The Ride That Wasn't

Yesterday turned into one of those rare moments behind the wheel that makes you realize this job isn’t just about driving.

Another zTrip driver called to see if I could take a passenger—let’s call him “Bob”—from Ottawa to Paola, then on to the Kansas City airport. The trip was arranged through a medical company that claimed to be getting Bob into a treatment program in Washington State.

Before pickup, I learned from a case manager that Bob was 24 but had the mental capacity of a 14-year-old. He’d done a simple Google search for a mental health facility, clicked on an ad, and ended up speaking to a call center that immediately took his insurance information and booked him a cross-country flight.

When I arrived, Bob was packed and ready to go—but it was clear this company wasn’t helping him; they were exploiting him. On the way to his parents’ house, I focused on keeping him calm and tried to build some trust between us. Over time, he began listening to me a little more and started to accept that staying home was the right choice.

By the time we got there, the sheriff and his parents were already involved. The “medical” company quickly changed its story once law enforcement was on the phone, promising not to contact Bob again. Before we ended the call, I also had them confirm—right in front of the sheriff—that they wouldn’t try to reverse the payment for the trip. Frankly, I think the whole operation was a scam, and it wouldn’t have surprised me one bit if they had tried it.

Later, something about the payment stuck with me. The credit card used for the trip wasn’t under a company name—it was under a person’s name I didn’t recognize. Out of curiosity, I looked him up. Turns out he’s a self-proclaimed motivational speaker who’s opened a chain of these so-called “treatment centers” across the country. The online reviews were eye-opening—apparently, this wasn’t the first time they’d preyed on someone vulnerable.

In the end, Bob was safe, his parents were relieved, and everyone involved worked together to stop a predatory company from taking advantage of someone who didn’t fully understand what was happening. It was a mentally exhausting day, but it reminded me that sometimes doing the right thing takes a whole team—and that empathy can be just as important as the drive itself.