What you should know
The Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines state that your DAR/ADA Para-Transit ride must be comparable to a fixed route service.
Among other things, this means that the time it takes to reach your destination must be reasonably similar to what it would take to use a fixed route bus service to reach your destination, including transfers and the time it takes to travel to and from fixed route stops.
The Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transits computerized scheduling system makes it possible to group trips in order to improve efficiency. You may notice that you’re traveling with other riders more often than in the past.
We strive to complete your trip in less time than the same trip would take on a fixed route service. However, when more trips are grouped, travel times may increase.
Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Continues to Improve Service
We are monitoring the amount of time that trips take. If you think your trip was excessively long, you can use the form below to report the problem or call us at (928)539-7076. We will investigate and take corrective action if needed.
The service structure implemented in October is still new and we are constantly making updates and improvements. By improving efficiency, we can reduce the cost to operate the system.
Some of the improvements already made include:
• Newer Para-Transit vehicles
• Upgraded telephone reservation system
• Better on time performance
We have more phone lines and personnel, which means it’s easier for you to reach a scheduler. You can book trips up to 4:00 pm for next day service.
On-time performance has significantly improved, being at or above 90% in The Greater Yuma Area and are constantly looking for ways to increase that number. Our new computer system allows us to see where problems exist as they are happening so that we can correct them right away, greatly improving our ability to serve you better.

Passenger Ride Times
If you believe your trip was excessively long, please let us know by filling in the “Passenger Ride Times Report Form” below. We promise to investigate and take corrective action.

Dial-A-Ride(DAR)/ADA Para-Transit Service

The Yuma County Area Dial-A-Ride, ADA Para-transit Service; is a curb-to-curb service for individuals with disabilities who cannot use the fixed route system. This brochure describes how the Dial-A-Ride, ADA Para-transit Service program works and the guidelines are for using it. The Dial-A-Ride, ADA Para-Transit is solely for people with disabilities or seniors over the age of 60.
Individuals who are interested in using Dial-A-Ride, ADA Para-Transit Service must apply and be found eligible according to ADA guidelines.
If you want to apply for ADA Para-Transit Service, an application can be mailed to you by calling the DAR/ADA Para-Transit Certification Program at the number listed below.
• Monday thru Saturday
• 6:00 am until 6:00 pm

• Ph. (928) 539-7076
• TTY (928) 783-0221
• Fx. (928) 783-0309

After filling out as much of the application as possible, call the Dial-A-Ride ADA /Para-Transit Certification Program office at (928)539-7076 to set up an in-person interview.
The Dial-A-Ride management staff will make a decision regarding your eligibility within twenty-one (21) days after the interview is completed. If you are eligible for ADA Para-Transit Service for some or all trips, you will receive a certification letter followed by a photo ID card.
If you have questions about the status of your application, you should contact the Dial-A-Ride Office at (928)-539-7076 Monday thru Saturday between the hours 8:00 am thru 5:00pm.
Also, if you disagree with the decision regarding your eligibility, a letter may be directed to ATTN: Site Manager Dial-A-Ride Services; at 2675 E 14th Street, Yuma, Arizona 85365.
Once eligibility is established, the passenger’s name and DAR/ADA registration number is added to the DAR/ADA Para-transit rider listing.
At the beginning of a DAR/ADA Para-Transit service trip, the passenger should show the driver their DAR/ADA Para-Transit Identification Card or Letter of Certification from DAR/ADA Para Transit Services Office. Passengers may be denied service if they do not present the ID card or DAR/ADA Para Transit Office letter.
Passengers who are eligible for DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services are automatically eligible to use fixed route services at half the regular fare. Passengers may travel with an attendant who is also eligible for the reduced fare for accomplished trips on fixed route services when traveling with the registered individual. In both cases, the ADA Para-Transit Services ID card must be shown to the driver.

