m. Per policy, Passport can pick a passenger up within an hour of the requested drop off time. Ms. Reiter was picked up just before 8 a.m. and, once she knew she would be early, voiced her concern to the driver.

The driver then contacted dispatch and LeeTran provided Ms. Reiter with three options – to stay on the bus, be dropped off early, or to go home. Ms. Reiter chose to be dropped off early, stating she would sit on her walker and wait. The Passport van operator dropped Ms. Reiter off at the location she indicated, and proceeded to walk her to the area Ms. Reiter chose to wait. Passport staff verified that, per her client file with LeeTran, Ms. Reiter was able to be left alone and did not require a Personal Care attendant. No LeeTran, or Lee County, policies, procedures or protocols were violated during this process.

Reiter sat on her walker for about 45 minutes, feeling abandoned and confused. She finally got in touch with her mother, who was frustrated by the incident.

Lee County officials released a statement saying that no Lee Tran or Lee County policies, procedures or protocols were violated during this process. But Reiter’s mother is hoping something in the policy will change.

“Regardless of policy, I feel that somebody should’ve used some discretion and judgement and made an educated decision that it was not a bright thing to do. We’re talking about people with special needs…and they should be trained to accommodate and be able to respond to situations to make sure that you’re safe,” she said.