Booking Your Trip

 

ADA Paratransit Trips:

To request a trip, call 203-744-4070, Option 3

Monday - Friday: 7:00am to 4:30pm

ADA Paratransit trips can be scheduled as early as the Monday morning two calendar weeks in advance of the requested trip, or as late as 4:30 pm the day before the trip.  On weekends or holidays when the scheduling office is closed, next-day trip requests can be left by voicemail by calling 203-744-4070, Ext. 232.

 

SweetHART Dial-A-Ride Trips:

To request a trip, call 203-744-4070, Option 3

Monday - Friday: 7:00am to 4:00pm

SweetHART Dial-A-Ride trips can be scheduled as early as the Monday morning two weeks calendar weeks in advance of the requested trip, or as late as 4pm the weekday ahead of the trip. 

 

When you call, the scheduler will give you a 30 minute window of time for which we will attempt to schedule your trip. We will call you back if we cannot schedule your trip within that window. Otherwise, anticipate that your bus will arrive during the time span given you.

If you have a regular trip, you can set up a standing booking request. This does not guarantee a ride, but eliminates the need for a weekly phone call to schedule. Standing requests will be cancelled if the customer fails to make 80% of scheduled trips within a two month period.

Standing Booking Request Form> En español> Em português>

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Peak Calling Period

Mondays 7 to 11 am. With limited space in the schedule, many riders book trips as soon as they can.  To accommodate the large volume of requests on Monday mornings reservation requests called in between 7 and 11 am on Monday with at least one week of advance notice are considered equally. This means that there is no advantage to calling at 7 a.m. as opposed to any other time up to 11 a.m., and there is no need to rush to be the first to call.  We call this the Peak Calling Period, and it plays a role in prioritizing trips.

 

Please note that the peak calling period will be moved to Tuesday if the scheduling office is closed Monday in observance of a holiday.

ADA Paratransit Trips:

ADA Paratransit trips have scheduling priority over SweetHART Dial-A-Ride trips in all cases.  ADA Paratransit trip requests will not be denied. However, if multiple ADA Paratansit trips cannot all be accommodated at the exact times requested, some trip requests may be moved up to one hour so long as the passenger will not be late for appointments.  Generally trips called later are more likely to be adjusted.   

 

SweetHART Dial-A-Ride Trips:

After ADA Paratransit trips, the following SweetHART Dial-A-Ride trips are given equal priority as to the time of the call:

 

• Trips requested by phone two weeks in advance
• Trips requests made by phone on Monday mornings between 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. the calendar week prior to the requested trip .
• Standing Booking Requests

 

If there is a conflict between trips requested in this manner, priority is given to the passenger with the more reliable riding history over the last 60 days.
Limiting trip cancellations will improve your chances to get preferred pick-up times.

 

All other booking requests made after the peak calling period are considered on a first-call/first-served basis.

Same day trips may be made on a limited basis depending on openings in the schedule. There is a limit of 2 same day trips per month per rider, and same day trips have a higher fare of $4. For round trips, both trips must be pre-scheduled (no will-calls) to ensure an available bus.
Please note: Same day trip requests can only be booked Monday through Friday 7:00am - 4:00pm. and cannot be booked for evenings, weekends or holidays.

If you have a medical appointment and the time of your return trip is uncertain, you may leave your return trip unscheduled and call when ready. The number to call when ready is 203.744.4070 option 2. Will-calls are not available evenings, on Sunday, or for trips from or to New Milford.

 

The next available bus will pick you up after you call. You must call at least 45 minutes before the close of service in your town. Please be aware that unscheduled trips often require waiting time of over 30 minutes. For same day trips, both trips must be pre-scheduled (no will-calls) to ensure an available bus.

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Canceling Your Trip

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No-Show & Late Cancellation Policy

• There are 6 or more late cancellations OR 3 or more no-shows alone during the prior 60-calendar-day period.
• The violations amount to 15% or more of all trips scheduled for the period.

Passengers that meet the threshold will be notified according to the following schedule:

 

Penalties will progress if repeated within 12 months of the last violation. If more than 12 months pass since the last action, the progression restarts at the first level.

In addition, after each step, violation tallies restart from zero over the next 60 days.