Eligibility requirements

You may be eligible for Dial-A-Lift service if you have a disability or disabling health condition that prevents you from independently using our buses some or all of the time.

Presence of a disability or a disabling health condition by itself does not automatically make you eligible. Your ability to ride our buses is the basis for eligibility.

You are eligible for Dial-A-Lift service if you:

• are unable to board, ride, or exit a lift-equipped bus without assistance,
  OR
• need to use a lift but it cannot be deployed safely at your bus stop,
  OR
• have a disability that prevents travel to and from your bus stop under certain conditions,
  AND
• are certified to use Dial-A-Lift.

Categories of Dial-A-Lift eligibility

A Dial-A-Lift applicant's eligibility may be classified as conditional, unconditional or temporary. These categories are defined and mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulation.

Conditional Eligibility: Conditional eligibility includes "conditions" that describe when you are unable to use regular bus service.

Unconditional Eligibility: Unconditional eligibility means that your disability or health condition prevents you from using the regular bus service for all trips.

Temporary Eligibility: Temporary eligibility is determined when your abilities and/or limitations are expected to change within a period of time.

For More Information: To learn more about Dial-A-Lift eligibility requirements, contact the Rider Certification office at 360-705-5896 or e-mail dial-a-lift@intercitytransit.com.

Hours of operation and phone numbers

Dial-A-Lift operates where and when regular buses operate.

Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays

Telephone Reservation Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends

Service area

Dial-A-Lift serves areas that are within 3/4 to 1-1/2 miles of a regular bus route, depending on your location. Please contact us to find out whether or not you are within our Dial-A-Lift service area.

Getting certified

You must be certified to ride Dial-A-Lift. New riders must fill out an application. If you need help filling out the application, a friend, relative, or caregiver may help you. We can also assist you.  Call 360-705-5896.

When will I know if I'm certified?

We will process your completed application within 21 days after we receive it, and we will send you a letter telling you our decision. If we deny certification, you may appeal our decision.

Can I get temporary certification?

Yes, if you have a condition that temporarily prevents you from riding the regular bus, you may apply for Dial-A-Lift certification. The 21-day process time still applies.

If you are a visitor to our area and cannot use the regular bus due to a disability, you can use Dial-A-Lift. You must be certified by another transit system.

What does the application ask?

The application asks questions about your disability. Your answers help us understand what prevents you from being able to use the regular buses and determine your eligibility.

Do I need a doctor's signature?

No. However, we may contact your doctor, case management, or other health care profssionals to check the information you provided. Please sign the application to authorize a health care professional to provide us information.

Fares

(Note table header and reduced fare permit links will open in a popup window.)

*With reduced fare permit.

More about fares

Scheduling a ride

You can begin requesting Dial-A-Lift trips as soon as we notify you of your eligibility.

To schedule a ride, call Dial-A-Lift at 360-754-9393, e-mail dial-a-lift@intercitytransit.com. You may also fax your requests to 360-705-0231. We usually respond to your fax the same day.

Advance requests

You may schedule a ride up to five days in advance. If you call us up to 5 p.m. (4 p.m. on weekends) the day before you want your ride, we guarantee we will accommodate your request. Call or e-mail as soon as you can for the best choice of times.

Same-day requests

If you request a ride on the same day as your call, we will make every attempt to accommodate you. However, we accept all same-day requests as space and time are available, and we cannot guarantee your ride. Please allow at least two hours before your first pickup. Try to be as flexible as possible with your pickup times, as we will try to fit your request into the current schedule.

Information to give scheduler

• Your name.
• The date you wish to travel. 
• The street address and phone number of your destination.
• If you are going to a medical facility or business, provide the name of the facility.
• The time you wish to be picked up. If your trip is for a scheduled appointment provide your appointment time.
• The date you wish to travel.
• If you will use a mobility aid, such as a wheelchair, extra-large wheelchair, walker, scooter, or the lift.
• Whether or not a Personal Care Attendant, companion or a service animal will ride with you.
• The time you will be ready for your return. If you cannot return earlier than the time provided, please let us know.

Scheduling your return

Tell us what time you will be ready to return and where we should pick you up. If you won't be ready to leave at your scheduled time, please call us. Rescheduling is based on driver availability.

Standing rides

Riders may request standing ride reservations for trips that you take repeatedly, such as a work trip that occurs every week on Monday at 8 a.m. We will automatically schedule standing rides, making them more convenient for you and more efficient for us. To begin and continue a standing ride, it must:

• Be taken at least once each week at the same time on the same day of the week.
• Have been taken for the previous 30 days.
• Be expected to continue for at least six months.
• Rarely be changed or cancelled.

How to ride Dial-A-Lift

Be ready at the start of the pickup window of time

When you call to reserve your ride, we will give you a pickup time. You can expect the van to arrive up to 15 minutes before or up to 15 minutes after this time. For example, if we tell you that your pickup time is 8:30, our van will arrive between 8:15 and 8:45. By being ready when Dial-A-Lift arrives, you help keep everyone's trip on schedule.

