Transportation Info.


Rockland County Department of Public Transportation


"TIPS" for T.R.I.P.S.
 

What is T.R.I.P.S.? 

T.R.I.P.S. is a curbside-to-curbside para-transit bus service for Rockland County residents who are physically or mentally disabled or senior citizens over the age of 60 who find it difficult or impossible to use fixed- route bus service.  T.R.I.P.S. is a shared-ride transportation system.  Passengers may or may not go directly to their destination and there may be several pick-ups and drop-offs along the way.  T.R.I.P.S. operates only within Rockland County.  T.R.I.P.S. stands for Transportation Resources, Intra-county, for Physically disabled and Senior citizens. 

T.R.I.P.S. service is provided throughout Rockland County six days a week, Monday through Saturday, and on selected holidays.  Hours of operation are from 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, and limited service on Saturdays from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.  For holiday hours, please call 364-8747 (364-TRIP).  Ride requests may be made Monday through Friday between 7:30 am and 5 pm by speaking with a member of the T.R.I.P.S. staff.  Requests left on our answering machine will not be honored. 

How can I obtain a T.R.I.P.S. card? 

For seniors:  Seniors can obtain applications for T.R.I.P.S. service from the Rockland County Office for the Aging or Department of Public Transportation.  Upon receipt of completed application and being certified as a County resident age 60 or older, the Department of Public Transportation will issue a numbered photo identification (I.D.) card. 

For residents with disabilities: Certification is required and can be obtained from the following agencies:  Jawonio, the Rockland County Association for the Visually Impaired, Alzheimer's Association, ARC, Camp Venture, Department of Mental Health and the Mental Health Association.  Disabled residents who do not receive services from any of the above agencies may obtain certification through the Rockland Independent Living Center.  The final determination regarding eligibility rests with the certifying agency.  Once a resident is certified, the applicant must bring the certification to the Rockland County Department of Public Transportation (Building T, Yeager Health Complex, Pomona.)  Upon acceptance, a numbered photo ID card will be issued. 

The cost of the card is $2.00.  I.D. card photos are taken Monday through Friday at the Rockland County Department of Public Transportation located in Building T at the Dr. Robert L. Yeager Health Complex, Pomona, NY.  The hours are from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. and 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. For groups of 15 or more, arrangements can be made to take photos at your location.  Call the TRIPS Office at 364-8747 to schedule a group appointment for ID Photos. 

How much does it cost to ride? 

The cash fare is $1.50 each way. Discount tickets may also be purchased from our drivers. A discount book of 10 tickets costs $9, a savings of sixty cents per ride. 

How do I request a ride with T.R.I.P.S.? 

Ride requests may not be made any earlier than two weeks (14 days) in advance.  We recommend that you call T.R.I.P.S. at least two business days (48 hours) in advance of when you need to travel.  When you call 364-8747 to request a ride, please have the following information ready: 

  1. Your full name
  2. Complete address and name of your destination, doctor's name and phone number (if applicable)
  3. Date of trip
  4. Time you need to arrive at your destination and approximately how long you will be there
  5. If you need assistance boarding or if you use a wheelchair or other mobility device
  6. If an aide, personal care attendant or service animal will ride with you

Have paper and a pen or pencil ready!

If T.R.I.P.S. can accommodate your request, you will be given estimated pick-up and return times while you are still on the phone.  Please be sure to write down your pick-up times and/or put them on your calendar.   

If T.R.I.P.S. cannot accommodate your request, we encourage you to try changing the time of your appointment (or shopping, class, volunteering, visiting, etc.), if possible.  The more flexible your schedule, the more likely it is that we can provide a ride for you.  If it is not possible to change your appointment and you cannot make other travel plans, we can place you on a stand-by list, if desired.  If a cancellation occurs and a bus becomes available for you, we will call you as soon as possible to let you know.  

Important! 

  • Please be sure to specify if you use a wheelchair, scooter, etc., if you will be riding with an aide or if you need any special assistance.
  • T.R.I.P.S. does not provide emergency service.
  • Same day rides can sometimes be arranged by calling the T.R.I.P.S. office.  If there is space and time available, we may be able to accommodate your request. 
  • If you have a consistent (steady-ride) request, it may be placed once and kept on file with the same pick-up / return times and destinations each week.  Call the TRIPS office to discuss possible arrangements for steady-rides.
  • During inclement weather, many doctor's offices, schools and places of business cancel appointments or close.  It is important during these times to confirm that the appointment at your destination is still scheduled.  During bad weather, call your destination location to confirm and let us know right away if you need to cancel your ride.  Delays and cancellations are also often announced on WRCR 1300 AM or WHUD 100.7 FM. 

What are my responsibilities as a rider? 

