This guide describes the WestCAT Dial-A-Ride service and explains how best to use it. In addition it explains who is eligible under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), how you as an eligible rider can become certified and how the system differs for this category of riders.

WestCAT is pleased to offer a Dial-A-Ride system that offers more service than most of the other systems in the Bay Area. Many systems are only available to those individuals certified under the Americans with Disabilities Act and few Dial-A-Ride systems carry senior citizens unless they have a mobility disability.

All seniors (age 65+) and people with disabilities throughout the WestCAT service area may use Dial-A-Ride between any two points within WestCAT's service boundaries, and will not be required to transfer.

Dial-A-Ride serves the cities of Pinole and Hercules, and the unincorporated communities of Montalvin Manor, Tara Hills, Bayview, Rodeo, Crockett, and Port Costa. For information about general public services and Saturday service refer to the section on this page entitled "Who Can Use Dial-A-Ride."

Additionally, Section 223 of the ADA requires WestCAT provide complementary paratransit service to all ADA eligible riders, who because of a disability are not able to use WestCAT's regularly scheduled fixed route buses. Information on this service is included in the section in this guidebook entitled "WestCAT ADA Paratransit". WestCAT is committed to providing safe, dependable, and accessible service and we look forward to serving your special transportation needs.

This is the HTML version of the printed brochure.  Caution, it's a long page.  An printable PDF version (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) is available at the link below:

• Dial-A-Ride and Paratransit Rider's Guidebook (231k PDF file)
• DAR Rider's Guide Brochure (234k PDF file) (HTML Version)
• ADA Application (121k PDF)

WestCAT Dial-A-Ride

Who can use Dial-A-Ride?

Dial-A-Ride serves people with disabilities, and seniors age 65 and older on weekdays and Saturdays in most of WestCAT’s service area. 

The general public in Port Costa, Crockett, and Rodeo may also use this service because of the steep terrain in these communities.  Dial-A-Ride will transport general public passengers as far as the Hercules Transit Center to transfer to fixed route buses to complete their trip.  The Hercules Transit Center is located at San Pablo Avenue and Sycamore Avenue and is a major transfer hub within the WestCAT service area. 

Please note, seniors (age 65+) and people with disabilities are given priority on the Dial-A-Ride system. Therefore, wait times may be longer for the general public. 

On weekdays, WestCAT Route 11 serves Crockett and Rodeo every 40 minutes.  General public passengers in these communities are encouraged to make use of this route, as they may find it more convenient and cost effective than using Dial-A-Ride.

On Saturdays only, Dial-A-Ride is also available to the general public for trips anywhere within the WestCAT service area. 

Dial-A-Ride General Information

Days and Hours of Operation

Monday-Friday 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturdays 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Based on limited availability, same day reservations may be made between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM weekdays.  Same day reservations can also be made on Saturdays between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.  There is no Dial-A-Ride service on Sundays.

Holiday Service

As with regular WestCAT bus service, Dial-A-Ride service hours will differ on holidays.  There is no service on Sundays or on the following holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

General public Dial-A-Ride service (Saturday service) will be operated on the following holidays:

• Martin Luther King Day
• President’s Day
• Veteran’s Day
• Friday after Thanksgiving

A modified schedule may be operated on the following days:

• Christmas Eve
• New Year’s Eve

Except for Routes 11 & 19, WestCAT does not operate local fixed route service on Saturdays.  Between the hours of 11:50 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Dial-A-Ride buses make timed connections with the WestCAT Express J route at San Pablo Avenue and Oakridge Avenue to help people get to their destinations.  This service is often referred to as the WestCAT scatter bus.

Please call (510) 724-7993 for details.

Dial-A-Ride Fares

DAR & Regular Paratransit discount tickets are not valid payment on WestCAT fixed route, express or transbay buses.

* Additionally, children under the age of 6 must be accompanied by an adult on the WestCAT System at all times.

Transfers - Free with valid WestCAT transfer.

*This service is not subject to the provisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act, however, ADA eligible riders may use this service on a space available basis.

One Personal Care Attendant (PCA) may travel free with each ADA passenger.

