Dial-A-Ride

Interested in applying for Dial-A-Ride services? Application forms can be picked up at the Rapid Transit office located at 333 6th Street. If you are unable to stop by our office, simply phone 394-6631 and request that one be mailed to you or you can download an application here.

Dial-A-Ride operates within the corporate city limits of Rapid City. The length of your trip depends on the number of stops the bus will make for other passengers. Every effort will be made to ensure the shortest trip possible. Dial-A-Ride pick-ups begin at 6:10 AM and ends at 5:50 PM Monday through Friday and from 8:00 AM through 6:00 PM with last pick-up scheduled at 5:40 PM.

All Dial-A-Ride Trips must be scheduled in advance; we do not accept same-day scheduling. To schedule your trip, please call the Rapid Transit office by dialing 394-6631 and then pressing "0" to speak with a dispatcher. Dial-A-Ride trips can be scheduled from 7:00 am through 3:30 pm Monday through Friday.

When you call to schedule, please have the following information ready:

1. Your first and last name.
2. The date you need to schedule.
3. Your home address or the address that you would like to be picked up from
4. The address of your destination. We need the actual street number, not the name of the business or doctor.
5. The time you need to arrive at your destination.
6. The time you would like to return.
7. We will also need to know if you are taking someone with you-either a companion or a personal care attendant.
8. If you require door to door service, you must request it at this time.

Our scheduling is based on a "twenty minute window". That is, if you tell the dispatcher you need to be at an appointment by 8:00, we may tell you that your pick up time may be "between 7:30 and 7:50". This will mean that the bus could arrive anytime between 7:30 and 7:50 and the drivers will wait a maximum of five (5) minutes from the time they arrive before leaving.

The same procedure will be used for the return times. You may tell the dispatcher that you would like to return at 11:00. The return time may be "between 10:55 and 11:15. Again, this would mean that the bus could arrive any time between 10:55 and 11:15 and the drivers will wait a maximum of five (5) minutes from the time they arrive before leaving.

We have the capability of scheduling your ride up to 14 days in advance. When you call in, you will need to have all of the above listed information ready for the dispatcher. She will give you your times before hanging up. Please record this information in a safe place, as we will not be calling back to give you that information at a later time.

Off hours scheduling

You may phone Sunday between 7:00 AM and 3:30 PM, leaving the same information as requested above on our voice mail. Your trip will not be processed without this information. We will schedule all rides as requested and notify you Monday morning. Please make every effort to cooperate.

Points to remember

• All trip requests must be made at least one day prior to your scheduled trip request.
• There will be no same day scheduling.
• Trip destination and pick up times cannot be changed the day of the scheduled trip.
• All carry on items will be limited to what you can effectively carry during your initial boarding of the bus. Drivers are not responsible for your carry on items.
• You must present a fare to the driver upon boarding the bus. No fare, no ride!

Rapid Transit will make every effort to be on time. Please be patient and keep this in mind when scheduling trips. ADA eligible passengers will receive service within one hour of requested time.

Dial-A-Ride provides curb to curb/door to door transportation service. Passengers need to be waiting at the main entrances, at the sidewalk, or at another safe waiting area in front of, or as close as possible to the entrances of the pick-up location. Drivers will wait for a passenger at the curb of a public street, in front of or as close as possible to, the passenger's house, building, or other designated pick up location. For drop offs, the driver will drop the passenger off at the sidewalk, or another safe waiting area next to the curb or public street in front of, or as close as possible to, the designated drop off location.

In addition Dial-A-Ride provides a limited door to door service that is provided to assist you from the threshold of a residence or main lobby of a building. Drivers must maintain physical sight of the vehicle at all times. Drivers are not permitted to enter beyond the threshold or ground level of any building.

Door-to-door service does not include any of the following:

• Assisting passengers on unsafe or steeply inclined drives, mobility ramps, or stairs.
• Drivers entering beyond the door threshold or ground level of any residence or main lobby of a building.
• Loading or unloading of personal items
• Drivers will not enter nursing homes, medical facilities, shopping centers, businesses, or other public buildings in an attempt to find passengers.

