ACCESS

• ADA Criteria for Eligibility
• ACCESS Guidelines

ADA Criteria for Eligibility

CityBus’ ACCESS eligibility requirements have been determined by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). One or more of the following conditions must existfor an individual to be considered eligible for CityBus ACCESS:

(1) Any individual with a disability who is unable as the result of a physical or mental impairment (including a vision impairment) and without the assistance of another individual (except the operator of a wheelchair lift or other boarding assistance device), to board, ride, or disembark from any vehicle on the system which is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

What this means: An individual with a disability that prevents him or her from being able to, without assistance, get on, ride, or get off of an accessible bus, may be eligible for ACCESS.

(2) Any individual with a disability who has a specific impairment-related condition which prevents such individual from traveling to a boarding location or from disembarking location on such system.

What this means: An individual who has a disability that prevents him or her from getting to or from a bus stop may be eligible for ACCESS.

A third category of eligibility defined by ADA provides eligibility for individuals who cannot use the regular route system because transit vehicles themselves are not accessible. Passengers are no longer certified for eligibility in this category by CityBus because accessible vehicles are operated on all routes.

ACCESS Guidelines

1. Trips are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. Trips may be scheduled as far in advance as 14 days, and as late as the day before the trip time, if space is still available. For best results, please schedule your trips one to two weeks in advance. Trip reservations are taken on each day before a service day, including weekends and holidays, and can be made on all days prior to service days during regular business hours.

2. No limitations as to trip purpose will be imposed by CityBus. Additionally, CityBus will not prioritize trips by purpose.

3. As space allows, CityBus will accept standing reservations for those riders who make repeating trips on a predetermined schedule. Please ask the dispatcher for details about standing trips.

4. To cancel a trip call the dispatcher at 765-742-2121 as soon as possible and at least one hour before your scheduled pick up time so your space can be made available to another rider. Repeated failure to call and cancel is sufficient cause for suspension of riding privileges; see Revocation of Privileges, below. READ THE NO SHOW POLICY BELOW.

5. ACCESS riders must be ready to depart 15 minutes before their scheduled trip time. It is possible that the ACCESS van may arrive early or late, due to the complexity of scheduling multiple trips and shared rides. The ACCESS bus is considered “on time” if it arrives within fifteen-minutes either before or after the scheduled time. For example, if you schedule a 10:00AM trip, ACCESS will be there between 9:45AM and 10:15AM, however you should be ready to depart at 9:45AM.

6. ACCESS will wait no longer than five minutes at the curb. If the rider is not present, the dispatcher may attempt to call the rider as a courtesy, if time allows, but is not obligated to call. The bus will depart and a “no show” or failure to cancel will be counted against the rider. See Revocation of Privileges, below.

7. A “Personal Care Assistant” is an individual who can travel free with the rider for the purposes of helping them. ACCESS drivers will assist riders in getting on or off the bus, in or out of a seat on the bus, with mobility aids, or with light packages (not heavier than 25 pounds).

8. If “door to door” service is requested, ACCESS drivers will assist riders between the vehicle and the door. Riders are not required to have a PCA for the sole purpose of assisting them to the vehicle.

9. A return trip, if needed and based on the time you expect to be ready, is scheduled when you call to schedule a trip. When you are ready for a return trip, call ACCESS at 765-742-2121 and request to be picked up. Please understand that, while every effort is made to be there in a timely fashion, ACCESS is a shared ride and you may have to wait for the bus to arrive.

10. Unexpected delays or cancellations may occur for reasons beyond CityBus’ control, including during periods of bad weather. Please visit the web site or watch local media for notices of cancellations. When possible, CityBus will call ACCESS riders to inform them if there are delays or cancellations due to weather or other causes.

11. If you are a visitor and are eligible for paratransit services by another agency or have a disability, you may be given “presumptive eligibility” to use ACCESS for up to 21 days in a 365 day period. Credentials from another agency are accepted, but not required.

12. Scooters and wheelchairs will be secured by the driver before the bus departs. If the mobility device cannot be appropriately secured, the passenger must transfer to a seat on the bus for their safety. CityBus assumes no liability for passengers who refuse to transfer to a seat.

13. Riders are expected to pay fare at the time of service for each trip on ACCESS. Failure to pay a fare may result in revocation of privileges, see below.

14. Revocation of Privileges. CityBus reserves the right to revoke certification for use of ACCESS along with the privilege to ride, either temporarily or permanently, if a rider fails to follow CityBus rules or these ACCESS guidelines. Habitually failing to cancel, frequent “no shows,” or refusing to pay the fare may result in losing your privilege to use ACCESS.

ACCESS Application

If you need Access service please complete the application and have it confirmed by a Physician, Health Care or Rehabilitation Professional. Return the completed application directly to:
CityBus ACCESS, P.O. Box 588, Lafayette, IN 47902-0588

ADA Visitors

• Eligible visitors will be served for a period of 21 days during any 12 month period.
• Individuals from outside the Greater Lafayette area will be served as ADA visitors if they are unable to use accessible, fixed route transportation services due to disability related functional limitations.

