SCHEDULING TRANSIT LINK TRIPS

Requesting and cancelling trips, standing orders, standby trips, and rules

Schedule a trip Scheduling grocery and goods delivery Same day trips, changing & cancelling, standby trips Standing orders No shows & suspensions

SCHEDULE A TRIP

You can request a trip from one to five business days in advance. To schedule a trip, call Transit Link at 651-602-LINK (5465) weekdays between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. All trip requests are subject to availability – they are not guaranteed.

First, tell us the county where your trip will begin and you will be transferred to a reservationist. Please have the following information available:

Name
Day and date of the requested trip
Time you’d like to be picked up OR the time you’d like to arrive at your destination
Detailed pick-up address, including apartment, building name, number or description
Detailed destination address
Companions or personal care attendant travelling with you
Type of mobility device you will be using

LANGUAGE LINE

Transit Link uses Language Line Solutions to assist customers with limited English proficiency. When you call to schedule a ride, an interpreter who speaks your language will be connected into the call.

SCHEDULED PICKUP TIME

When your trip is scheduled, you will receive a scheduled pickup time. This is the time you should be ready for the vehicle to arrive.

Your scheduled pickup time may or may not be the same as your requested pickup time. Your trip will be scheduled based on the availability of vehicles in your area around the time of your request. To accommodate as many trips as possible, reservationists will look one hour before, and one hour after your requested time for a vehicle in your area. For example, if you request an 8 a.m. pickup time, we will look for vehicles in your area between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.

SCHEDULED PICKUP WINDOW

We try to arrive as close to the scheduled pickup time as we can. Because Transit Link is a shared-ride service we cannot guarantee an exact time. The vehicle should arrive within 30 minutes of the pickup time. The vehicle will be considered on-time if it arrives within 30 minutes of the scheduled ready time. For example, if your scheduled time is 1 p.m. the vehicle should arrive between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.

If your vehicle arrives more than one hour after your scheduled ready time, your trip is free.

APPOINTMENT TIME

The appointment time is the latest time that our vehicle can arrive at the destination address. If you have an appointment, please consider the time you need to get from the vehicle to your appointment.

Example: If you have an appointment at your doctor at 10 a.m., consider how long it will take you to get from the vehicle to the doctor’s office in the building. If you are going to a large medical complex and it takes you 15 minutes to get from the vehicle to the doctor’s office, you should provide us with a 9:45 a.m. appointment time.

“NO EARLIER THAN” TIME

If you are requesting a pickup and you cannot leave before a specific time, you can request a “no earlier than” time. For example, if you are done at work at 4 p.m., you can request a 4 p.m. “no earlier than” time. When looking for Transit Link buses in your area, the reservationist won’t offer you a time earlier than when you are able to leave.

SAME DAY TRIPS

Same day trips may be scheduled, but there must be at least two hours between the time the customer calls to reserve the ride and the desired pickup time. Same day rides are not guaranteed and may not be accepted during inclement weather.

CHANGES TO TRIPS

Once a trip is booked, reservationists are not allowed to adjust the original request. If a customer wants changes, the reservationist must cancel the original request before booking a new trip.

CANCELLING TRIPS

Customers who need to cancel a scheduled trip - including a standing order trip - should call Transit Link as soon as possible, but no later than one hour prior to the scheduled ride. Customers can cancel a ride by speaking directly to a reservationist or by using the voice response system (call).

STAND-BY TRIPS

If the requested pickup time is not available, a customer may be asked if they would like to be placed on Stand-by.

Once their trip is on Stand-by, the customer is responsible for calling back by the date and time provided by the reservationist.
The trip request will be cancelled if the customer does NOT call back to check on the Stand-by trip.

STANDING ORDERS

Standing Orders are automatically scheduled trips each day, several times a week, or the same day and time each week, from the same origin address to the same destination address. Standing Order trips will be considered for

Trips going from the same origin to the same destination at the same time on the same day of the week, or
Customers who have not had their Standing Order canceled in the past year due to lack of use.

Standing orders are limited to 75% of the trips in a service area during any hour of the day. Some requests for standing orders may not be accepted based on capacity.

REQUEST A STANDING ORDER

Customers can request a standing order by submitting a Standing Order Request form to the Transit Link Service Provider. Customers must use Transit Link for 3 consecutive weeks without any No-Shows prior to requesting a Standing Order.

Please send your completed Standing Order Request form (doc) to your Transit Link Service Provider.

CHANGE A STANDING ORDER

Customers may make up to four changes to an existing standing order each year. To make changes, the customer must contact the service provider at least 21 days in advance of any desired change. All changes are subject to availability. Changes may include

Changing the pickup or dropoff location
Adding one or more days
Changing the pickup time.

STANDING ORDER CANCELLATIONS AND NO-SHOWS

If a customer cancels or is a no-show on 50% of their standing order trips over a two-month period, the customer will receive a warning letter. If the customer cancels or is a no-show within the next two-month period, the standing order will be canceled. If the standing order is canceled, the customer will not be granted a new standing order for 12 months. A customer may place a standing order on hold for up to six weeks within the calendar year. A customer must contact the service provider to request that a standing order be placed on hold.

STANDING ORDERS AND HOLIDAYS

Standing order rides will automatically be canceled, unless the passenger requests otherwise, for Memorial Day, Independence Day observed, Labor Day, the day AFTER Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Eve.

NO-SHOW RULES AND SUSPENSIONS

Failing to cancel a ride at least one hour before the scheduled pickup time will result in a no-show. Three no-shows within 30 days will result in a warning letter.

Additional no-shows in the next 30 days will result in suspension from service and termination of any standing orders. A new standing order will not be granted for 12 months from the date that the previous suspension ended, if there is a no-show on

an outgoing trip, the return trip will automatically be canceled, or
the return trip the customer must contact Transit Link to let them know that the return ride is still needed.

Prior to requesting a new standing order, a customer must use the service for three consecutive weeks without having any no-shows. If a customer no-shows two consecutive rides, all future rides will be suspended, and a customer services representative will make one attempt to contact the customer. All rides will remain suspended until the customer responds that he or she wants to continue active service. All standing orders will be deleted if the customer does not respond within 30 days.

DISPUTING NO-SHOWS OR SUSPENSIONS

Passengers may dispute a no show or suspension after receiving a warning or suspension letter; the procedure will be explained in the letter. Suspensions apply to the entire Transit Link service area.