Dial-A-Bus of Goshen & Chester
Welcome to Dial-A-Bus
We 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.
Miscellaneous personal property attached to mobility devices
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
** We also have shorter hours on Christmas Eve and New Year's
Eve with the office closing at Noon.
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