Eligibility:
There are four categories of eligibility for riding Modesto
Area Dial-A-Ride:
A. Age 65 and over. Requires verification of
age, i.e. copy of driver’s
license, birth certificate, Medicare card, etc.
B. Non-ADA Disabled. Using Modesto
Area Express (MAX) is
difficult, but not impossible.
C. ADA-certified. To be certified, passengers
must meet one of
the following eligibility criteria:
(1) The passenger is unable to INDEPENDENTLY
board, ride, and/or disembark from
any bus used in the MAX
system.
(2) The passenger cannot use the MAX
fixed-route system,
because they have a disability-related condition(s) that
PREVENTS them from
getting to and from a bus stop.
D. General Public. Can ride only during specific
periods of time.
See "Service Hours" section for additional information.
Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride
passengers must be ADA re-certified
every three years. Passengers
with questions about Dial-A-Ride eligibility and
service restrictions are urged to call Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride
at 527-4900.
Passenger Fares: The
Modesto City Council sets rates for the
Dial-A-Ride system. In accordance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA),
Dial-A-Ride fares cannot exceed twice the
approved regular adult fare rate for the MAX fixed-route
system. Passengers shall pay the
exact fare at the time of boarding.
The van drivers do not carry change. A ticket book for
ten (10) rides is available at a reduced rate. All children four (4)
and under ride free when
accompanied by an adult. For more information
on current fares, and locations for purchasing the ten-ride
ticket books, please contact the Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride
office at 527-4900.
Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride Service
Area: All Modesto
Area Dial-A-Ride trips, pick-ups
and drop-offs will be within the approved
service area. The general area is any location within
the boundaries highlighted on
the map at the top of this page.
Seat Belts and Safety Belts Required On All
Riders: Passengers
must wear at all times:
A. Seat Belts (for ambulatory passengers) and,
B. Safety lap belts that are secured to the
floor of the van (for
riders using wheelchairs and electric scooters).
Passengers are required to follow other safety
precautions given by the driver
and/or required bylaw enforcement or
safety officers.
Dial-A-Ride is a Shared Ride
Service: Passengers are
advised that the Modesto
Area Dial-A-Ride program is a shared ride
system. This means that other passengers may be on board
during any part of your trip, and your scheduled pick-up
times or route of travel may be
altered so another passenger can
be accommodated. It is very likely that the vehicle will stop
and pick up other riders as it
proceeds to your destination. Shared
rides lower the cost of paratransit service by increasing
system productivity.
The Dial-A-Ride scheduler may ask passengers to
accept trip reservation times
that are different from their original desired
pick-up time. Your reservation time may be moved up to
an hour earlier or later than requested. Please try to be
flexible because by changing
your time more passengers can be
served. We ask that you cooperate whenever possible.
Door-to-Door Service: Dial-A-Ride
will furnish door-to-door service
to ADA passengers. Door-to-door service includes the following
items:
A. Loading and unloading of passenger from the
vehicle.
B. Escorting passengers to and from the
primary entrance of the
principal building upon arrival at both origin and destination.
C. Assisting in carrying packages.
D. Ensuring that the passenger has crossed the
threshold of the
front street door of their destination. Drivers will not cross
the threshold of homes or
apartments to interior areas within living accommodations.
Escorting includes carrying packages. The
Dial-A-Ride shopping
bag policy includes the following:
A. No more than three (3) bags OR one carry-on
item not exceeding
twenty-five (25) pounds are allowed for each fare-paying
passenger. All items must be
in bags and may not be loaded
above the top of the bag.
B. Drivers will assist persons with
disabilities and senior citizens
to load and unload bags, but only if this would not
cause a delay in driving to
the next rider.
C. For persons with disabilities and senior
citizens not meeting ADA
certifications standards, drivers will load and unload
bags to the curb. For ADA
passengers, drivers will take bags inside
the door of their residence.
Passengers with special needs requiring greater
assistance are encouraged to
utilize a Personal Care Attendant
(PCA). See section 10 for additional information on PCAs.
Questions concerning special needs should be directed
to Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride at 527-4900.
Scheduling Rides:
ADA-certified passengers must call before
5:00 p.m. the day before they wish to ride (or up to
fourteen (14) days in advance).