Please have the exact fare ready in cash or tickets. Drivers cannot make change.  The WestCAT local and Lynx Transbay tickets and monthly passes are not accepted for Dial-A-Ride or ADA paratransit service.  Please do not give your ticket order envelopes to the driver to bring into the office for you.  Pease mail in your order or come into the WestCAT office.  WestCAT drivers are not authorized to purchase your tickets for you, nor will WestCAT be held responsible for lost or stolen ticket orders.

Discount tickets may be purchased at 601 Walter Avenue, Pinole, CA 94564, or by mail at the same address. For more information about tickets, call (510) 724-7993 or visit www.westcat.org.  Do not send cash through the mail.

Transfers

If you need to use more than one bus to get to your destination, ask for a transfer when you board the first bus.  WestCAT transfers will be honored only on the day of issue at established transfer points, and within one hour of their time of issue.  They are not valid for a return trip to the area in which the transfer was originally issued, nor to reboard the same route.

Seniors and passengers with disabilities may transfer free from AC Transit to Dial-A-Ride at Pinole Vista Shopping Center in Pinole only.

On weekdays, general public passengers may transfer free between Dial-A-Ride and WestCAT fixed routes, Martinez Link 30Z or WestCAT Express buses at the Hercules Transit Center only (San Pablo Avenue and Sycamore Avenue in Hercules).

How the system operates

WestCAT Dial-A-Ride is a “curb-to-curb” service for seniors and people with disabilities throughout the WestCAT service area (general public service is also available, see “Who Can Use Dial-A-Ride”) and it operates as a shared ride system.  Other passengers will be picked up and dropped off along the way to your destination.  Also, you will need to wait for the bus at the curb.  WestCAT drivers will not come to your door and as a courtesy to the other residents in the neighborhood they will also not honk the horn. 

When you call for a trip, please understand that our dispatchers are taking calls in the order that they are received, and passenger scheduling is done in a specific order so that the system can run efficiently and be available for all users.  If you are placed on hold, please be patient, do not hang up and call back.  If you do, expect that you will then be placed at the end of the call sequence and your call will be answered in the order it was received.

It is advisable to call at least one day prior to your ADA paratransit trip and even sooner if you are a non- ADA registered Dial-A-Ride passenger. However, we suggest that all passengers scheduling a trip call as early as possible so that we can be sure to accommodate you at your requested time. You may reserve a trip up to (3) three days in advance. Priority is given to ADA paratransit passengers.

Trips are booked on a "first-come, first-served" basis. You may negotiate your trip with the scheduler, but there is no guarantee that the specific time you want will be available. Again, please call as soon as possible, and we will do our very best to accommodate you.

When you call to reserve a ride the dispatcher will give you a 15-minute period of time, or “pick-up window” (example; “We will pick you up between 1:00 PM and 1:15 PM”).  Therefore, you would need to be ready and prepared to board the bus at 1:00 PM.   Our drivers will give you one minute to respond.  If you do not start toward the bus, the driver will continue on to the next address, as they cannot wait longer than the one minute without making the other passenger’s trips run late.  It is your responsibility to be ready and waiting to board the bus when it arrives.

On occasion, the bus may arrive earlier than the 15-minute window, but the driver will wait for one minute past the beginning of your pick-up time.  In these cases, you have the option of boarding early, or you may wait until the beginning of your pick-up window.

If you need special assistance, (example: wheelchair lift) please advise dispatch so that extra time can be scheduled for your pick-up or drop-off.

If more than one person is traveling from your address, you will need to advise dispatch when making your reservation so that they can schedule properly.  Although the bus may not be full when it arrives at your pick-up there are other passengers along the way that have scheduled trips and so we cannot guarantee that there will be available space for additional riders from your address unless already prearranged.

Please keep in mind that the dispatchers are scheduling and monitoring as many as 300 Dial-A-Ride trips or more each day.  Dispatchers also have to ensure that your trip can be accommodated without creating problems for other passengers whose trips have already been scheduled.

Dial-A-Ride Registration

Before you use this service for the first time, you must call (510) 724-7993 to register.

You will be asked to supply the following information:

a) First and last name of the passenger;

b) Street address with city;

c) Telephone number;

d) Date of birth;

e) Whether or not the passenger uses a mobility device or has a mobility disability;

f) If passenger will be bringing a service animal;

g) If passenger will be traveling with a Personal Care Attendant (PCA) and/or companion.

Dial-A-Ride Reservations

Once your information has been entered into the computer, you may schedule your trip by calling (510) 724-RIDE (510-724-7433).

