A local disabled man and his family are furious at Metro; they say a trip from Brandywine to Rockville should only take about 50 minutes, but instead it takes Aaron Smith more than six hours a day to get to and from school.

A stroke brought on by sickle cell anemia left Smith with both cognitive and physical disabilities, and he says Metro isn't making his situation any easier. Smith says he is spending much of his day, not at a special school in Rockville, but on the Metro access bus coming and going to the school.

Smith believes he is dropped off last because he's not in a wheel chair.

According to his mom, Jennifer Smith, "both ways probably takes about six hours or longer."

Metro Access officials say it's a shared service and should take about as much time, or slightly longer, than a trip using Metrorail or bus. Still, the program's director acknowledges Smith is spending too much time traveling. "Some trips took longer than they should have," said Metro Access Director Selene Dalton-Kumins. "Sometimes they have to pick up people in wheelchairs [and] have to get them on the bus."

Dalton-Kumins says an investigation revealed schedulers mistakenly put too many stops in between Smith's departure and drop-off points. She also says the problem is being addressed. "One of the things we are doing is working with scheduling," said Dalton-Kumins. "We have a clear understanding on this trip of what a reasonable time would be."

Meanwhile, Smith's mom is anxiously waiting to have her son's trip shortened. She fears sitting on a bus for such long periods could pose new health risks for her son. "He could actually suffer another stroke from just sitting there being frustrated," she said.

The Smith's say they don't have much faith in Metro Access. Instead, they are looking for another school, closer to their home in Brandywine.