Dial-A-Bus of Goshen & Chester
Welcome to Dial-A-BusWe are a public transportation service open to all riders within the Towns of Goshen & Chester. All service is by reservation only and must be called into our office in advance and is scheduled on a first call first serve basis.
Service Area
All transportation must originate within the Towns of Goshen or Chester. We can transport you to any location within the Towns of Goshen or Chester.
Hours of Operation
Dial-A-Bus is currently operating on an a reduced schedule. Current days of operation are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and buses run from 8 AM through 5 PM. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8AM - 12PM. The office is closed on weekends and holidays. Messages for cancelling a ride may be left on the voicemail at any time but please do not call in reservations over the weekend.
Fees
The one-way fare for a ride on the Dial-A-Bus is $4.00 for the public. If you are a senior citizen (at least age 60) or persons with disabilities, the fare is $2.00.
Making a Reservation
Reservations can be called into our office at 845-294-8920 any time between 8 AM - 12PM Monday through Friday. Appointments are taken on a first call, first serve basis. There are no permanent appointments. If you want to ride the bus, you must call to make a reservation. We accept reservations up to 1 week ahead of time. Please do not call in reservations over the weekend.
Getting Ready for your Ride
We want you to have a positive experience with the Dial-A-Bus so please be ready to board the bus when it arrives. Please be ready 15 minutes ahead of your appointment time. All rides have a 15-minute pick up window so please be patient if our drivers are not arriving to you immediately since accidents, traffic, weather, and other situations can cause drivers to run late. Have your money ready to hand to the driver upon boarding the bus. Exact change is appreciated. Bills over $5.00 are discouraged (the driver may not have change for you) and pennies (per ride) are not accepted. Please wait for the bus in an area where you can see the bus and where the driver can see you. Dial-A-Bus is a shared ride so you may have to ride on the bus awhile to enable the driver to transport other passengers.
Delays & Closings
If the weather is bad, we will take the bus off the road. On snow days, please call the Dial-A-Bus phone number. Listen to the message to hear if there has been a cancellation or delay.
Additional Information
If you are unable to keep your reservation, call the Office as soon as possible, preferably the day before which enables us to schedule other riders. We understand that occasionally circumstances arise which require you to cancel your ride the same day but please call at least 2 hours prior to your scheduled pick up time to ensure that the driver receives the message cancelling your ride for that day. Any changes to your ride must be done through the office and can only be accommodated if it does NOT interfere with the driver's schedule or route.
Do's & Don'ts
- Do call for a ride at least 3-4 days ahead. Reservations can be made up to 1 week ahead.
- Do tell the dispatcher if you need a wheelchair lift.
- Do be ready 15 minutes before your appointment time.
- Do pay the driver upon boarding the bus.
- Do stay seated while the bus is moving.
- Do wear your seat belt; all children must wear a seat belt or be in a child safety seat.
- Do speak to other passengers in a soft voice – loud voices may take the driver's attention off the road.
- Don't eat or drink while riding the bus.
- Don't smoke on the bus.
- Don't stand while the bus is moving.
- Don't bring aboard more packages than you can handle. For the safety of everyone on board there is a limit of four (4) packages per rider, which need to be secured with the rider, either at your feet or on your lap. No bags can be left in the aisle or at the back of the bus. We cannot allow shopping carts on the bus. They cannot be secured and become a serious hazard.
- Please address any service complaints, including those
related to ADA, to the Dial-A-Bus office at:
41 Webster Avenue,
Goshen, NY 10924
or emailed to goshenhighway@frontiernet.net. - Requests for reasonable modifications of service should be directed to the Dial-A-Bus office at 845-294-8920 Monday through Friday from 8AM to 12PM.
Towns of Goshen/Chester Dial-A-Bus Mobility Device & Personal Hygiene Policy
The ultimate goal of the Goshen/Chester Dial-A-Bus is to provide the safest means of transportation for all passengers. In keeping with this goal, this mobility device & personal hygiene safety policy is being implemented. It outlines the following:
- Bus mobility device lift safety and proper operations
- Mobility device safety and proper maintenance
- Miscellaneous personal property attached to mobility devices
- Driver assistance of passengers using mobility devices
- Passenger personal hygiene
Bus mobility device lift safety and proper operations
We adhere to the rules set forth by the manufacturer of the mobility device lift on our buses. In addition if the driver has determined that safety (including related to that of himself, other passengers, and the use of equipment) is an issue, the driver has the ability to deny service.
