What Do I Need To Know When I Request Service?
We Provide Grouped Trips
WTA provides hundreds of Specialized Transportation trips each day. It may not always be possible to schedule your trip request at the exact time you wish. Because we group rides together, we may suggest, or negotiate, an arrival time up to an hour earlier or later than you requested.
The day before your ride, we schedule all the rides for the following day. We may have to shift pick-up times to make rides "fit" together. To find out the approximate time we'll pick you up, please call the day of your trip.
Grouping rides together isn’t always easy. We need to balance your requests with the requests of others with a limited amount of time and vehicles. We thank you for your patience!
Please be ready
Be ready for your trip at least one hour before your destination time. When the vehicle arrives, the Driver can only wait up to 5 minutes (in an effort to keep all passengers’ rides on schedule). If you miss your trip, it will have to be rescheduled.
If Something Goes Wrong
Unexpected delays occur for many reasons, including road construction, bad weather or heavy traffic. Please call us to check on the status of your trip if we haven't arrived one half hour before your destination time.
Return Trips
Please try to give a return time for your trip. Be prepared to wait up to one hour for unscheduled return trips. Return trips must be grouped together just like the other trips we provide.
One-Way Trips
Please let us know if you need only a one-way trip. Return trips are automatically booked unless you tell us otherwise. Also, please let us know if you have found another way home. We want to be sure everyone gets home safely.
Cancellations and No-Shows
If you have to cancel your ride, call to let us know as soon as possible. If you have a scheduled return trip, we will automatically cancel that trip too, unless you tell us otherwise. Our “no-show” policy penalizes passengers who habitually fail to inform us of changes in their schedule.
For further information on our no-show policy, please call us at (360) 676-6843 (Voice or TTY).
Making Trip Requests
Please make requests only for trips you plan to take. When passengers reserve trips “just in case” and then cancel, it can prevent us from being able to accommodate trips for other passengers. (We certainly understand there may be times you’ll have to cancel your trip due to illness or unexpected circumstances.)
We offer a "Personal Ride Planner" to help you plan and remember your trip requests. Please call us if you are interested in receiving a Personal Ride Planner.
Please communicate all trip information directly to our Dispatch office. Drivers cannot make trip requests or cancel trips for you.
Though it is not a requirement, the best time to schedule routine rides (those that can be made at any time) is between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm. Just like the transit buses, we have “peak” hours. The more trips we can schedule “off peak,” the better.
Multiple Trips on the Same Day
Several trip requests made for the same day should be scheduled at least 45 minutes apart. Specialized Transportation is similar to our transit buses—our drivers cannot wait for you at your destination.
Subscription Trips
If you travel to the same destination on the same day / time once per week or more, you may schedule a "subscription trip.” The advantage to a subscription trip is that you only need to make one phone call to arrange these ongoing trips. However, if you do not need an individual trip, you must call to cancel it.
You may suspend a subscription trip if you will be out of town or unable to take the trip for a period of time. Just call to tell us when you will be gone and when to resume the service.