C-Tran Cary Transit
Guide
for Door-to-Door Registered Passengers
July
2008
Background.............................................................................................. 3
Service Overview................................................................................... 4
FARES & TICKETS....................................................................................... 4
Qualifying for C-Tran.......................................................................... 5
Schedules & Reservations............................................................... 7
Being ready when C-Tran arrives.................................................. 8
Safety.......................................................................................................... 9
Bags/merchandise on the vehicles.............................................. 9
Subscription Trips................................................................................ 9
Purpose of "No-show" and
"Late Cancellation" Policy. 10
Penalties
for No-shows, Late Cancellations, and No Tickets....... 10
Unruly Behavior/Disorderly Conduct..................................... 10
Notification and Right to Appeal............................................... 11
Inclement Weather Policy............................................................. 12
Holidays.................................................................................................... 12
Contact Information........................................................................ 13
In
August of 2001, the Town of
In
July of 2002, the Town opened service to anyone that has a trip need that
begins and ends within the Town limits.
On
On
New Technologies
All
door-to-door vehicles will be equipped with automated vehicle locator (avl)
technology to ensure that the closest vehicle can be determined for return
trips. This new technology will also be
able to provide reservation staff with exact location of all vehicles in the
event that a rider calls in to report that their ride is late. Staff will be able to more accurately
indicate the estimated time of arrival of the late vehicle. In addition, a new telecommunications system
will be used by our reservation staff and calls may be recorded to ensure high
quality customer service. Mobile data
terminals will also be used to decrease the amount of two-way radio
communications between drivers and dispatch.
This will enhance defensive driving.
The
transit service will pick up and drop off riders at the door of the
pre-selected arrival/destination point. The driver is not permitted to go
beyond the door of the arrival/destination point. Riders travel in a comfortable
van that is fully accessible or a sedan if wheelchair service is not required.
This is a “shared ride” service, so riders will be traveling with other people
who may be picked up or dropped off while others are on the bus.
Town Council approved a
new three-tiered fare system for Door-to-Door service passengers on
|
Tier I Trips wholly within ¾ mile of
the fixed route corridors |
Tier II Trips not wholly within the ¾ mile corridor of the fixed routes but
within Town limits |
Tier III Out-of-town trips ( |
|
$2
per-one way trip |
$4
per-one way trip |
$6
per-one way
trip |
Tier I:
Door-to-Door eligible citizens and visitors who have trip origins and
destinations within the ¾ mile corridors of the current fixed route system.
*Discount rate of $1 per one way trip between
Passenger Fare: $2 per one-way passenger trip
Fare will remain at $2 per one-way trip to adhere with the
requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Trips within ¾ mile cannot exceed twice the
fare of the peak hour fixed route passenger fare. C-Tran’s fixed route peak hour fare is $1 per
one-way trip.
Tier II:
Door-to-Door eligible citizens and visitors who have trips within the
Town limits that do not remain wholly within the ¾ mile corridor.
*Discount rate of $1 per one way trip between
Passenger Fare: $4 per one-way passenger trip
Tier III: Door-to-Door eligible citizens
who have medical (for seniors) or employment (for persons with disabilities)
trips outside the Town limits to
Passenger Fare: $6 per one-way passenger trip
*Off Peak fares are applicable to Tier I and Tier II only.
*The age
requirement has been increased to 60 years of age.
Those seniors who are below 60 years old, and have already been
approved prior to
To use C-Tran,
§
On the bus
from the driver for limited amounts (no coins accepted)
§
The
§
Cary Finance
Department during regular business hours
§
By mail or FAX
(call 919-469-4081 for an order form or visit the Town's Web site).
§
Transit tickets will also be available on C-Tran buses.
Registered riders can also choose to ride the fixed route
transit services if available and convenient to their needs. More information on the fixed routes is
available in the Passenger Guide for Fixed Route Service on our website.
Any
registered senior citizen or person with disability that wishes to take a trip
within
To
register for the expanded service, riders must show proof of age or disability
and proof of
Riders
that are 12 years old and younger must be accompanied by someone 16 years of
age or older and both riders need a ticket. Children age
6 and under ride free of charge.
C-Tran
operates Monday through Saturday from
The
reservation center is open Monday through Saturday
You
may call the reservations number during non-business hours to cancel any trips
that you have scheduled. The answering
machine is checked first thing in the morning and any cancellations will be
entered into the computer. The answering
machine is not available for making reservation requests; those will need to be
scheduled during normal business hours.
