Hi Dakota:

In New York, it's called Access-a-ride, in California, it's called Get A Lift. In various states, well, they all have their names for it. What is IT??

It's a system where disabled people get picked up right at their front door and delivered to another place. But you only get approved for this service if you cannot take the usual public transportation, such as Buses or trains.

Because I have degenerative joint disease, I can't climb any steps and god forbid if I am on a bus and that bus moves a certain way, well, the pain goes right through me. I also have a frozen shoulder that when the weather does not cooperate, well, I can't hang on the over thing in a bus.

So when I have to go anywhere in the five boros, I just call Access-a-ride. Like for example, a few days ago Alan and I had to go to my girlfriend's funeral. They showing was from 2 to 4. You are allowed to have one guest accompany you. They pay the same fare as you do. $2.00 each way.

So we told the access-a-ride we had to be there by 1:30 p.m. If you tell them 2.P.M. believe me, you'll never get there because they are always late. That's the only downside to having this service. But beggers can't be choosers. Alan cannot drive because of his neuropathy so he was approved a few years ago for the Access-a-ride. We each have our own access-a-ride identification cards.

So you get picked up either in an Access-a-ride bus or a regular car with the words ACCESS-A-RIDE on it. In Staten Island it's always a car because Staten Island has all these hills and the buses can't go around the corners (or some such explanation as it was told to me).

So imagine having door to door service for $2.00. When they come on time, there's nothing better.

So the day of the funeral, we told them to pick us up at 4:15 p.m. They came at 4:12 p.m. This was very cool, believe me. It's better to have them come early than to wait for 3 hours.

A few years ago, Alan and I were in Staten Island attending my Aunt's 80th birthday party. We were scheduled for a 9.m. pickup to return to Brooklyn. Guess what time the Access-a-ride came?? 1 a.m.

I will never forget. We closed down the Chinese Restaurant, then we went next door to the catering hall, well, they closed down at midnight. So there we were, Alan and I alone in the street waiting for this darn Access-a-ride.

See, that's where the cell phones come in. You have to call them up and yell "where the heck is my ride"? Imagine being stranded at 1 a.m. without a cell phone? They kept saying: "20 more minutes". Jeez.

Well, after that incident, we have never used the Access-a-Ride for any occasion after 8 p.m. We just can't take the chance.

Not too many places to go. So we go to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast .

lol

Melody