Valley Transit-II (Paratransit) Service 

No-Show Policy 

Revised August 24, 2004

Definition

In this policy, a no-show is defined as the act of a person who, having scheduled a paratransit trip, changes his/her mind about making the trip but does not cancel the appointment, allowing the van to arrive but not boarding it. The definition also includes cancellations later than one hour before the scheduled pick-up time but does not include incidents that are beyond the person’s control. Scheduling problems, late pickups and other operational problems must be considered beyond the rider’s control.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to set forth the procedure for informing users of Valley Transit-II about the importance of scheduling service appointments and of suspending paratransit service to individuals who develop and fail to correct a pattern of no-shows. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, under 49CFR Section 37.125(h), allows for such policies in specific instances. The procedure that follows had been designed to conform with the ADA regulations.

Procedure

When a person has scheduled paratransit service through the service provider, he/she has the responsibility to be ready to board the van when it arrives or to cancel the trip within a reasonable period of time, i.e., one hour or more before the scheduled pick-up time.

Valley Transit will maintain records in order to keep track of no-show incidents. For the first no-show incident, Valley Transit will remind the person in writing of the importance of canceling when a scheduled trip will not be taken. (The written reminder will be mailed to the individual. To facilitate obtaining additional information, the reminder will include Valley Transit’s telephone number.)

If a person has a second no-show within a three-month period, Valley Transit will send a letter to the person advising them that one more no-show will cause a suspension of service for one month. A copy of the no-show policy will be attached to the letter.  Valley Transit will make a courtesy telephone call to the offending rider’s contact person (from their ADA application) advising of the second no-show.

The third no-show within the three-month period will result in suspension of service for one month. Written notice of the suspension will be sent by Valley Transit with an explanation of the appeals process.

The appeals process will function as follows. Upon receipt of a written appeal, the General Manager of Valley Transit will convene a panel made up of three previously designated representatives of local human service agencies. The person making the appeal, or their representative, will present their case to the appeals panel either in person or in writing. Representatives of the service provider and Valley Transit will also meet with the panel at the same time to provide information, but will not vote on the decision to suspend service, insuring that the vote will result in a definite decision for the person making the appeal. As noted before, Valley Transit will convey the decision to the person in writing within 30 days of the date of his/her letter. This decision of the panel will be final. If the decision is not in favor of the person appealing, he/she will be barred from using the paratransit service for one month.

If you have questions about this policy, please call 832-5800

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