Guide

58
Other information:
• Is this a random "one time only" trip or a repetitive trip (as daily to school, or weekly to see a
doctor)? Repetitive trips (called "subscription trips" in some countries) continue to be valid
week after week until discontinued or changed. Repetitive trips are a big commitment, and
schedulers may wish to carefully consider such requests in light of the total schedule to
make sure they can reliably fill this particular need. The long-term nature of repetitive trips
means that they will likely form the base for the whole schedule, with the random trips
slotted in to fill the spaces left after the repetitive trips. This is probably the situation with
most of the case study cities included in this guide. It may be appropriate to take a few days
to commit to a request for repetitive trips, first promising to call back by a certain time.
Random trips can be accepted or denied on the spot, in some cases calling back the rider to
arrange the actual pickup time. At other times random trips could be "wait listed" or the rider
could be encouraged to call back to see if a cancellation has opened up a slot for a ride.
•Is the fare being paid by an agency? Which agency?
•Will a passenger with a disability be accompanied by an attendant?
•Will the passenger use a mobility device, such as a wheelchair, walker, cane, or seeing eye
dog? If using a wheelchair, will the passenger remain in the chair or can the passenger
transfer to a regular seat with the chair folded and stored in the vehicle?
•Does the passenger have specific mobility concerns (cognitive, physical, behavioral,
difficulty with stairs, difficulty with walking, etc.)
•Who should be contacted in an emergency? (important for disabled and elderly riders)
•Other issues: For example, is a car seat needed for an infant?
An important reservation practice is to repeat back and verify key trip information at the end
of each call. If needed, reservationists should get detailed pickup instructions (side door,
back door, which entrance at a facility, etc.), especially for large facilities or new trips where
drivers may not be familiar with the location.
Images of various types of trip request forms are available on search engines.
Flexibility: Riders should be encouraged, where possible, to be flexible about their trips – and
especially "one time" or random trips and with trips where there is not a set appointment time.
This permits the scheduler to more easily find a slot for a requested trip, perhaps avoiding a
peak hour when the schedule is already jammed. Using "demand management" principles,
some paratransit services may limit trips to just certain days or hours in certain localities,
including rural areas, in order to more efficiently and less expensively serve their passengers.
See the case studies from rural areas in France.
No shows: Some riders may be chronic "no shows," often defined as not being there when
the vehicle arrives or cancelling the trip upon arrival or within a certain time (e.g., two hours)
prior to the pickup time. There needs to be a clear written policy and procedures for dealing
with no shows and passengers should be advised of this policy. For example, a policy might
state that after three no-shows in a 3-month period, the rider would be prohibited from using
the service for 3 months. Keep in mind that a firm no-show policy will keep the no-show rate
low and ends up helping more people get rides.