WHERE AND WHEN ADA PARA-TRANSIT SERVICE AVAILABLE
Dar/ADA Para-Transit Service operates throughout the Greater Yuma Area. The ADA service area is three quarters of a (¾) mile on either side of a fixed route service.
The DAR/ADA Para-Transit Service operates on the same days and hours as fixed route service; 6:00 am until 6:00 pm Monday thru Saturday. ADA Para-Transit Service is available only where fixed route service is provided, there are no services offered on Sunday.

CALLING TO SCHEDULE ADA PARA-TRANSIT SERVICE
Calls to schedule trips should be made directly to the operator serving the area traveled. The brochure lists the telephone numbers.
Calls are supposed to be answered in the order received. The schedulers are instructed to be brief during busy hours so they can complete each call quickly and take other calls coming in to the scheduling office. This is especially true in the first hour that the scheduling office is open.
When calling to schedule a trip, be ready to provide the following passenger information:
• Name and DAR/ADA registration ID number.
• Date of trip(s).
• Requested pickup time(s).
• The exact street address (and building entrance) of each location, pickup and drop off.
• If a companion or personal care attendant will also be traveling and if the companion uses a mobility device.
• If the passenger will require use of a wheelchair lift.
• If there is a specific time you must be at your destination, state required arrival time.
• A phone number where you can be reached before pickup.
The scheduler will try to fit the trip in as near to the requested time as possible. However, it is helpful if times can be somewhat flexible.
It is not possible to guarantee that every request for a trip can be met. The scheduler is required to keep a record of trip requests that are turned down. Occasionally, the scheduler may receive a cancellation by another user or a request to reschedule a trip. In this case, a trip that was originally turned down may then be possible and the scheduler will telephone passengers to fill the trip slots.
As part of the DAR/ADA Para-Transit quality control efforts, calls to schedule rides may be tape recorded. The primary purpose is to confirm that all customer calls are handled promptly, courteously, and accurately. Callers are able to tell if the call is being taped, either by a recorded message or by a beep tone that recurs intermittently.

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE AGE 60 AND OLDER WITHOUT A DISABILITY
A subscription ride is defined as a ride which is taken at least two times per week between the same origin and destination and at the same times. Subscription service is limited. Currently, in most service areas, during the most popular ride times, the maximum levels of subscription rides are being provided. Therefore, most requests for subscription services cannot be accommodated immediately.
If a passenger wants to be considered for subscription service, please notify DAR Manager Office in writing and provide the following information:
• Name
• Identification #
• Pick up address for Subscription Trip
• Drop off address for Subscription Trip
• Time of pick up
• Time of drop off
• Days of the week subscription service is needed.
All subscription requests should be addressed to:
• Dial-A-Ride/ADA Para-Transit Department
• Subscription Request
• 2675 E 14th Street
• Yuma, Arizona 85365

All subscription requests received are date stamped and placed on a waiting list. Requests within each service area (and hours of service) are handled on a first come, first served basis. The Dial-A-Ride schedulers will contact passengers to verify the subscription trip information when subscription spaces become available.

DEFINITION OF SCHEDULED TRIP TIME-PICKUP TIME
A scheduled trip is defined as a trip requested by a rider to which an ADA Para-Transit provider scheduling staff commits to deliver at a specific time on a specific date; or a subscription trip the scheduler commits to deliver at a specific time on specific days. The scheduled trip time/pickup time should not be modified by the ADA Para-Transit provider, unless the passenger is notified and the change will not make the passenger late for an appointment time that the passenger previously informed the provider about. The provider is required to record the date and time of the call made to notify the passenger of the change.

PUNCTUALITY: Passengers & Drivers
Riders are asked to be ready 30 minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time. If the vehicle arrives up to 15 minutes early, it is helpful if the passenger can leave immediately.

