Arranging Transportation
Arranging transportation with Your Safety NET is easy and can be done in a number of different ways. Our Ride-Line (314-660-2428) is our dedicated phone line that allows patients to call in and request their ride. Our Ride-Mail is our dedicated online service that allows patients to schedule their rides online. Questions can also be directed to the dispatch office via our real-time texting service (314-282-5638).
The time that it takes to schedule your ride can be expedited by having the following information ready before contacting our office:
- Your name. You will also want to let the operator know whether you will be traveling alone or with a guest. We do not charge extra for one additional passenger in the form of a family member, friend, or personal care attendant.
- The date of your appointment. We encourage you to book your ride at least 24 hours in advance to ensure that our network is capable of handling your request. Trips can be prearranged up to two weeks before the date of your appointment. You may book a ride for the same day as your appointment, given we are able to accommodate your request. For more information on ride reservations, please see our FAQ section.
- The complete name and address of your destination. Your Safety NET has a list of frequently traveled locations that our passengers visit most often. If you tell the operator that you are going to Sears, that location can be quickly identified. This way the operator can determine essential information about the location, such as which entrance to Sears you will be using.
- The time that you would like to arrive at your destination. In order to schedule a ride for you efficiently, the operator will need to know the time that you want to arrive (be dropped off) at your destination. This will allow our computer system to efficiently calculate your pick-up time.
- The time that you would like to return home from your destination. All rides are assumed to be round trip reservations, unless otherwise notified. You will need to provide the operator with the time you would like to be picked up to return home, if that time is foreseeable. Although it can be difficult to estimate how much time you may spend at a particular appointment, it is important to remember that if your appointment runs past your scheduled return time, you may have to wait an hour or more for another vehicle to be dispatched. Therefore, it is always a good idea to schedule your return trip late enough to be sure that you will be ready when your vehicle arrives.
- Special needs, if any. Your Safety NET drivers are trained in Safety Training, Universal First Aid, CPR, Defensive Driving, Assisting Passengers with Disabilities, Emergency Procedures, Driver Sensitivity, Universal Precautions for Bloodborne Pathogens, and Use of a Fire Extinguisher. Your safety is of the utmost importance and if you would like assistance, we are ready to help you. Please do not hesitate to let us know what you need.
Pick-Up Instructions
Your Safety NET has designated standard pick-up and drop-off sites at major activity centers and certain destinations such as large medical centers, malls, college and university campuses, and many nursing homes. If a rider schedules a trip to one of these destinations, the operator will tell the rider where the pick-up point is located and the rider will need to wait at that location for their driver.
Passengers picked up at nursing homes, adult programs or day care centers must be ready when the Your Safety NET vehicle arrives. Drivers are permitted to go beyond the ground floor lobby of care facilities or into rooms to pick up riders if the dispatch office is notified at the time of the ride request. Nursing homes and day care centers can provide an aide to ride along if the patient needs additional assistance.
Although Your Safety NET vehicles will usually arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled times, sometimes the vehicle may arrive early or late due to traffic or other unforeseen circumstances. It is important to be waiting for the vehicle at curbside 15 minutes before your scheduled pick-up time. If the vehicle has not arrived within 10 minutes after its scheduled pick-up time, please call our office immediately.
Communication Is Key
All Your Safety NET drivers are equipped with cell phones for communication. We encourage contacting the dispatch office for your driver's contact information if they have not already contacted you. If for some reason you need to change your pick-up time, please contact the dispatch office immediately. Please note that in cases where the driver and the passenger have not communicated prior to the pick-up, it is especially important to abide by these guidelines.
Curbside Service
Your Safety NET most often provides curbside-to-curbside service. Therefore, the driver will wait for a passenger at the curb of a public street, in front of or as close to the rider's house, building, or other safe designated pick-up location as possible. If you require door-to-door or bed-to-bed transport, make sure you notify the operator at the time of your ride request to ensure you receive the proper care.
For curbside drop-offs, the driver will drop the rider off at the sidewalk or another safe waiting area as close to the designated drop-off location as possible. Unless a passenger has arranged for special assistance in advance, the rider must be waiting at the sidewalk, or at another safe waiting area in front of or as close to the entrance of the pick-up location as possible.
Cancellations
Your Safety NET depends on efficient scheduling in order to deliver our passengers safely and on-time to their appointments. When a rider schedules a trip and then cancels without proper notice, this can cause transportation and scheduling problems for both Your Safety NET and its riders.
If your need to cancel a trip, it is important that you inform us by 3 PM the day prior. If a passenger cancels after the 3 PM deadline, the information will be noted on their file. After 3 repeated last-minute cancellations, a passenger may be refused transportation
Please remember that there are costs to Your Safety NET for each scheduled trip, whether a passenger actually rides or not. This includes such things as staff time to schedule the ride and the cost involved with printing schedules, etc. Most importantly, every trip that is cancelled without proper notification equals one less ride available for another passenger.
Safety First
Your Safety NET requires that all riders use seat belts. We provide assistance in equipping riders with their seat belts, if requested, and drivers will also secure the tie-downs for a wheelchair passenger. If a rider is traveling with a child who is 4 years of age or younger, or weighs 40 pounds or less, then they must supply a "hook up" car seat.
