My friend John, who lives in Waco, TX, has a court meeting he has to go to on Monday at 1:30. He lives 25 miles away from court. The nearest bus line is 15 miles from his house. His car is inoperable.
Can anyone think of any way to get him there? Failing that, is there anyone reading this post who lives in Waco who can help him out? I’ve exhausted about every option I can think of.
Uber or Lyft?
$120 round-trip. He can’t afford it. Sorry, I forgot to mention that.
He should contact a lawyer, or maybe even the court, and let them know. If he lets someone know prior to missing his date, that’s gotta be better than just missing it.
Does he have a lawyer who can seek a continuance? Or maybe just call the courthouse and see if there’s an option for rescheduling or conducting the meeting virtually?
Or what @bobot said. . .
Also, if he has a disability then Waco has a van service that will pick him up at his house. But it looks like there’s a 21 day certification process . . .
Does he not have a friend with a car? Either to borrow, or to get a ride from? No family?
Guess I’m lucky. With a few days’ notice, I have friends (and even neighbors I hardly know) who’d get a ride to their work with a coworker, and I could borrow their car.
I’ve also hitchhiked pretty long distances. But not being sure of getting there at a specific time would be stressful. Also requires looking friendly and harmless…
Is he a defendant? In which case, he’d have to arrive looking crisp and clean. But if he’s a juror… well, If that were me, I wouldn’t hesitate to bike to the bus. But I’d be sweaty til I washed up in the courtroom men’s room… okay, not a trick anyone else would pull, never mind.
ETA: In the age of Covid, I’m sure there are many people who are loath to walk into a building for a long period of time. He could even get a doctor to back him up, and say he needs to do this remotely… but I bet he could just ask and get help that way.
Is he by chance a veteran? Maybe they have some kind of transport.
Being Texas, it’s probably a long shot, but can they do a virtual court appearance?
This is a meeting with his probation officer, apparently. All he really needs to do is sign some paperwork. I don’t know why they can’t do this remotely.
This has been affecting other areas of his life, as well. He hasn’t been able to get into town to get his psychiatric medication.
Couldn’t you lend your good friend the money?
Thirty miles by Uber costs $120? That’s $4/mile, which seems excessive, although I wouldn’t know. Google says the cost is usually $1 to $2 per mile, which if true means the cost should be $30 - $60. I’m probably missing something, but what?
(Note that I’m assuming he Ubers the 15 miles to public transit and back, not that he goes the entire distance from his house to the court by Uber.)
Lend him a bike.
Let me check with the wife - she runs a non profit that advocates for the incarcerated, especially the mentally ill. Maybe they might help to keep someone from getting into the system.
Will PM you if there is something they can do.
Has he explained his dilemma to his probation officer? And If all he has to do is sign papers, is it an actual court date?
It seems his basic problem is that he lives too far from Waco. People without vehicles (and I am one) really need to live close to the goods and services they require. Would he qualify for housing assistance?
Wishing him good luck, and I salute your efforts to help.
Thanks, everyone, for your advice. He was able to find an old school friend who can give him a ride.