Every DAR/ADA Para-Transit driver should be scheduled to at the pickup point on time or slightly early with regard to traffic conditions. Passengers should not have to wait more than 30 minutes after the scheduled pick-up time.
Please be aware, however, that the provider is considered to be “on time”, if they make a pick-up within 30 minutes of a scheduled trip. If the ADA Para-Transit operator does not arrive within 30 minutes of the scheduled time, the trip is considered “late”.
Passengers are urged to wait at the exact doorway and address indicated when scheduling the trip. Whenever possible, wait where the vehicle’s arrival can be seen. Drivers are not required to knock or ring doorbells. If a passenger is more than five minutes late for a scheduled pickup time, the driver may not be able to wait. However, before they leave for the next pickup, the driver will check with their scheduling office.

CHANGING A TRIP ALREADY SCHEDULED
Passengers needing to change the time or destination of a trip previously scheduled will notify the scheduling office as soon as possible. Schedulers do the best they can to accommodate the passenger’s request for a change in time, but this is not always possible. The sooner the passenger calls to request the change, the more likely the scheduler is able to accommodate it.
Drivers are not authorized to make changes in trip times or pickup or drop off locations. All requests for changes must go through the scheduling office of the service providers.

NO-SHOW AND LATE CANCELLATION POLICY
If a passenger needs to cancel a previously scheduled ride, they need to call the scheduling office as soon as possible so that a trip can be provided to another passenger. A passenger who does not call to cancel is considered a “no show”. A passenger who cancels with less than two hours notice is considered a “late cancellation”. Late cancellations and no shows take up ride time that could be used to accommodate the travel needs of others.
While it does not happen frequently, at times, our reports indicate that a passenger has an excessive number of no shows or late cancellations. In such cases, The Dial-A-Ride Office may suspend the passenger’s use of Dial-A-Ride/ADA Para-Transit Services. Before such action is taken, Yuma County Area Dial-A-Ride/ADA Para-Transit Office management personnel will contact the passenger to discuss the matter. Most of the time, such discussions serve to clear up any misunderstandings and no formal suspension takes place.
Yuma County Area Dial-A-Ride/ADA Para-Transit Office will take into consideration the difficulty that a passenger may have in providing at least two hours notice of their cancellation of early A.M. trips. For example, if the provider’s office does not open until shortly before the trip is scheduled, and the passenger could not anticipate the need to cancel the day before, DAR/ADA Para-Transit will take these circumstances into consideration before suspending a passenger’s use of DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services.

TRAVELING WITH A COMPANION
Eligible DAR/ADA riders may always travel with one companion. The first companion travels at no charge. Additional companion(s) may travel if space is available and they are required to pay the full Zone DAR/ADA Para-Transit Service fare. Also, the Companions must be picked up and dropped off at the same location as the DAR/ADA Para-Transit eligible rider.

FARES
Federal Transit Administration requirements state if the DAR passenger is a certified ADA qualified client and lives within ¾ of a mile either side of a fixed-route service route, the maximum fee that can be charged to that individual is twice the amount of the fixed-route service base fare. If the client lives beyond the three quarter (¾) mile limit of the fixed-route service the client is required to pay the normal DAR Zone Fare.
This means that any DAR client that lives in Yuma that is ADA certified can only be charged twice the amount of the fixed-route fare (which is $1.50) or $3.00 for each one-way trip. If the Yuma client lives beyond the three quarter (¾) mile limit intra city fixed-route service they will need to pay the normal DAR Zone A, Zone B, and Zone D fares. Any DAR client that lives in Somerton or the Foothills that is ADA certified can only be charged twice the amount (which is $2.50) or $5.00 for each one-way trip. If the client lives beyond the three quarter (¾) mile limit for the fixed-route services for Somerton or Foothills they will need to pay the normal DAR Foothills Zone C, and Somerton Zone E fares. Any DAR client that lives in San Luis or Wellton that is ADA certified can only be charged twice the amount of the fixed-route fare (which is $3.50) or $7.00 per one-way trip. If the DAR client lives beyond the three quarter (¾) mile for the fixed-route service for San Luis or Wellton they will need to pay the normal DAR Zone F and Zone H DAR fares.
Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit encourages passengers to use the lower cost fixed route services to the extent possible.
Transfers from DAR/ADA Para-Transit service to a regular fixed route or another DAR/ADA service area are honored on fixed route services.
It is helpful when scheduling your DAR/ADA trip, if you let the scheduler know what service you will be transferring to. Also, be sure to let your driver know what service you are transferring from.
Payment of the exact fare is required and must be paid at the time of pick up for the trip. Passengers who are able should put the fare directly in the fare box. If a passenger is unable to do this, the driver may assist, if requested.
Passengers may purchase pre-paid booklets DAR/ADA Para-Transit Service tickets. A form to purchase tickets by mail is available through the Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Office. Many passengers find this more convenient than carrying the exact fare.

