Contact Us

Contact Info x

Paratransit

Scheduling and Cancelling Rides

As of June 28, 2021, rides can be scheduled up to 14 days in advance.
Please call the Administrative Office at 701.258.6817 if you have any questions.

Contact Us

Scheduling Rides

Rides must be scheduled at least a day before the ride is needed. To schedule a ride, call the Bis-Man Transit scheduler at 223-9001 Monday through Saturday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or on Sunday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (Sunday between 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. via voicemail)

When calling, have the following information handy:

  • Name
  • Pickup location
  • Destination
  • Time, date, and day of trip
  • Special information like a wheelchair, escort, or other special needs
  • When you will return

Bis-Man Transit is a demand ride system but it is a shared ride. Please allow up to 45 minutes within cities and up to one hour for service between the cities or the University of Mary.

Riders will be picked up by a Bis-Man Transit vehicle. Riders are not given a choice as to what vehicle it will be.

You must schedule at least one day in advance, but you can schedule up to fourteen days in advance.

You may schedule as many rides as you need for whatever reason you have. There is not a limit to the number of rides an individual can have in a day, week, month, or year!

 

Service interruptions and can be found by calling 701.258.6817 and selecting option #5. In the event of weather related services interruptions, this will be updated immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cancelling Rides

If you need to cancel a trip, you need to contact the scheduler at least 1 hour before the scheduled pick up time by calling 223-9001.


Cancellations Procedures
Rides must be cancelled at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled pickup time, otherwise the ride will be considered a "no show". Bis-Man Transit requests that cancellations be called in as soon as possible as a courtesy to others needing a ride.

The dispatcher's clock is the correct time for determining lateness of cancellations. Clocks at the BisMan Transit office are regulated by atomic clocks on satellite time. Refer to a cell phone or atomic clock for the same time as ours.

 

 Penalties Imposed for "No-Shows"
[Federal Regulation 49 CFR 37.125 (h)]

If a rider does not appear for a scheduled trip or did not cancel the ride at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled trip, that rider is considered a "no show."
"No shows" take up a trip that might have been filled by another rider and may reduce the number of riders that can be provided service. Therefore, "no shows" are considered to be detrimental to transit service and penalties are imposed.


Per the FTA C 4710.1 “The entity may establish an administrative process to suspend, for a reasonable period of time, the provision of complementary paratransit service to ADA eligible individuals who establish a pattern or practice of missing scheduled trips.

Trips missed by the individual for reasons beyond his or her control (including, but not limited to, trips which are missed due to operator error) shall not be a basis for determining that such a pattern or practice exists.

Records will be kept by rider name, date, and time of "no show."


In order to be considered "a no show", each of the following conditions has occurred:

  • The customer has a scheduled paratransit trip.
  • The ADA vehicle arrives at the scheduled pick-up point within the scheduled thirty (30) minute pickup window.
  • The driver waits at least five (5) full minutes beyond the start of the scheduled pick-up window, and the customer fails to board the vehicle.

Late cancellations will be counted as a no-show for the purposes of this policy.

A late cancellation occurs when the customer (or customer's representative) fails to call dispatch thirty (30) minutes or more prior to the scheduled pick-up time to cancel their ride. If the customer has more than one ride scheduled, having a no-show does not automatically cancel the rest of the rides for the day. It is still the customer's responsibility to call and cancel the remaining rides for the day. If the rides are not cancelled and the customer does not ride, the result would be additional no-shows.

A demonstrated pattern of late cancellations or no-shows is a serious disruption of service. Once a customer reaches three (3) no-shows or late cancellations in a single calendar month, and these incidents total ten percent (10%) or more of your scheduled trips within that calendar month, the Bis-Man Transit No Show Policy will take effect. No customer shall be suspended from service for having two or fewer no-shows or late cancellations in a month. After a violation is issued, the count for the next violation starts at zero (0). Each violation stays on the customer's record for twelve (12) months from the day it was issued. After twelve (12) months from the day a violation is issued, that violation will be cleared from the customer's record.

On the day the rider violates the no-show/late cancellation policy, the following progressive action will be taken:

  • First violation - A warning letter will be issued advising the rider that he/she has violated Bis-man Transit's no-show/late cancellation policy.
  • Second violation - Customer will receive a seven (7) day* suspension.
  • Third violation - Customer will receive a fourteen (14) day* suspension.
  • Fourth violation - Customer will receive a twenty-one (21) day* suspension.
  • Subsequent violations will result in an additional seven (7) day suspension.


Appealing a Warning or Suspension
Customers are given the opportunity to appeal a suspension of service with Bis-Man Transit. If any customer using the Bis-Man Transit system has a concern, disagreement, or appeal, they are asked to submit their issue in writing within 60 days of the notice. Customers may waive their right to appeal and complete the suspension to avoid further delays.

The Appeals Panel will investigate all written appeals and issue a decision within five (5) working days. The Panel includes the Bis-Man Transit Executive Director, or designee, and two other staff members who were not involved in the initial No-Show suspension determination. The Panel will review information provided by the customer (or the customer's representative) as well as ride reports and decide whether to uphold the suspension or excuse it.

If the individual is not satisfied with the decision received from the Appeals Panel, they have the right to appeal the decision to the Bis-Man Transit Board of Directors. Said appeal will be heard at the Bis-Man Transit Board of Director's next regularly scheduled meeting. After the Board of Directors' has reviewed the basis of the appeal, a written decision will be provided within ten working days of the Board meeting.

No-shows are EXCUSED when the trip is missed for the following reasons:

  • The customer has a family emergency
  • Mobility aid failure
  • Appointment cancelled/delayed for reasons not the customers fault
  • Adverse weather: Snow storm, extreme heat or extreme cold
  • Staffing error: The transit coordinator did not make all the cancellations the client requested; or customer just found out the ride was scheduled for the wrong day, time, or location; or the customer was not informed that his/her pick-up time was changed, and was not ready.

No-shows or cancels are NOT EXCUSED when the trip is missed for the following reasons:

  • Customer didn't want to travel today
  • Customer changed their mind about using appointment
  • Customer didn't know or forgot that he/she had a ride scheduled or was supposed to call to cancel
  • Customer got another ride
  • Customer told someone else he/she was not planning to travel (driver, facility, etc.)
  • Someone else scheduled the ride for him/her
  • Customer does not want to ride with specific driver or passenger, or on a specific vehicle

The "No-Show" policy can be found in our policies and procedures guide
located here.

The holiday hours for 2024 will be as follows:

  • New Year's Day: 7:30 am - 2:30 pm
  • Memorial Day: 7:30 am - 1:30 pm
  • 4th of July: 6:00 am - 4:00 pm
  • Labor Day: 7:30 am - 2:30 pm
  • Thanksgiving: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Christmas Day: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm