DARTS Policy

Those persons with a disability who are unable to use conventional transit due to the nature of their disability, and who use a wheelchair, scooter or walker, or who require kidney dialysis, or who are diagnosed with Alzheimers.

Qualified residents of other municipalities may apply for temporary status while they are visiting the City of Hamilton.

ATS (Accessible Transit Services) is responsible for managing the registration process.

Snow Days

The DARTS approach to Snow Days is largely a balancing act between providing for the needs of the traveling public with ensuring passenger and driver safety.

When driving becomes treacherous and passenger pickup and drop-off points become inaccessible due to heavy snowfall, there is always a chance that passengers or drivers will sustain injuries from accidents from pushing (or being pushed in) a wheelchair through heavy snow.

Or passengers could be stranded away from home when service is shut down.

DARTS must also act to prevent work refusals as authorized by the Ministry of Labour because of unsafe work conditions.

So….

On the day of service, management staff will review the weather conditions based on the above requirements throughout the day beginning at 5:00 AM.

When a snow day is called and the service is open, all further outbound trips will then be cancelled and DARTS will remain in operation as long as possible to pick up home bound passengers to ensure that, if possible, no one is left stranded away from home.

When a snow day is called and the service is closed, DARTS will remain closed and advertise the closure through the media and on the DARTS website.

DARTS will re-open service on the next day of clear weather where there is a high probability that passengers will be accessible for pickup and drop-off without injury to themselves or DARTS employees.

For Dialysis Passengers Only

When DARTS service is suspended due to inclement weather, DARTS has instructed its TAXI Subcontractor to honour DARTS Tickets as payment for the full metered fare for Taxi trips to and from Dialysis Appointments only.

Because of the unplanned nature of a snow day events, Dialysis patients taking advantage of this provision, must make their own arrangements with VETS/Hamilton Cab for transportation to and from Dialysis Appointments.

Vets-Hamilton Cab is only equipped to carry ambulatory passengers at this time.

ATS POLICY ON PASSENGER CANCELLATONS

GUIDING PRINCIPLES:

No shows, late cancellations, and excessive cancellations by individual passengers have a direct impact on the effectiveness of the specialized transportation system in meeting the needs of all passengers, by limiting the general availability of trips and causing service delays. Providing the highest level of trip availability and fulfillment within existing resources is a principle that contributes to effectiveness and efficiency of the service, to the benefit of all passengers and the community. While personal circumstances of passengers outside of their control may contribute to occasions where a no show or late cancellation is unavoidable, each passenger is responsible for maintaining acceptable levels of no-shows, late cancellations, and cancellations.

The policy for managing no shows, late cancellations, and excessive cancellations is intended to identify discernible patterns of abuse, and is designed such that:
• legitimate reasons for no shows and late cancellations are considered, as part of any investigation;
• progressive warnings and/or service suspensions are employed; and
• an appeal process is available to passengers.

Development of this policy is a result of the 2004 Agreement reached between the City of Hamilton, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and complainants under the Human Rights Code; and has been undertaken with the participation and concurrence of the Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities for the City of Hamilton.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the policy is to provide an appropriate mechanism for dealing with the management of no shows, late cancellations, and excessive cancellations by passengers in a consistent and understandable manner that fulfills the guiding principles of the policy.

POLICY CONDITIONS:

The policy applies to any DARTS passenger who exceeds one or more of the following conditions in a calendar month period.
1. Maximum six (6) late cancellations.
2. Maximum three (3) no shows.
3. Maximum seven (7) combined late cancellations and no shows.
4. Maximum of 25% of subscription and/or casual booking trips cancelled.

Cancellations and no shows are recorded on a single one way trip basis. A cancelled round trip is two trip cancellations, and a no show may be recorded for each of the two trips in a round trip if the passenger is not in contact with DARTS.

POLICY ACTIONS:

Each of the below noted policy actions is subject to an appeal within the prescribed time frame, and the actions described are only taken if the appeal is unsuccessful.

1. After exceeding the policy conditions for the first time in a calendar month period, an initial advisory letter will be issued outlining the policy, and informing the passenger of further progressive action that might be undertaken.
2. Upon exceeding the policy conditions for the second time within a twelve month period from the date of the initial advisory letter, a second advisory letter will be issued notifying the passenger of a three (3) day suspension of service, and informing the passenger of further progressive action that might be undertaken.
3. Upon exceeding the policy conditions for the third time within a twelve month period from the date of the second advisory letter, a third advisory letter will be issued notifying the passenger of a ten (10) day suspension of service, and informing the passenger of further progressive action that might be undertaken.
4. Upon exceeding the policy conditions for the fourth time within a twelve month period from the date of the third advisory letter, a fourth advisory letter will be issued notifying the passenger of a minimum thirty (30) day suspension of service, and where subscription bookings are held, the loss of subscription booking privileges for a period of twelve months.

Passengers who receive a service suspension of thirty (30) days or more may appeal to have medical trips excluded from the suspension. At the discretion of the Appeal Panel, a passenger who is granted this form of relief may have the suspension period extended by up to ten (10) days.

If the passenger stays free of violations for a twelve (12) month period following any of the above policy actions, the passenger’s record will be re-established as clear.

Any no shows and late cancellations due to unusual circumstances beyond the control of the passenger may be deemed by ATS and/or the Appeal Panel to be a legitimate reason for failure of the passenger to cancel a trip within the time frames of the policy, and will not be used in determining if a passenger has exceeded the conditions of the policy. Unusual circumstances beyond the control of the passenger may include, but are not limited to:
• unplanned passenger hospitalization (certification may be required);
• cancellation of a medical appointment, initiated by the medical practitioner (certification may be required);
• program closures (e.g. Day Programs, etc.) for specific periods which are made known to ATS and/or DARTS in advance;
• arrival by DARTS, outside of the pick up window and/or more than thirty (30) after the passenger’s negotiated time, such occurrence being considered a “late” pick up;
• failure of DARTS to perform an agreed upon trip (missed trip); or
• cancellation of service by DARTS due to a snow emergency.

PASSENGER APPEAL PROCESS:

As it is not possible to document every circumstance which would constitute an exception to the policy as part of the policy itself, an Appeal Process is available to passengers.

1. For the first advisory letter, the passenger or their designate must telephone an ATS Customer Service Representative within seven (7) days, during regular ATS office hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), to present their appeal. The ATS Customer Service Representative, upon review and consultation with the Supervisor of ATS, will make a final determination on the appeal.

2. For the second and subsequent advisory letters and their associated policy actions, the passenger or their designate must appeal in writing to ATS Customer Service. If, after review, a resolution cannot be achieved which is agreeable to the passenger, the appeal will be referred for the consideration of the Appeal Panel.

The Appeal Panel shall be composed of one representative from each of ATS, DARTS, and the Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities (ACPD). The Appeal Panel will convene approximately once a month to resolve outstanding appeals.

3. All appeals in writing must be received by ATS within fourteen (14) days of the date of the advisory letter. Appeals must be addressed to the care of:
Accessible Transportation Services
Attention: Passenger Advisory Appeals
2200 Upper James Street, RR 2
Mount Hope, ON L0R 1W0

4. The appeal documentation provided by the passenger shall include:
• passenger name;
• passenger registration number;
• address;
• telephone number where the passenger may be reached during regular ATS office hours;
• reason(s) for the appeal;
• supporting documentation where required (certification of passenger hospitalization or certification of cancellation of a medical appointment initiated by the medical practitioner); and
• the remedy sought.

5. Failure to appeal a policy action within the prescribed time frames will result in the automatic application of the identified policy action.

6. From the time an appeal is received by ATS until a decision of the ATS Customer Service Representative or the Appeal Panel is issued, the passenger will continue to have access to the service.

PROCEDURES:

• ATS and/or DARTS staff will accurately record no shows, late cancellations, and cancellations as defined by the policy, within the Trapeze software system.
• In the case of a no show, DARTS staff will inform the passenger by means of a contact card (“Sorry We Missed You” note) left at the pick up point (where such contact card may be reasonably employed with discretion that respects the dignity of the passenger), or directly where contact with the passenger is subsequently obtained.
• In the case of a late cancellation, ATS and/or DARTS staff will inform the passenger at the time of cancellation, providing such clarification of the policy as may be requested by the passenger.
• ATS Customer Service staff will generate and review no show, late cancellation, and cancellation reports on a monthly basis, once completed DARTS manifests have been input to ensure accuracy.
• Passengers who are identified as falling outside of the acceptable number of incidents will be contacted by letter. The letter will identify the dates of the incidents, the level of action under the policy, and the opportunity for appeal.

DEFINITIONS:

Cancellation
A trip cancellation occurs when a passenger books a trip, and cancels such a request no later than the required time of 12:00 p.m. of the day preceding the trip. Cancellations are recorded on a single one way trip basis. A cancelled round trip is two trip cancellations.

Late Cancellation
A late cancellation occurs when a passenger books a trip, and fails to cancel this trip request by the required time of 12:00 p.m. of the day preceding the trip.

No Show
A no show occurs when a passenger books a trip, does not cancel ahead of time, and is not available at the time that the vehicle arrives within the pick up window and/or within thirty minutes after the negotiated pick up time. This includes any occurrence of cancelled at door, where the passenger refuses a trip at the door that is within the pick up window and/or within thirty minutes after the negotiated pick up time.

In all cases, a no show shall be recorded by the driver only after a period of five (5) minutes time has elapsed from arrival within the pick up window and/or within thirty minutes after the negotiated pick up time, and upon approval of the DARTS dispatcher.

No shows are recorded on a single one way trip basis, and a no show may be recorded for each of the two trips in a round trip if the passenger is not in contact with DARTS.

Negotiated Time
The negotiated time for each trip is that time agreed upon by the passenger and ATS and/or DARTS for pick up, subject to the pick up window.

Pick Up Window
The pick up window is that period of time 15 minutes before to 15 minutes after the negotiated time, unless otherwise specifically agreed to by ATS and/or DARTS.

DARTS
Disabled and Aged Regional Transit System is the contractor to the City of Hamilton for delivery of specialized transportation services.

ATS
Accessible Transportation Services is the operational section of the City of Hamilton responsible for administration of specialized transportation services.