REQUIRED USE OF FLOOR RESTRAINTS
Passengers using a wheelchair or other mobile assistive device must allow it to be secured with the vehicle’s floor restraint system. Also, for the passenger’s safety, we encourage the use of the lap belt and shoulder belts provided in the vehicles. This is called a five point tie down system.

LIMITED PASSENGER ASSISTANCE
A DAR/ADA Para-Transit Service driver will secure a passenger’s wheelchair or other mobile assistive device using the floor restraints. When requested, the driver may provide assistance to a passenger, if, in the driver’s best judgment, this enhances the safety of the passenger and the safety of the driver and other passengers will not be compromised. Under these circumstances, the driver may assist passengers in 1) boarding and exiting the vehicle; 2) getting to or from the exterior door of their pickup point or destination. At no time are drivers allowed to lift or carry customers.
Passengers are expected to carry on their own packages.

IF YOU ARE CONFUSED ABOUT YOUR TRIP OR YOU ARE STRANDED
FIRTST: Call Yuma county Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Scheduler at the number listed below:
• Ph. (928) 539-7076
• TTY (928) 783-0221
• Fx. (928) 783-0309

Ask to speak with a supervisor
Please use this emergency procedure only if the following situation exists:
• You had a ride scheduled with a Yuma County DAR/ADA Para-Transit system and the driver did not show up, and explained your situation, but were not assured that you would be picked up, and you think you may be stranded, and it is after the DAR/ADA Para-Transit service hours.

UNSAFE BEHAVIOR
RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE
Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services reserves the right to refuse service to anyone who poses a threat to the safety of other passengers or the drivers, or whose behavior poses a threat to their own safe transport.
Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services will not refuse service to an individual with disabilities solely because the individual’s disability results in the appearance or involuntary behavior that may offend, annoy or inconvenience other persons.
If a passenger is suspended from using DAR/ADA Para-Transit services, and they feel that the decision was made in error, they may request an appeal to the site Manager Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services and present their concerns at a personal hearing.

A written request for an appeal may be submitted to Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services ATTN: Site Manager at 2675 E 14th Street, Yuma Arizona, 85365.

RIDER COMPLAINTS, COMPLIMENTS, GENERAL INFORMATION
Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services staff works closely with DAR/ADA Para-Transit Service providers and monitors all services with the goal of continually improving quality. Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services also relies on the passengers to help with monitoring, so we welcome passenger comments-both criticism and praise.
Any complaints should be made directly to Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services Customer Relations at:
• Ph. (928) 539-7076
• TTY (928) 783-0221
• Fx. (928) 783-0309

• In writing to 2675 E 14th Street, Yuma, AZ 85365
Upon request and when feasible, Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services will make its best efforts to keep the name of the complaint confidential from the person against whom the complaint is made.
Our staff is best able to investigate and resolve complaints or problems when the passenger notifies us promptly after the occurrence and provides specific information as to date, time, and other relevant details.
General concerns, commendations, suggestions or requests for general information on any DAR/ADA Para-Transit service also should be directed to Yuma County Area DAR/ADA Para-Transit Services Customer Relations.

IN CONCLUSION
Our goal is to offer efficient and economic DAR/ADA Para-Transit Service which is:
• Safe
• Reliable
• Comfortable
• Responsive
• Courteous
• Helpful
• Punctual
Passenger involvement and comments are welcome at all times.