Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Does Dial-a-Ride Work?
   
   
2. What Is the Purpose of Dial-a-Ride?
   
   
3. What Services Does Dial-a-Ride Provide?
   
   
4. Who Can Ride?
   
   
5. How Do I Become ADA Certified?
   
   
6. Do I Need to Be Certified for Non-ADA or General Public Service?
   
   
7. What Is a Reduced-Fare ID?
   
   
8. How Much Does Dial-a-Ride Service Cost?
   
   
9. How Do I Get a Ride?
   
   
10. What Can I Expect?
    
    
11. How Do I Cancel a Trip?
    
    
12. What Is a No-Show?
    
    
13. What Happens If I’m a ­No-Show?

How Does Dial-a-Ride Work?

Dial-a-Ride is a shared-ride service. The driver may pick up or drop off other people during your ride. In most cases, you can travel within a Dial-a-Ride service area without transferring to another vehicle. However, if your final destination is in another service area, you may have to transfer to a Dial-a-Ride vehicle serving that area. Dial-a-Ride can help you coordinate these transfers and transfers to and from fixed-route bus service.

What Is the Purpose of Dial-a-Ride?

Dial-a-Ride service is designed for people who are unable to access local bus service.

What Services Does Dial-a-Ride Provide?

Dial-a-Ride provides service to three types of groups: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) certified individuals, non-ADA certified individuals and the general public.

ADA-certified: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires public transportation agencie­s to provide paratransit service that complements regular fixed-route bus service for individuals who are ADA-certified. Dial-a-Ride ADA service provides shared-ride public transportation that complies with ADA requirements.

Non-ADA certified: Some cities in Maricopa County have elected to provide Dial-a-Ride services that exceed ADA requirements. Dial-a-Ride non-ADA service provides shared-ride public transportation to seniors and persons with disabilities.

General public: A few cities in Maricopa County offer their Dial-a-Ride services to the general public under specific conditions.

Who Can Ride?

Dial-a-Ride service is available to:

• people who meet ADA eligibility requirements,
• other persons with disabilities,
• senior citizens age 65 and over, and
• in some cases, the general public.

You may be asked for identification to establish your eligibility to use Dial-a-Ride.

How Do I Become ADA Certified?

To become certified you can request an application from the Valley Metro ADA Certification Office at (602) 534-3157, TTY (602) 534-3159, or download the ADA Application for Persons with Disabilities in PDF format.
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't have Acrobat Reader, you may download it free from Adobe's website.)

Do I Need to Be Certified for Non-ADA or General Public Service?

No, but your Dial-a-Ride driver will ask for proof of age or disability. A driver’s license, state-issued ID card, Medicare card or Valley Metro Reduced-Fare Identification Card can be used for this purpose.

What Is a Reduced-Fare ID?

The Valley Metro Reduced-Fare Identification Card is a photo ID establishing eligibility for non-ADA Dial-a-Ride services. Cardholders also receive discounts on local fixed-route bus service. The card costs $2.50.

Download the Reduced Fare Application [15K PDF] for Seniors, Youths, and Persons with Disabilities.
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't have Acrobat Reader, you may download it free from Adobe's website.)

Seniors (65 years of age and older) and youths must bring proof of age when applying. Examples include a driver’s license, birth certificate, Medicare card or state ID. Persons with disabilities must have verification from a doctor or health professional stating the type and duration of the disability, or possess a Medicare card.

Call your local Dial-a-Ride provider if you need a ride to an application photo ID site. See Dial-a-Ride Service Areas on the back cover of the guide for a listing of providers. You will not need to show proof of eligibility for that trip.

How Much Does Dial-a-Ride Service Cost?

Fares vary by service area and distance traveled. Zone charges may also apply to transfer trips. When you reserve your trip, ask the customer service agent how much your fare will be since exact change is required.

How Do I Get a Ride?

All ADA trips must be reserved at least one day (and up to 14 days) in advance. Dial-a-Ride providers in different cities have different requirements for reserving non-ADA trips. Subscription trips are another category of travel that requires reservations. These are trips that are made on a regular, predictable basis (work trips, for example). In some service areas, subscription trips may be booked several weeks in advance. Call your local Dial-a-Ride provider for information.

To reserve a ride, call the Dial-a-Ride provider that serves the area where you will be picked up. TTY is available for the hearing impaired. When you call, be prepared to answer the following questions:

• What is your name?
• What address will you want to be picked up at and what is the phone number at that address?
• How many people will be riding?
• Will you need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle?
• Will you be traveling with a service animal?
• Will you need to transfer to another Dial-a-Ride provider or to fixed-route bus service? (Dial-a-Ride can arrange either kind of transfer for you.)

Remember, since Dial-a-Ride is a shared-ride service, the driver may make other stops on the way to your destination. If you are unsure of how much time you should allot for your trip, please ask for suggestions when scheduling your pickup. The customer service agent will give you an estimate of how long you can expect to wait for the vehicle.

What Can I Expect?

ADA
ADA Dial-a-Ride service is considered on time if the vehicle arrives within the pickup window. Ask the reservationist about the pickup window for your trip.

Non-ADA
Non-ADA Dial-a-Ride service varies from service area to service area. Check with your local Dial-a-Ride provider.

Ride time varies by service area and distance traveled. Ask the customer service agent how long your trip will take. Please remember that the driver can only wait a few minutes without inconveniencing other passengers.

Personal Care Attendants
A personal care attendant (PCA) is an individual who must accompany a passenger on his or her trip. (For an individual to qualify as an attendant, the certified passenger must have established the need for a PCA during the ADA eligibility process.) PCAs are always allowed to ride with an eligible passenger and are not required to pay a fare, but they must travel from the same point of origin to the same destination as the certified passenger.

Companions
A companion is someone riding with a certified passenger, but not as a PCA. One companion is always allowed to ride with the passenger as long as a reservation has been made for the companion and the companion travels from the same point of origin and to the same destination. The companion pays the same fare as the certified passenger. More than one companion is allowed if space is available.

Children
Child car seats are not provided by the Dial-a-Ride service provider.

How Do I Cancel a Trip?

Please notify Dial-a-Ride as soon as you know you will be unable to make a scheduled trip. Cancellations can be made throughout the day. When calling to cancel, please provide the following information: name, address, date and time of pickup (specify a.m. trip, p.m. trip or both).

What Is a No-Show?

A no-show is defined in one of two ways:

1. A trip in which the passenger is not present at the prearranged pickup time and location when the Dial-a-Ride driver arrives and the passenger has given no notice to the Dial-a-Ride reservations center.
2. A request to cancel a trip that is not within the time specified by the service provider. (Please check with the service provider in your area for more information on the cancellation policy.)

What Happens If I’m a ­No-Show?

No-shows make it difficult to provide efficient service, cause delays and inconvenience other riders. All passengers are responsible for calling to cancel trips. A passenger who records a pattern of no-shows will be notified by mail of system policies and our expectations of passengers. A second series of no-shows may result in a suspension from Dial-a-Ride services. Subscription riders may lose their subscription privileges after recording a pattern of no-shows within a 60-day period.

Please contact your local Dial-a-Ride provider for their specific no-show policies.