When calling to reserve a ride, have the following information ready:

a) First and last name of passenger;

b) Date of travel;

c) Pick-up address: number, street, suite number, and city.

d) Requested pick-up or drop-off time.

e) Requested return time if booking a round trip;

f) Drop-off address: number, street, suite number, and city.

g) If passenger will be using a wheelchair or other mobility device;

h) If passenger will be bringing a service animal;

i) If passenger will be accompanied by a *Personal Care Attendant (PCA) and/or companion (including children). *See “WestCAT ADA Paratransit” in this section for definitions of a PCA and companion.

Having this information ready before you call will prevent dispatch from having to ask you to hold while they look up an address, and allows them to continue responding to other callers.

Again, when you call, please be patient there is a high volume of calls coming into dispatch. Dispatch monitors six telephone lines and a radio system for up twenty-five drivers all at the same time. Stay on the line, do not hang up, your call will be answered in the order that it was received. If you hang up and call back, the call sequencer will route your call to the "end of the line" and this will increase your wait time. You will experience the same thing if you hang up and call back on any other line and ask to be transferred to dispatch. Your Dial-A-Ride reservation will not be taken on any line other than at (510) 724-7433. You will be asked to hang up and call that number again.

You will need to book your return trip at the same time you arrange your first trip, thus ensuring you will be able to be picked up when you want to return. The system is busy and if you wait to call when you are ready to return, you may experience long wait times of up to two hours. We also ask that you please be considerate of your fellow passengers, and remember that if you keep dispatch on the line, they cannot help other callers. With this in mind, please make sure you have all of the details of your trip when you place the call. Please have a pencil and paper ready to write down the pick-up window that dispatch gives you. This will help to avoid misunderstandings.

Subscription passengers have a standing reservation and are picked up routinely without the passenger having to call each time.

Cancellation Policy

To cancel your ride, call (510) 724-4466.  This number is only for cancellations and is answered promptly.  Please do not try to use this line to book trips because you will be referred to the dispatch number.  WestCAT requires that you call a minimum of 15-minutes before your scheduled pick-up time.  Cancellations must be called in before the bus is dispatched to the address.

There are no penalties for cancellation as long as adequate notice is given.

Policy on Missing Schedule Trips, or No shows

No-shows are different from cancellations and service can be suspended for a pattern or practice of missing scheduled trips, or no-shows. Allowances will be made for missed trips that are beyond the control of the passenger (including, but not limited to trips which are missed due to operator error) and shall not be a basis for determining that such a pattern or practice exists.

If you get another ride or change your mind about needing a bus, please call the cancellation line at (510) 724-4466 at least 15-minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive and let us know. You are considered a no-show if you miss a scheduled trip and have not called to cancel at least 15-minutes before the beginning of the pick-up window that was agreed upon. Cancellations must be called in before the bus is dispatched to the address.

To prevent potential abuse of this rule, no-shows will be monitored and a letter will be sent and/or a telephone call will be made after each incident notifying the rider of the policy and warning of the possible loss of service. The individual will be offered an opportunity to be heard and to present information and arguments.

Three no-shows within six months will result in a review of the infractions and may result in a suspension of service to individuals who establish a pattern or practice of missing scheduled trips. Suspensions range from one month for first time offenses, to six months or more for subsequent offenses.

If you follow the guidelines and suggestions included on this webpage, your experience scheduling your trip should be relatively simple.

Special Transportation Outside the WestCAT Service Area

Monday through Friday, WestCAT offers special curb-to-curb transportation for senior and disabled passengers traveling into the Richmond and San Pablo areas for medical appointments or other special needs.  This transportation is limited to the hours of 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM and trips are provided on a space-available basis.  One-way fare for this service is $3.00.  Discounted tickets are available for this service.

Reservations must be made at least 48-hours in advance by calling (510) 724-7433 and are accepted Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM.  For additional information about this service, you may call (510) 724-7993.

Services not provided by WestCAT

Passenger requests for a specific driver or vehicle will not be accepted. Passengers will be assigned to vehicles and drivers by the scheduler based on need, availability, and topography of pick-up and/or drop-off area. At the time that these assignments are made, all consideration is made for the individual passenger's needs as much as is acceptable and required under current Dial-A-Ride and ADA Paratransit guidelines (e.g., the need for the wheelchair lift).

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