How long with the van wait?

When the van arrives within your pickup window, the Operator will wait no more than five minutes. If the van arrives before your pickup window starts, you may leave if you are ready. If you are not ready, the Operator will wait until your pickup window starts and then an additional five minutes.

Late Dial-A-Lift van arrivals

Sometimes traffic conditions or unexpected events may delay the van. If the van has not arrived by the end of the pickup window, call Dial-A-Lift at 360-754-9393 to inquire about your ride.

Changing or canceling a ride

If you wish to change your scheduled ride(s), please call the scheduling office before 5 p.m. (4 p.m. on weekends) the day before your scheduled ride.

If you wish to cancel your scheduled ride(s), please call our 24-hour cancellation line at (360) 705-5827 at least two hours before your scheduled pickup time. If you cancel your ride less than two hours in advance, you are considered a "no show." Your return ride is NOT cancelled automatically. Be sure to specify the trip you do not need.

Preventing no shows

When riders do not cancel at least two hours in advance or are not available to board within five minutes, you will be considered a no-show.

You can prevent no-show situations by:

• Reviewing dates, times and addresses with the scheduler to be sure information is correct,
• Calling Dial-A-Lift and canceling your ride as soon as you know you no longer need it,
• Canceling at least two hours in advance of the scheduled pickup time (cancellations less that two hours in advance are considered no shows), and
• Being prepared to board at the start time of the pickup window and within five minutes after the bus arrives.

For more information about no-shows, scroll to "more about no-shows" below.

What to expect when riding Dial-A-Lift

Dial-Lift-Operator will help you with:

• Getting from your door to the van,
• Boarding and exiting the van (if you are unable to climb up or down the steps, you may stand on the lift to get on or off the van),
• Carrying bags (a reasonable number that he or she can safely carry in one trip),
• Depositing your fare in the farebox, if requested,
• Fastening your seatbelt or securing your wheelchair or scooter,
• Getting from the van to the door at your destination.

Operators will help you with manual mobility devices, based on the your needs and request by:

• Pushing or guiding your manual mobility device to and from the vehicle and on and off the lift platform, and inside the vehicle; and
• Moving you and your device up or down a single step or curb when it is possible to do so without injury to you or the Operator.

Customers with powered mobility devices are expected to be able to safely operate and maneuver their wheelchairs or scooters. For safety reasons, Operators are not permitted to operate the controls of any powered mobility device.

What you may bring on Dial-A-Lift

Animals: Service animals are welcome on all our buses and vans. The driver may ask to confirm that your animal is a service animal.

You are responsible for the care and supervision of your animal while on board. If you are planning on riding Intercity Transit with a service animal, please follow these guidelines:

• Your animal must be on a leash or in a container, remain under your control and behave appropriately.
• Birds, reptiles, amphibians, rodents and cats must be kept in an enclosed carrier/container.
• Your animal must remain at your feet or on your lap. It may not sit on a vehicle seat.
• The animal must not be aggressive toward people or other animals.
• You are responsible for any damage or soiling caused by the animal.

Pets: You may bring your pet on Dial-A-Lift if your animal is well behaved and kept in an enclosed carrier or container.

Groceries: Operators will provide assistance with a reasonable number of grocery bags that he or she can safely carry in one trip from the door to the bus and from the bus to the door. This service is limited to the eligible rider only. Personal Care Attendants and companions are not eligible for assistance.

Luggage: Eligible riders and their PCAs or companions may each take two pieces of luggage plus a carry-on bag. Operators will not handle luggage.

Oxygen: Personal oxygen tanks may be transported on Dial-A-Lift. The Operator will secure the tank on the van, but cannot operate the tank mechanism.

Other Items: Operators' ability to handle other items is limited in consideration of the safety and space needed for customers. No one item may exceed 30 pounds. For safety reasons, we cannot transport large items such as lumber, furniture or appliances.

Service During Severe Weather: Occasionally, severe winter weather may limit Dial-A-Lift operations. Visit our Web site for the latest information, or tune to local radio.

Attendants and companions

A Personal Care Attendant (PCA) may ride with you at no charge. A PCA is someone who travels with and helps a rider who is not able to travel alone. You must provide your own PCA if you need one. Please let us know on your application form whether or not you will be using a PCA. This information will guarantee a place for him or her to ride with you.

Guests and companions may ride with you on Dial-A-Lift.  Be sure to tell the scheduler you will bring a guest when you schedule your ride.  Guests and companions must pay regular fare. A companion is anyone who rides with you who is not designated as your PCA.

More about no-Shows

A no-show determination is made when a rider fails to cancel a ride two hours before the scheduled pickup time or when the rider is not available to take the scheduled ride within five minutes of the Operator arriving at the scheduled pickup point.

Clearing a No-Show Record

If a Dial-A-Lift client accumulates fewer than two no shows in a 30-day period, we will clear the no-show record.

Appealing no shows and suspensions

Contact the Dial-A-Lift Manager in writing to appeal no shows and or suspensions. Any pending suspension is placed on hold until the appeal is resolved.