Metro Access passenger forced to urinate on shuttle

WASHINGTON – All he wanted was a ride home. Instead, a Rockville man says he was subjected to a humiliating experience.

It was nearly 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 26 when William Hoffman got a ride with Metro Access, which serves people with disabilities, from Union Station to Rockville. The driver told Hoffman they would take another passenger from Anacostia to Northeast. But after picking up the second passenger, the driver got lost in Virginia.

By the time the female passenger had been dropped off in Northeast, Hoffman told the driver he would need to use the bathroom. Hoffman, a diabetic, says the driver told him, “I’m not stopping sir. You’ve got a cup in the back with you. You can pee in that.”

Hoffman says he was dumbfounded, but the driver wouldn’t relent. Out of desperation, Hoffman used the cup.

It didn’t work out well.

Trying to urinate into a small cup in a moving car led to a mess. After about 4 miles the driver snapped, “Come up front and dump that.”

Hoffman, embarrassed and angry, filed a complaint with Metro Access. He says he was told the incident would be looked into and that appropriate action would be taken.

Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said the transit agency is aware of the complaint, and that it is being reviewed.

“Our expectation is that Metro Access drivers use good judgment in emergencies,” he said.

When asked if a passenger in need of a bathroom constitutes an emergency, he said, “If the alternative is going in a cup, then yes.”

“No one should have to do that,” Stessel said.

He also emphasized that drivers must communicate with dispatchers if stops are being made.

Metro hopes to wrap up its review of the incident next week.

WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow Kate Ryan and WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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