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Orange County Transportation Services ADA Paratransit Plan <br /> <br />Orange County Planning Department Page 19 <br /> <br /> <br />Drivers are trained to provide minimal assistance only. Drivers provide assistance to passengers entering <br />and exiting the vehicle which includes securing the passenger in a seat or wheelchair restraints and <br />handling a limited amount of light weight packages into and out of the vehicle. When requested, drivers <br />also assist passengers from the door of their origin to the vehicle and from the vehicle to the door of <br />their destination. Drivers are not expected to assist passengers into their homes or other destinations. <br />Drivers are not considered personal care attendants, nor are they trained to provide medical assistance. <br />5. Shopping Trips <br />To ensure timely service, passengers are expected only to bring what they can safely carry on their own <br />in one trip or with assistance of a personal care attendant (PCA). Passengers must keep their packages <br />secure, and packages may not occupy another needed passenger seat or obstruct the aisle way. <br />Passengers are welcome to bring a collapsible shopping cart on board the vehicle to assist them with <br />their purchases. <br />6. Trip Cancellation Policy for a Scheduled Trip <br />Passengers are encouraged to be cooperative in reducing cancellations. Cancellations are disruptive to <br />the overall operation and the time could have been scheduled by another passenger. There is no penalty <br />for a cancellation as long as the Dispatch office is notified at least one (1) hour in advance of the <br />scheduled pick-up time. Passengers are encouraged to give as much notice as possible if unable to keep <br />the appointment. If a passenger cancels a trip less than one hour before the scheduled pick-up time, it <br />is considered a Late Cancellation and treated the same as a No Show. All Late Cancellations are recorded <br />in the Passenger Individual Ridership Percentage record, which is maintained in the Dispatch office. <br /> <br />Passengers should call the Orange County Public Transit Dispatch office at (919) 245-2008 as soon as <br />known to cancel any trips. <br /> <br />Cancellations can be made by leaving a message on the answering system 24 hours a day 7 days a week, <br />but every effort should be made to call during business hours which are Monday through Friday, 8:00 <br />AM to 5 PM. <br />7. No Show Policy/Procedure <br />OCTS requests that passengers be ready to be transported within the scheduled 30-minute pick-up <br />window. Orange County Public Transit defines a No Show as occurring when all five of the following <br />circumstances have occurred: <br /> The customer (or the customer’s representative) has scheduled ADA paratransit service. <br /> There has been no call by the customer or his/her representative to cancel the scheduled trip <br />two or more hours before the start of the pick-up window. <br /> The paratransit vehicle has arrived at the scheduled pickup point within the scheduled pick-up <br />window time. <br /> The driver has waited at least five (5) minutes beyond the scheduled pick-up time, but the <br />customer has failed to board the vehicle or refuses a trip. <br /> The driver cannot reasonably see the customer approaching the vehicle. <br />29