According to ADA regulations, an individual residing outside of the area served by CityBus is eligible for complementary paratransit service as a visitor if:

• The individual presents documentation of ADA paratransit eligibility from their home jurisdiction.
• The individual has no such documentation (of ADA paratransit eligibility), then the individual is to provide documentation of residence outside of the Greater Lafayette area and, if the individual’s disability is not apparent, proof of the disability. This might include, for example, a letter from a doctor.

To request visitor status, contact CityBus at (765)742-7433 or ridehelp@gocitybus.com. Be prepared to give:

• Information verifying eligibility as an ADA eligibility from outside of our service area or evidence of disability as described above.
• Expected dates when visitor desires to use Access.
• CityBus will process the application promptly.

The visitor will be notified of the determination regarding status as an ADA eligible visitor and if eligible, information will be entered into the rider database.

ACCESS Paratransit No-Show Policy

In order to be considered a no show, each of the following conditions has occurred:

• The customer has a scheduled paratransit trip.
• The vehicle arrives at the scheduled pick-up point no later than fifteen (15) minutes after the scheduled pick-up time.
• The driver waits at least five (5) minutes at the scheduled pick-up point and the customer fails to board the vehicle.

Late cancellations will be counted as a no-show for the purposes of this policy.

A late cancellation occurs when the customer (or customer’s representative) fails to call dispatch one (1) hour or more prior to the scheduled pick-up time to cancel his/her ride. If the customer has more than one ride scheduled, having a no-show does NOT automatically cancel the rest of the rides for the day. It is still the customer’s responsibility to call and cancel the remaining rides for the day. If the rides are not cancelled, and the customer does not ride, the result would be additional no-shows.

CityBus ACCESS will track no-shows and late cancellations by customer. CityBus ACCESS will identify customers who have no-show/late cancellations within any thirty (30) day period which meet the following criteria. Customers who meet these criteria will be in violation of the no-show policy:

• No shows represent ten percent (10) or more of their scheduled trips; and/or
• The customer has three (3) or more no-shows.

On the day the rider violates the no-show policy, the following progressive action will be taken:

• First occurrence — Customer will receive a reminder from the ACCESS Supervisor about the CityBus ACCESS’s no-show policy.
• Second occurrence — A warning letter will be issued advising the rider that he/she has violated CityBus ACCESS’s no-show policy.
• Third occurrence — Customer will receive a three (3) day* suspension.
• Fourth occurrence — Customer will receive a five (5) day* suspension.
• Additional occurrences — Customer will receive a ten (10) day* suspension.

*For the purposes of this policy the suspension period means days that CityBus ACCESS is in operation, which excludes Corporation holidays. 

Customers may contact CityBus ACCESS in writing to appeal a no-show within ten (10) days of the no-show violation. CityBus ACCESS will investigate the customers appeal to determine if the challenge is valid. Consideration will be given to customers with no-shows that were a result of a circumstance beyond their control.

No-shows are EXCUSED when the trip is missed for the following reasons:

• The customer is sick.
• The customer has a family emergency
• Death or illness of family member, or other family emergency.
• Mobility aid failure.
• Appointment cancelled/delayed for reasons not the customer’s fault.
• Adverse weather: Snowstorm, extreme heat or extreme cold.
• Acts of God: Flood, earthquakes, etc.
• Staffing error: CityBus ACCESS did not make all the cancellations the client requested; or customer just found out the ride was scheduled for the wrong day, time, or location; or the customer was not informed that his/her pick-up time was changed and was not ready.

No-shows or cancels are NOT EXCUSED when the trip is missed for the following reasons:

• Customer didn’t want to travel today.
• Customer changed their mind about using appointment.
• Customer didn’t know or forgot that he/she had a ride scheduled or was supposed to call to cancel.
• Customer got another ride.
• Customer told someone else he/she was not planning to travel (driver, facility, etc.) or someone else scheduled the ride for him/her.
• Customer does not want to ride with specific driver or passenger, or on a specific vehicle.

Appealing a Warning or Suspension 

Customers may contact CityBus ACCESS in writing to appeal a suspension within ten (10) days of the no-show violation.  Suspension of service will not begin until the appeal process is complete. Customers will be notified in writing of the final decision.

ADA Complaint Procedures

If you have a complaint about the accessibility of our transit system or service, or believe you have been discriminated against because of your disability, you can file a complaint. Provide all
facts and circumstances surrounding your issue or complaint so we can fully investigate the incident.

To file a complaint:

• Call (765) 742-7433
• Email ridehelp@gocitybus.com
• Or request a complaint form by writing CityBus, PO Box, Lafayette, IN 47902-0588
  or calling (765) 423-2666.

You may file a signed, dated and written ADA complaint no more than 180 days from the date of the alleged incident. The complaint must include:

• Your name, address and telephone number.
• How, why, and when you believe you were discriminated against. Include as
  much specific, detailed information as possible about the alleged acts of
  discrimination, and any other relevant information.
• The names of any persons, if known, whom the director could contact for clarity
  of your allegations.
• You can also download and print this complaint form (PDF) to complete and send in.

Submit your complaint form to address listed below:
Bryan Walck, Manager of Operations
CityBus
PO Box 0588
Lafayette, IN 47902-0588

Do you need complaint assistance?

If you are unable to complete a written complaint due to a disability or if information is needed in
another language, we can assist you. Contact us at (765) 423-266 or at ridehelp@gocitybus.com.