Rides requested in this way will
be given priority over other non-ADA rider requests. You
may also call at least two (2)
hours in advance the same day, but
your request will be filled on a space available basis.
Non-ADA disabled, or age 65 and
older can call at least two
(2) hours before on the day you want to ride and your
request will be filled on a
space available basis. For medical appointments,
non-ADA disabled and senior citizens can make appointments up to
one week in advance of their appointment, but not later than 24
hours prior to the time of the requested ride.
A. Reservations: Passengers are
responsible for providing the
following information when using Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride
service:
1. Desired time for pick-up, or appointment
time.
2. Time for return pick-up (if required).
3. Address of origination.
4. Address of destination.
5. Whether the passenger has any attendants or
guests.
6. Any special requirements. It is recommended
that the
passenger talk to the Dial-A-Ride supervisor for advice on
this situation.
Please have all information ready when placing a
call and write
down reservation times when they are read back by the
scheduler. It is recommended that the requesting passenger
ask the scheduler’s name when making any reservations,
cancellations or changes to their scheduled pick-up.
Passengers can call during normal business hours: 7:00
a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, to schedule, or change a
trip. Cancellations can be made
as late as 11:00 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
Please let the scheduler know if you have
any special pick-up
or drop off requirements. This is especially important
in apartment and office complexes with multiple entry
and exit points. When requested,
passengers can be provided a
3-5 minute phone call prior to the van arrival. If you do not
need a same day reservation
and/or need to make a number of reservations,
calling after 10:00 a.m. is appreciated.
For ADA-certified passengers, Dial-A-Ride is
required to schedule
trips within one (1) hour before or after the requested
time (or one (1) hour and
fifteen (15) minutes for some areas). Passengers
will be given a range of pick-up times (called a pick-up
window) by the scheduler during which they can expect
their pick-up to occur.
Occasionally, the scheduler will need to adjust
a passenger’s desired travel time so that another rider
can be fitted into the schedule.
We ask for your cooperation and
understanding when this occurs. We will do everything
possible to avoid changing your
ride time if we think it will make you
late for an appointment. If your ride time is changed, a
Dial-A-Ride staff member will
call to advise you of the new pick-up
time.
B. Cancellations: If you don’t
need a ride after you have scheduled
one, please call and cancel as soon as possible, but
not less than fifteen (15)
minutes before your pick-up time. When
canceling a scheduled pick-up, passengers are responsible
for providing the following information:
1. Name of passenger.
2. Time and date of scheduled pick-up.
3. Address of ride origination.
4. Exact destination address.
5. Status of any other scheduled trips for
that day.
6. Status of any affected subscription trips
for that day.
Riders who do not cancel ahead of pick-up time
or attempt to
cancel after the van has arrived will be considered a
no-show. Three (3) no-shows in a
year will be cause for suspension
of Dial-A-Ride service for thirty (30) days. Remember
the earlier you cancel a trip reservation the greater
the chance that the time can be
used by another rider.
C. Changes to Already Scheduled Trips:
When making a change
to the scheduled pick-up, passengers must call in the
change at least one (1) hour
prior to the scheduled pick-up. Passengers
are responsible for providing the following information:
1. Time and date of scheduled pick-up.
2. New origination address, if applicable.
3. New destination, if applicable.
4. New pick-up time, if applicable.
5. Status of any other scheduled rides for
that day.
Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride will make a good faith
effort, but there
is no guarantee that the request can be accommodated.
D. Requesting Information on Arrival
Times: Passengers may call
any time after their scheduled pick-up time to inquire about
expected vehicle arrival time
information. The Dial-A-Ride dispatcher
will provide an estimated time of arrival for the van.
Passengers are responsible for
providing the following when requesting
information on arrival of a Dial-A-Ride van:
1. Passenger’s name.
2. Scheduled pick-up time.
3. Address of pick-up site.
Meeting the Van: The
passenger must be ready to go fifteen
(15) minutes before your scheduled pick-up time. The
Dial-A-Ride driver will wait for
five (5) minutes for those in wheelchairs
and three (3) minutes for all others. If you miss your
ride, you will have to call in again, but you may not get a
ride for at least two (2) hours.
If the van is more than fifteen (15)
minutes late, passengers will not be considered a no-show,
if they are not present.
Passenger promptness is important to help
Dial-A-Ride maintain on-time performance.
