PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Edward Ramos depends on Medical Transportation Management, also known as MTM, to get to all of his doctors appointments.

But Ramos, who’s confined to a wheelchair, tells 12 News that the state’s non-emergency medical transportation provider has been far from reliable.

“I used them to go to the dentist, they were supposed to pick me up at 10:45 a.m.,” he said. “They didn’t pick me up until almost 11:30 a.m.”

Ramos isn’t alone. Lynn Farkas described all of her experiences with MTM as “not good, all the way through from beginning to end.”

“They’re late, they’re unprofessional,” she explained. “I’ve had many problems with them.”

MTM’s contract with the state began in January 2019. Since then, data compiled by the state reveals thousands of patients have filed complaints against the company.

In 2019, more than 4,400 complaints were made, according to the data, and last year, more than 1,400 complaints were filed. So far this year, the data shows more than 1,400 complaints have been recorded.

In a statement to 12 News, a spokesperson for MTM said, “Our priority is always the care and safety of the passengers riding with our contracted transportation providers. If passengers have a concern about a driver, we want to hear from them immediately.”

As Target 12 previously reported, MTM contracts rides out to transportation companies because the company doesn’t have its own fleet of vehicles.

Earlier this month, a Coventry woman was killed in a crash on her way to a dialysis appointment. MTM said the victim was being transported by a subcontractor, Assured Transportation, and later learned the man behind the wheel was not an authorized driver for the company.

MTM immediately terminated its contract with Assured Transportation following the incident, and at Gov. Dan McKee’s request, the state is reviewing its contract with MTM and ordered a full audit of the company’s other subcontractors to make sure they all meet the qualifications listed in the contract.

A spokesperson for the state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services said the state plans on “implementing a series of corrective actions, from immediate to long-term to address this incident.”

This isn’t the first time the Missouri-based MTM has come under fire. In March 2019, it was fined $1 million for its problem-plagued launch in Rhode Island, which included complaints about rides being late or patients being left stranded. Later that year, MTM dropped one of its drivers after Target 12 obtained a photo that showed a child crouching on the floor of a packed vehicle.

The state’s contract with MTM expires in June 2022.