When
calling the reservation center, please have the following information for the reservation
agent:
§
Rider’s name
§
The exact address
of the picked up location (reservation staff not required to identify
addresses)
§
The desired
pickup time
§
The exact address
of the destination
§
The desired
drop off time
§
The desired
pickup time for the return trip (if applicable)
§
The number of
people traveling, including caregivers
§
Any equipment
or special needs (wheelchair accessible van)
The
reservations agent will not look up the address for your destination. You must be prepared when you call with all the
necessary information. The reservation
agent will provide a pick up time as close to the desired time as possible. If
the trip is for a medical appointment where the return time is uncertain,
riders can call the reservation center (919-481-2020) at the end of the
appointment to be picked-up. In these cases, riders will be picked up within
one hour, generally less. The last pick up is
For Trip Pick-ups In-Town:
C-Tran
vehicles will arrive within 15 minutes before or after the scheduled pick-up
time. For example, if the pick up time is
For Trip Pick-ups Out-of-Town:
Because
out-of-town trips require C-Tran vehicles to travel much longer distances,
C-Tran will make every attempt to ensure that passengers are picked up within
30 minutes of their scheduled pick-up times on their return trip to
C-Tran
strives to provide exemplary service, but due to traffic, poor weather, or
other causes, C-Tran may be late for the pick-up. If the vehicle does not show
up within the pick-up window, please call the reservation center (919 481-2020)
immediately to inform dispatch that the vehicle has not arrived. If C-Tran
knows that the bus or van will not be able to make the pick up within the
pick-up window, they will call riders as soon as possible to inform them of the
delay.
Please
be aware that the driver cannot accommodate alterations to the scheduled trip.
All changes must be called in to the reservation center prior to the trip.
There’s nothing more important than the safety of C-Tran
riders.
Child
safety seats are required by
Passengers
may bring no more than four bags of groceries or merchandise on the vehicles.
Shopping carts, bicycles, and other large items are not allowed on the vehicles
due to the inability to secure the items.
Smoking,
eating, and drinking, are not
allowed on the vehicles.
C-Tran
riders needing to go to the same destination on a regular basis—such as to and
from work every day--can save time by using the subscription service. The fare
for each ride will be the same as for an individual trip. Subscription trip
riders will be picked up on a prearranged basis until or unless they call to
cancel. Subscription trips are provided
on a space available basis.
Riders
who cancel their subscription trips more than 20% of the time within 60 days
will be assessed the following penalties:
Riders
are encouraged to carefully consider the need for a subscription. Please note
that with any suspension of service, all trips scheduled, including
subscriptions, will be cancelled.
The
Town of
The
Town of
Riders
who will not be making a trip for which they have a reservation are asked to
please call (919) 481-2020 as soon as possible to cancel the trip.
In
order to track those that habitually have a late cancellation, do not show up
for a scheduled trip, or have insufficient tickets to ride the bus, C-Tran’s
policy is that for every 2 no-shows/late cancellations a month, the passenger
will be suspended for fifteen (15) days from the date of the second no-show/late
cancellation. Passengers who have been
suspended for service twice within a three month period will receive an
additional suspension for thirty (30) days from the date of the last no-show.
Please
note that during a suspension, a written notice will be provided from the
The
Town of
The
operation of radios, portable music players, and other electronic devices must
be kept must to a low volume. Violent, disruptive, illegal behavior, or
behavior that endangers the safety of the driver or other passengers will not
be tolerated. Inappropriate behaviors include but are not limited to:
§
Yelling,
cursing, belittling, defaming, arguing, playing music, and otherwise disturbing
drivers or other passengers with noises;
§
Shoving,
fighting, spitting, and otherwise disturbing others with physical gestures or
contact; and
§
Soliciting,
begging, panhandling, and otherwise disturbing others by making requests of
them.
Passengers
who violate this policy will receive a written warning stating the offense and
the potential for suspension of service if the behavior continues. In the case of a rider with a cognitive
disability, we suggest that a caregiver accompany the rider.
If
the offense is repeated, action will be taken as follows:
|
First Offense |
Second Offense |
Third Offense |
Additional Offenses |
|
Written warning. |
30 day suspension. |
60 day suspension. |
An additional 30 days added to previous penalty
period. |
A
passenger that is in possession of a weapon, physically or verbally abuses
another passenger or the driver, damages or vandalizes property, or poses a
threat to the safety of the operation of the vehicle will be suspended from
service immediately. Service will not be renewed until such time as the rider
can prove that he/she is not a danger to other passengers or the driver or if
an escort can be provided by the passenger to ensure the safety of all
passengers and the driver.
C-Tran
reserves the right to refuse riding privileges to any passengers who disrupts
the driver or other passengers.
With
the exception of immediate threats to health, safety, and welfare, individuals
have the right to notice and appeal prior to any suspension of service based on
violation of this policy. Individuals will be notified in writing of the issues
that are being addressed. The notice will advise the individual that he or she
has the right to appeal the assessment of any suspensions of service by
submitting a letter of appeal to the Town of Cary Planning Department (PO BOX
8005;