City of Fort Collins's Paratransit Service

Dial-A-Ride is a door-to-door paratransit service for individuals who, because of a disability, are prevented from using Transfort, the City's fixed-route bus service. Effective January 2, 2007, the City of Fort Collins modified Dial-A-Ride service to align with the minimum service requirements of the American's with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The ADA requires entities that provide fixed route bus service to provide complementary paratransit service to persons who have a disability that prevents them from being able to use the fixed route bus service.

• Eligibility
• All current Dial-A-Ride clients must re-certify
• Service Area
• Hours and Days of Service
• Fares
• Trip Reservations must be made at least one day in advance
• What if I need to cancel my ride?
• What if this is my first time to call?
• How soon should I be ready?

Eligibility

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines someone as disabled for the purposes of transportation as: A person with a disability, whose disability prevents them from using a fixed route bus service.

Individuals that fit this definition are eligible for paratransit service.

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All current Dial-A-Ride clients must re-certify

New and current DAR clients must complete an Eligibility Application. In order to better serve Dial-A-Ride clients, eligibility will be categorized into three different groups:

• Unconditional - A person’s disability prevents them from using the fixed route system at any time
• Conditional - A person’s disability prevents them from using the fixed route system part of the time. An example would be a person sensitive to temperature extremes. Consideration will be given to the following day’s weather in determining a trip’s eligibility
• Temporary - A person’s disability prevents them from using the fixed route system for a set period of time

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Service Area

All trips must remain within the revised service area, which is defined as ¾ mile from any fixed bus route. See map. Paratransit service will not be scheduled beyond the area shown in blue on the map. Simply living beyond ¾ of a buffer does not qualify for Dial-A-Ride. Final determination of a trip’s origin and destination falls within the discretion of Dial-A-Ride.

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Hours and Days of Service

Through March 31, 2007, Dial-A-Ride night service will continue to operate from 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM Monday through Saturday, except for published holidays. Thereafter, paratransit service will align with fixed route service hours; 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM unless modified by the City Council.

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Fares

Fares are $2.50 per one-way trip.

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Trip Reservations must be made at least one day in advance

Reservations are taken up to 14 days in advance.

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What if I need to cancel my ride?

Passengers must call to cancel a reservation trip a minimum of one (1) hour prior to the scheduled pick-up time. Failure to give proper cancellation notice is defined as a "late cancel". A passenger who is not at the designated pick-up location and misses a scheduled trip is defined as a "no-show". If a passenger refuses his/her trip when the driver shows up, this is defined as a "cancel at the door" which also counts as a "no-show".

There is a Dial-A-Ride suspension policy for excessive "no-show"-type violations. All the following are "no-show"-type violations; "no-shows", "cancels at the door" or "late cancellations". Any combination of 3 "no-shows", "cancels at the door" or "late cancellations" in a 30 day period will result in a 1 week suspension. If in another 30 day period a passenger has another combination of 3 "no-shows", "cancels at the door" or "late cancellations", this will result in a 30 day suspension.

NOTE: This policy does not apply to passengers who have missed a return trip due to a medical delay (when passenger is not ready due to a doctor's appointment running late). You may cancel your ride by calling the Dial-A-Ride office at (970) 224-6066. If a passenger cancels a ride one hour or more before the scheduled pick-up time, the passenger will not have to pay a fare and will not receive a penalty.

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What if this is my first time to call?

The first time you call us, we will get your name and address in order to send you information and eligibility forms. After forms are completed, send them back to Dial-A-Ride at 6570 Portner Rd. Fort Collins, Co 80525. This process will take 7-10 business days to complete. Once determination of your eligibility is complete you will be notified by the Dial-A-Ride office. Upon receipt of notification you can make your first reservation.

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How soon should I be ready?

To help ensure Dial-A-Ride will get you to your destination on time be ready at least 15 minutes before your pickup time, be prepared to wait up to 15 minutes after your pickup time, and watch for your driver. Drivers will wait no longer than five minutes for each rider. If your driver has not arrived within 15 minutes of your pickup time, please call 224-6066. Dial-A-Ride is committed to providing you the best paratransit service possible.

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