  • YOU MUST be outside and ready at least five minutes before your estimated pick-up time.
  • Please do not call the T.R.I.P.S. office to check on your bus unless the bus does not arrive within 15 minutes of your estimated pick-up time.
  • It is strongly recommended that passengers wear seatbelts at all times.
  • There is NO SMOKING, eating or drinking aboard T.R.I.P.S. vehicles!
  • No pets are permitted, except service animals (i.e. guide dogs).
  • Packages are allowed, but only what you can carry.  Drivers are not allowed to assist with packages.

What do I do if I need to cancel my ride? 

Please call as soon as possible if you must cancel your ride so that we may accommodate other riders.  If you do not call to cancel and miss your ride, it will be considered a "no show".  Three "no shows" within a 30-day period may lead to a temporary suspension of your riding privileges. 

What else do I need to know?

Conduct 

T.R.I.P.S. is a public transit service.  Passengers are expected to act appropriately when using the service.  Individuals who engage in or threaten to engage in violent, seriously disruptive, illegal, unsafe or seriously inappropriate conduct will be suspended from the service.  Seriously inappropriate behavior includes but is not limited to: acts of vandalism; physical assault of a driver or other passenger; verbal assault of a driver or passenger; inappropriate sexual behavior; or eating, drinking, or smoking in the vehicle. 

Driver Assistance 

Drivers may only provide assistance to passengers when boarding or leaving the vehicle and by fastening seatbelts and other securement devices.  Drivers are not allowed to assist a passenger in traveling between the curb and their home or destination.  If a passenger finds it difficult to get on or off the bus, just tell the driver that you need to use the lift. 

Suspension Policy 

If a passenger violates any safety or conduct policy, has a medical problem affecting safety, or cancels more than six (6) scheduled rides in a 30-day period, the Department of Public Transportation may suspend the passenger if it deems necessary.  The Department will notify the passenger with the reasons for the suspension and the length of the suspension.  T.R.I.P.S. suspension and grievance policies are available upon request.

Why are some rides accommodated and others not? 

It can sometimes be difficult to understand why some days T.R.I.P.S. is able to accommodate requests and other days we cannot.  There are many determining factors for this.  For example, the number of requests for transportation varies from day to day.  In fact, there can be anywhere from 80 to 120 requests made each day, and the scheduling system is designed to route as many people as possible. 

Other factors include the time of your request, your destination, and how many people are going in the same direction as you.  Additionally, the number of drivers and buses available each operating day is a factor.  Buses may be unavailable because they are being repaired or scheduled for preventive maintenance, operators could be attending mandatory driver education training, or could be sick or on vacation. 

Why THE BUSES ARE sometimes not crowded 

We route our buses for maximum efficiency.  This means we are constantly picking up and dropping off passengers.  Remember - we are a curb-to-curb service. This means that we are not picking up groups of people along a specific route, or at a specific time.  Each request is combined with other requests to establish different routes for each bus every day. 

I know you are picking up other people in my building, so why can't you take me? 

The bus may already be full, or your destination may be in the opposite direction of where other riders in your building need to go.  If they have been scheduled to ride they expect to be at their destination within a certain timeframe, and driving you in the opposite direction would delay riders on that route.  Once we drop off a rider, we continue with the route to the next pick-up, which is usually located near the previous drop-off point. 

Why do the buses sometimes run behind schedule? 

T.R.I.P.S. does run late at times due to reasons such as traffic, detours, accidents, breakdowns, weather and road conditions. 

It is important for you to be on time for your ride because if we had to wait for each rider who is running 5 to 10 minutes late, the bus would fall severely behind schedule.  This would be unfair to you and to other riders who are waiting for the bus at their pre-arranged times. 

Other considerations 

We know that there are times when riders must cancel a trip due to sickness or a change of plans.  However, it is extremely important that you call us as soon as possible to let us know if you do not need to be picked up.  By calling right away, we may be able to transport someone else whose request could not otherwise be accommodated.   

The most serious problem T.R.I.P.S. encounters is when a ride is scheduled and the rider is not there when the bus comes for them.  This not only inconveniences drivers and other T.R.I.P.S. staff, but also adversely affects fellow riders.  This is a trip that someone else (maybe even you) could have used.  T.R.I.P.S. strives to use valuable driving time and available seating capacity as effectively as possible.  We waste both when we go to a requested location only to find no customer there.   

We ask riders to please be considerate and remember to call us at 364-TRIP (8747) when you need to cancel a ride. 

This information has addressed the most commonly asked questions about T.R.I.P.S.  We hope that this has helped you understand how we operate.

Mission Statement:  To provide safe, courteous, efficient public para-transit services to meet the needs of the people of Rockland County.