For what types of trips may seniors use Neighbor Ride?
Passengers may utilize Neighbor
Ride for shopping, religious services, social outings,
medical appointments and other day-to-day activities.
When are rides available?
Neighbor Ride provides rides daily
depending on the availability of volunteer drivers.
The office is closed on New Year's Day, Martin Luther
King Jr. Day, President's Day, Memorial Day,
Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and
Christmas Day. The ride request schedule is adjusted
during those holidays.
Will Neighbor Ride provide transportation to destinations
outside of the county?
Yes, requests for rides to
Baltimore and the D.C. areas are accepted. Our maximum
one way driving distance is 35 miles from passenger
pick up. Please schedule these longer distance rides
as early as possible, as there are fewer volunteer
drivers able to do long distance rides.
What information is needed before using Neighbor Ride?
Passengers complete a
Passenger Registration form with the following
information: name, birth date, address, phone number,
emergency contact information, special pick-up
instructions and information regarding any pertinent
physical limitations. This information is entered in
Neighbor Ride's confidential database. Each passenger
must complete and sign a passenger Waiver form.
When can passengers schedule their first ride?
Passengers can schedule their first
ride once the Neighbor Ride office has accepted their
completed and signed
Passenger Registration and Passenger Waiver forms.
Rides are limited to twelve each month.
If a spouse, friend or assistant accompanies a passenger, is
there an additional fee?
No. If the spouse, friend or
assistant is traveling from the same location and
traveling to the same destination only one ride fee
will be charged. However, each passenger must sign
and complete a Passenger Waiver form which must be
received by the Neighbor Ride office before the ride
can be scheduled.
Where will passengers be picked up and dropped off?
Passengers are transported door to
door by volunteer drivers in their personal vehicles.
For liability reasons, drivers may not
accompany passengers into their homes or into homes
passengers are visiting.
Will Neighbor Ride be able to accommodate all ride requests?
Neighbor Ride will make every
effort to accommodate ride requests, however,
assignments are limited by the availability of our
volunteer drivers. If a driver is able to take the
ride, Neighbor Ride will contact the passenger to
confirm the details. When Neighbor Ride is unable to
provide a driver, the passenger is notified the day
before the ride date.
How do passengers schedule a ride?
Passengers must provide the pick-up
time, appointment time, number of passengers and the
complete destination address, zip code, telephone
number and estimated return trip time. For medical
appointments to the doctor's name, group practice
name, and phone number are needed.
Passengers are required to contact the Neighbor Ride
office by phone at 410-884-7433 or through our web site (www.neighborride.org)
at least three (3) business days in advance to schedule trip (s). In order
to allow time to find a volunteer driver, please request rides as soon as
the date the ride needed is known. The call day chart follows:
Call Day
First Available Ride
Day
Monday
Friday
Tuesday
Saturday, Sunday or Monday
Wednesday
Tuesday
Thursday
Wednesday
Friday
Thursday
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to
2:00 PM and Saturday 10:00AM to 1:00PM. Messages left on the answering machine after
2:00PM and weekends are returned the next business
day. *Note: We are unable to accommodate
individuals using wheel chairs or persons having
anesthesia for a medical procedure.
Passengers are expected to pre-pay
for services on a per-ride basis or by establishing a
transportation account that can be debited and
replenished as needed. Family members may "gift" rides
to their senior relatives by contributing to the
passenger's transportation account. Checks should be
made payable to Neighbor Ride, and mailed to:
Neighbor
Ride, Inc.
8950 Route 108, Suite 115
Columbia, MD 21045
The check's memo section should have the
passenger's name and ride date, or "account," if the
check is for the passenger's transportation account.
Drivers do not accept payment.
Drivers are not permitted to make
unscheduled stops. Because drivers may be scheduled
for multiple rides, it is important that passengers
meet them at the prearranged time and place for pick-up as well as
for return trips. Medical appointments vary in length;
please try to estimate for the longest visit time.
One additional stop between the pickup and destination
can be requested at the time the ride is requested. If
an additional stop is needed in another zone, there
will be an additional fee.
Please cancel a scheduled trip as
early as possible so the volunteer driver can be
notified. Payments will be refunded by crediting
the passenger’s transportation account.
When the Neighbor Ride office is
closed, please leave a message on the emergency line if you need to cancel a ride scheduled to
take place within the next 12 hours or over the weekend,
you were not contacted by your driver the night before
your scheduled ride or your driver has not arrived at
the scheduled time. (Please do not leave messages
that can be handled the next business day.)
To ensure the safety
of our drivers and passengers, either the driver or
the passenger may cancel a ride by calling the
office. In questionable weather, even if the driver
is willing to drive, the driver will contact the
passenger to confirm that he/she still wants the
ride. If the ride is cancelled, the driver will
contact the Neighbor Ride office.
If possible, the
Neighbor Ride office will remain open to handle
notification of cancellations. Payments for
cancelled rides are refunded by crediting the
passenger’s account.
Feedback is given on
Neighbor Ride service post cards. These post cards
will be mailed to passengers after their first ride
and every 6 months thereafter.
Absolutely! Donations are gratefully accepted; your
tax-deductible contribution may be mailed to the
office. You may also consider a Legacy Gift to
Neighbor Ride. Contact our Executive Director, Brad
Closs, at 410-884-7433 for more information on
donating to Neighbor Ride.
Neighbor Ride is committed
to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation
in, or denied the benefits
of its transportation services
on the basis of race, color or national origin, as
protected by Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