Passenger Personal Items – Lost and Found:
Passengers are responsible for
their personal items left on vehicles.
Passengers can call Dial-A-Ride to inquire about personal
items they may have left on the vehicle. Dial-A-Ride
will hold personal items for
sixty (60) days prior to disposal.
Additional Riders Accompanying
Passengers (ADA-certified
passengers only): As defined in
the ADA, while riding on
Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride, each ADA-certified passenger
can ride with:
A. One (1) Personal Care Attendant (PCA), who
provides individual assistance
to the qualified passengers. Your
PCA will not be charged for the trip. The PCA must travel
to and from the same destination as the passenger.
B. Guests. Additional companions may be
accommodated on a space
available basis. Companions pay full
fare and must travel to and from the same destination as
the passenger.
To prevent any potential delays in Dial-A-Ride
service, when
placing a reservation, please inform the scheduler if
anyone will be accompanying the
passenger.
Children on Dial-A-Ride Service: Children
four (4) and under ride
free and must be accompanied by a fare paying adult.
Visitors: Visitors
that are ADA-certified by another transit system
may ride Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride for twenty-one (21)
service days. Visitors requiring service beyond twenty-one
(21) service days must be
certified on the Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride
system if they wish to continue to ride.
Subscription Service:
Subscription service is the practice
of providing repetitive trips over an extended period of
time without the passenger
calling to request each trip. Typically,
subscription service is provided for trips to work, work
training, education, specialized medical care, or other
regular travel needs. According
to ADA guidelines, subscription
service may not absorb more than 50% of the trips
available on a given day. Currently, Modesto Area Dial-A-
Ride exceeds the 50%
subscription rate; therefore, no new subscription
passengers can be scheduled, except for dialysis patients.
It is the responsibility of the passenger to reconfirm
all subscription trips which are scheduled after holidays,
school vacations, or other breaks in service.
Causes for Refusal of Service: Dangerous
behavior, or physical or
verbal abuse towards drivers or passengers on the vehicle
by a passenger are grounds for refusal of Dial-A-Ride
service. Dangerous behavior is
defined as a threat or action that
could cause direct or indirect, physical harm to the driver,
vehicle, or other passengers, or
to themselves. Physical abuse is
defined as any action that may cause direct or indirect
physical harm to a passenger,
driver or Dial-A-Ride staff. Verbal
abuse is defined as any oral presentation that is offensive
to a passenger, driver or Dial-A-Ride staff. The penalty
for dangerous behavior, physical abuse or verbal abuse
will range from a warning letter,
to suspension from the Modesto Area
Dial-A-Ride program. Violation of transit rules falls under
the California Penal Code. These
are the same procedures that
apply to a passenger using the MAX fixed-route
system.
Passengers Are requested to Refrain from Eating,
Drinking, Smoking or Wearing
Strongly Scented Products: It
is requested that passengers refrain from eating, drinking,
and smoking while on the
vehicle. Also passengers are requested
not to wear any strongly scented personal care products
while using the service. This is to insure that the vans
are accessible for passengers
with multiple chemical sensitivity, or
environmental illnesses.
Passenger Comments and Complaints:
Comments or complaints
may be made directly to Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride or
the City of Modesto Transit Division. It is requested that
complaints be submitted in a
written format, whenever possible. If
written complaints are a hardship, other formats are
acceptable. Complaints should be
submitted within three (3) days
of occurrence to insure that Dial-A-Ride and the Transit
Division can respond
appropriately. Serious problems should be
communicated immediately. When making commendations,
or complaints, passengers are
requested to provide the following
information:
A. Date and time of incident.
B. Place of incident, when applicable.
C. Scheduled pick-up time.
D. Van number.
E. Driver’s, scheduler’s or other staff
name.
For the passenger’s convenience all vans are
equipped with
courtesy cards for this purpose. To call in a comment or
complaint, Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride’s
number is (209) 527-4900,
TDD 527-3546, or FAX 527-4888.
The City of Modesto Transit’s
Division telephone number is (209) 577-5295. Passenger input is
important in providing a safe and reliable Dial-A-Ride
service. We welcome your comments.
City of Modesto Transit Division
P.O. Box 642
Modesto, CA 95353
Modesto Area Dial-A-Ride
1620 N. Carpenter Road, Suite A-5
Modesto, CA 95351
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