No-shows and late cancels

If you decide that you do not need or are not able to take a ride that you have scheduled, please call East Bay Paratransit as soon as you can to cancel the trip. You should make every effort to call AT LEAST one hour before you scheduled pick-up window begins.

If you don’t take a trip you have reserved on East Bay Paratransit, and if you didn’t call to cancel it ahead of time, it is called a “no-show". It is a serious violation of East Bay Paratransit’s rules for riders, and riders are penalized for no- showing multiple times. Canceling a trip less than one hour before the scheduled pick-up carries the same penalties as no-showing.

If you no-show a ride, East Bay Paratransit will make every effort to determine whether you will still need other rides that you have also scheduled that day. If we believe you will not be using the return ride on a round trip or other rides scheduled that day, they will be cancelled. Therefore, it is important that if you no-show a trip, you must call East Bay Paratransit at (510) 287-5000 immediately to let us know that you will still be taking other rides you have reserved that day.

Pets and service animals

You may bring your guide dog or other service animal that has been trained to help you because of your disability. The service animal must be under your direct physical control and must be well behaved at all times. It must not soil or damage the vehicle, bark, growl, or act in an aggressive or threatening manner. You must tell the customer service representative that you are bringing an animal at the same time you make your reservation.

You may travel with a small pet as long as the animal is fully enclosed in a secure container that you can manage and which you can hold on your lap or place at your feet.

Rider Behavior

Riders, companions, and personal care attendants must:

• Avoid no-shows and late or repeated cancellation of reservations.
• Get aboard the vehicle promptly, remain seated once on board, wear the seat belt, and keep arms, legs, and head inside the vehicle.
• Always pay any required fares.

Riders, companions, and personal care attendants must not:

• Eat, drink, play radios or CDs aloud, or litter on the vehicles.
• Soil the vehicle with bodily fluids or waste, or fail to maintain acceptable standards of personal hygiene.
• Distract the driver or interfere with the vehicle or equipment.
• Carry fireworks, flammable liquids, or weapons aboard the vehicle.
• Use abusive, threatening, or obscene language to other riders or any East Bay Paratransit staff.
• Commit violent or illegal actions.
• Fraudulently obtain East Bay Paratransit service for themselves or for others.
• Behave in ways that disrupt the service or delay the vehicle.
• Harass other riders or East Bay Paratransit staff, including racial, sexual, gender, or age-related harassment.

Penalties

The basic penalty for no-shows and late cancels is a 30-day suspension of service after six no-shows or late cancels in a calendar quarter. You will be warned in writing if you have accrued four no-shows or late cancels in a quarter. You are not penalized for no-shows or late cancels that occur because of sudden emergencies which make it impossible for you to cancel more than one hour before your trip.

If you have served a suspension and then continue to show a pattern of no- shows or late cancels after your original suspension has ended, you may subsequently be suspended for longer periods of time.

Suspension is also the penalty for offenses other than no-shows or late cancels. Generally riders are informed in writing if a suspension is being considered, however immediate, indefinite suspension of service may be imposed when necessary to preserve the safe operation of East Bay Paratransit. Anyone who commits a physical assault or other illegal act will also be subject to criminal prosecution.

If you are notified that you will be suspended, you have the right to appeal.

Lost and Found

Riders and their attendants and companions are responsible for keeping track of their personal possessions while traveling on East Bay Paratransit. If you discover you have left something on a vehicle, call our Customer Service Center at (510) 287-5000 to report it. If the item is found, you will be contacted and told where the item is being stored. You will have up to 30 calendar days to retrieve it, before it is donated to charity. If you take an East Bay Paratransit ride to pick up your possession, you will be charged the normal fare.

Reservations

Travel on East Bay Paratransit is by advance reservation only. Call (510) 287-5000 to make your reservation. Calls are accepted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, including weekends, but you must make your reservation at least by 5 p.m. the day before the trip. You can make a reservation as early as seven days in advance.

The Customer Service Representative will ask you a number of questions about your desired trip, including pick-up and destination addresses; whether you are traveling with a personal care attendant or a companion; whether you are traveling with a service animal; and whether you will be using a mobility aid such as a wheelchair, walker, or scooter.

You have the option of requesting a reservation based EITHER on the pick-up time you want, OR on the time you want to be dropped off at your destination. If you want to be dropped off at a particular time, the reservation computer will calculate a pick-up time for you. It will take into consideration traffic and the fact that other riders may be picked up and dropped off along the way.

The Customer Service Representative will offer you the best reservation time possible. However, the exact pick-up time you want may not be available. Customer Service Representatives are only allowed to check a limited number of different times for your reservation if you aren’t happy with the times initially offered.

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