Dial A Ride will accommodate all standard wheelchairs. It is the passenger's choice to transfer or remain in their mobility device.

Passengers using mobility aids that exceed the "standard size" may request service, and Dial A Ride staff will determine if service may be provided. Every attempt will be made to secure wheelchairs and scooters.

Passengers must be in an upright sitting position for transport.

All wheelchair and scooters must be in safe operating condition including handgrips, locking brakes, inflated tires, and should have footrests to safeguard passenger's feet while being wheeled to or from the vehicle.

Dial A Ride drivers are not allowed to assist passengers using wheelchairs or other mobility devices up or down any steps.

In order to assure the safety of our passengers and drivers, if a wheelchair passenger is requesting door to door service to a ramp location, this can only be provided if: (1) the passenger arranges assistance up and down the ramp from someone other than a Dial A Ride driver or (2) the ramp complies with the standard for ramps identified in the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities regulations (i.e. Appendix A to Part 37 of the ADA)

When phoning in to cancel a ride, please provide the following information for the dispatcher:

• Your first and last name
• Your pick up address
• The address of your destination
• The time(s) of the ride(s) you wish to cancel

If you are canceling a round trip or multiple trips, you will need to give us the information for all trips. Cancellation of scheduled services must be made at least one hour prior to your scheduled ride time. Violation of this policy may result in suspension of ridership privileges.

Seat belts are available, but not required. Passengers are encouraged to use the seat belts. Shoulder harnesses are available for passengers in wheelchairs at the passenger's request. If you need assistance, please ask the driver.

Personal care attendants (PCA's) may ride with you at no additional cost. You may also have one "companion" accompany you. There is a charge for the "companion" and they must board and deboard from the same location as the ADA certified individual. You may have additional "companions" ride, but this would be on a space available basis only.

Any animals individually trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability, including but not limited to guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items are allowed without prior arrangements being made.

ADA eligible individuals who live outside the corporate city limits of Rapid City are eligible for 21 days of service. These 21 days are calculated over a period of 365 days, not 21 calendar days.

Visitors that are not certified in another jurisdiction are to be processed quickly for visitor status if proper documentation is submitted verifying a disability that prevents them from using the regular fixed-route bus.

Due to chronic abuse by a small percentage of the riding public, Rapid Transit has developed a policy regarding passengers who no-show when scheduled for service. The no show policy is as follows:

All persons who schedule service and fail to show for an appointment without canceling the scheduled service will be treated as a no-show. Cancellations upon arrival will likewise be treated as a no-show. Ridership privileges may be suspended if a passenger schedules nine or more rides and no shows more than 10% of those scheduled rides within a 30-day period..

Weather Related Access to Private Homes

Passengers are responsible for snow and ice removal to make their homes accessible to the Rapid Transit Dial A Ride drivers. If the home is not accessible the ride will be considered a cancel upon arrival.

Winter Weather Procedures

In case of an accumulation of snow or ice, Rapid Transit System will follow these procedures:

1. If weather conditions and/or snow/ice accumulations do not allow for the bus lift to be safely deployed, the driver will not attempt a pick up. The driver will notify dispatch, and dispatch will attempt to notify the resident that the ride cannot be provided.
2. If the lift can be safely deployed, but the sidewalk or driveway to or from the bus is not sufficiently clear of snow or ice (to enable passengers in a mobility device to proceed to or from the bus), the driver will notify dispatch of this condition. Dispatch will then notify the resident of the condition. If the passenger is able to reach the bus on his or her own, then the ride will be carried out.

Dial-A-Ride will make every effort to provide service whenever scheduled. In the event that extreme weather conditions exist making travel unsafe, Dial-A-Ride reserves the right to discontinue services until conditions are favorable. If service is temporarily discontinued, all rides will be cancelled.

If Dial-A-Ride discontinues service during normal business hours due to weather conditions, every effort will be made to return the passengers home.

Information on weather-related service changes may be obtained by calling Rapid Transit System at 394-6631.

Information of service changes will also be distributed through the following broadcast media outlets:

• KOTA-TV & KOTA-Radio-1340 AM
• KELO, KEVN, & KNBN television networks