In order to utilize the mobility device lift, the platform must slope slightly downward when deployed, in accordance with BraunAbility (the mobility device lift manufacturer) guidelines. If this cannot be achieved at a given location, the lift cannot be operated in that location, and another safe location will be decided upon for pick-up and drop-off service. The driver must determine the safest location where the lift can be properly deployed. With this in mind, it is the responsibility of the passenger to get to and from this location at the reserved time, and not the responsibility of Goshen/Chester Dial-A-Bus.
Mobility device safety and proper maintenance It is the passengers’ responsibility to ensure their mobility devices are maintained and used according to the accompanying user guide and manuals.
- The Towns of Goshen/Chester Dial-A-Bus expects that the passenger be responsible to maintain his/her mobility device, including but not limited to properly working brakes. This ensures the safety of the passenger while utilizing the lift and securing of the mobility device in the bus during transport.
- Mobility devices must be maintained to an adequate level of safety in order to be allowed on buses, as per the guidelines of the manufacturer. Clear examples of safety-related defects such as faulty parts or add-ons incompatible and not already approved by the mobility device manufacturer will be flagged by drivers.
If the driver observes excess personal property attached to the mobility device to be an issue, the driver reserves the right to ask the passenger to remove this property from the device. By placing a large amount of personal property on mobility devices, there is a risk that the device can tip over or cause another safety-related issue. This can also hinder the proper securement of the mobility device in the bus. It is the passenger’s responsibility to ensure that they don’t bring more items on the bus than they can carry on their own without the assistance of the driver.
Driver assistance of passengers using mobility devices
Drivers have the responsibility to determine if additional passenger assistance, such as help getting to a main door/entrance, is safe to do so. (The bus needs to stay within the driver’s line of sight.) If it is not safe for the driver to provide additional assistance, it is the responsibility of the passenger to have a means of access from the nearest safe point to their final destination
As per Orange County’s Rider Guidebook, drivers are not permitted to perform personal care assistance. If a passenger needs such assistance (or has been requesting such assistance from the driver or other passengers), the passenger can be required to have an aid/assistant ride with her/him. In addition when there are given potential and proven threats to the safety and well-being of other passengers, a passenger can be required to have an aid/assistant ride with her/him.
Passenger personal hygiene
All passengers must maintain an adequate level of hygiene that doesn’t create a health hazards for other passengers or the driver. While certain hygiene-related issues can be hard to enforce (such as cleanliness of clothed body parts etc.), the presence of open wounds on the body, lack of required clothing (tops, bottoms, shoes etc.), and presence of unknown substances on themselves or accompanying mobility devices or packages are grounds for service denials.
If the passenger does not comply with the aforementioned policy guidelines, the Goshen/Chester Dial-A-Bus does reserve the right to deny service for safety reasons.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call or write us:
TOWN OF GOSHEN & CHESTER DIAL-A-BUS
41 WEBSTER AVENUE
GOSHEN, NEW YORK 10924
OFFICE HOURS (Reservations/info)
Monday-Friday 8AM - 12PM
(845) 294-8920
We do NOT operate on the following holidays:
- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King Day
- President's Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Veteran's Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Friday after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
Policy Regarding Passenger Behavior
Passengers are expected to act appropriately when using this transit service and when scheduling the Dial-A-Bus office. Passengers may not raise their voice at, nor be confrontational with the Dial-A-Bus drivers/dispatcher or other passengers. Individuals who engage in violent, disruptive, threatening, unsafe, inappropriate or illegal conduct will be suspended from the service, at the discretion of the Goshen/Chester Dial-A-Bus.
***The Town of Goshen & Chester Dial-A-Bus reserves the right to deny ridership to any person who unreasonably interferes with the use and enjoyment of our services for other riders, or any person who unreasonably interferes with the delivery of services provided by employees of the Town of Goshen & Chester Dial-A-Bus to its customers. ***
Michele Radakovits
Dial-A-Bus of Goshen & Chester
Discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, is an act (action or inaction), whether intentional or unintentional, through which a person, solely because of race, color, national origin, creed, sex, age or disability, has been otherwise subjected to unequal treatment or impact under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance from the United States Department of Transportation.
How and where is a discrimination complaint filed? A complaint must be in writing, signed by the person(s) or their representative(s) and must include the complainant(s) name, address and telephone number.
Click Here to complete and print a Discrimination Complaint Form that may be used; however, a complaint may also be filed by sending the complaint via facsimile or electronic mail.
A signed written complaint must be filed within 180 days of the date of the alleged discrimination. The signed complaint must be sent to:
Commissioner
Orange County Department of Planning
124 Main Street
Goshen, NY 10924
