Your Ride
Your Ride is personalized public transit service designed for use by persons who are unable to use fixed route bus service. Your Ride should be used only when your age or disability prevents you from using fixed route bus service or fixed route services are not available to you. Your Ride is curb-to-curb service. This means that at your confirmed pickup time you should meet the Your Ride van at the curb or street side for your pickup.
Interactive Voice Response System is now being used to schedule Your Ride vans.
To learn more about IVR, please click here.
For Your Ride phone numbers, please click here.
Learn about Door to Door Transportation, please click here.
How Your Ride Service Works
Your Ride transportation is provided through local service centers. There are eleven Your Ride Service Centers, each working to serve the transportation needs of residents in the surrounding service area. Regardless of where you want to travel in Genesee County, the service center nearest to your home will arrange the trip. You may plan a trip within your local service area, or you may travel to a different service area. Make all your arrangements through your local service center.
Trips outside your service area
At times, Your Ride trips to locations outside of your immediate service area may transfer through the MTA’s Customer Service Center in downtown Flint. At the Center, you can transfer to vehicles going to specific locations within the city and to locations throughout Genesee County.
Trips into and out of Flint
Your Ride service in Flint is reserved for persons with disabilities and senior citizens. Other passengers can use the fixed route bus system for travel within Flint. Passengers traveling into Flint on Your Ride may transfer to the fixed route system at the downtown Flint Customer Service Center. Likewise, passengers traveling from Flint to suburban area may take a bus to the downtown Flint Customer Service Center and transfer to a Your Ride vehicle, or arrange a transfer at other convenient bus route locations. Passengers transferring from a bus must schedule Your Ride transportation through their local service center.
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Passenger Service/Driver Assistance
Your Ride is curb to curb service. This means that at your confirmed pickup time you should meet the Your Ride van at the curb or streetside for your pickup. Elderly passengers or persons meeting ADA criteria may receive assistance to and from the Your Ride vehicle on request. The following limitations apply:
- Drivers may only assist ambulatory passengers up or down one step, or the curb
- Drivers may not assist passengers in wheelchairs up or down any steps. All wheelchair customers must have foot rests on chairs for transportation
- In the winter, drivers may not assist passengers from the door to the Your Ride van if the driveway, walk or ramp needs to be shoveled
- Before daylight or after dark, drivers will not go to the door to get passengers. Passengers will be contacted by Your Ride when the van has arrived to pick them up
- Upon request, the driver will help a passenger lock or unlock the residence door, open the door, but will not go inside with the passenger
- Your Ride drivers do not help prepare passengers for their trip
- Passengers who cannot travel alone should bring an aide. Trip reservations should be made for both passenger and aide at the same time. If passengers are certified as ADA eligible, their aides are not charged a fare
- Passengers may bring a travel companion. The companion must pay the appropriate fare. Additional companions will be accommodated based on available space
- Upon arrival, passengers should stay seated until the driver announces that they can get off. The driver will be available to assist every passenger on and off the Your Ride vehicle. Passengers can bring any parcels on board the van that they and/or their aides can carry on and off the van in one trip
- Your Ride drivers are not qualified to give any medical assistance
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Scheduling A Trip
Call your nearest Service Center to reserve your trip, 1 to 7 days in advance. Calls should be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day before your scheduled trip.
- Subscription service is available for passengers who make the same trip on a regular basis.
- You can use Your Ride for one-way or round trips. Your return trip must be at least one half hour after you are dropped off. The van will drop you off and go to its next stop.
- You will be given a pickup time window when you call for your trip. This can change depending on other calls received after your, so you must call to confirm your pickup time.
- Your Ride trips may take up to 60 minutes. If you need to arrive at a certain time, you may be picked up as much as 90 minutes ahead of your scheduled appointment because of other trips scheduled on the same day. This will ensure that you are on time for your scheduled appointment.
- Be as complete and specific as possible when you make your reservation. Tell Your Ride about any physical disabilities that may affect your trip. Need assistance? Let them know if it will cause a problem if your van is early or late. Give the exact address to your pickup/drop-off locations and details, such as what door to be picked up at.
- Call the night before to confirm your ride. Be sure to get the call-taker's name. You will be given a 30 minute pickup "window". The driver could arrive any time during that 30 minute period.
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Waiting For Your Ride
Your Ride is curb to curb service. This means that at your confirmed pickup time you should meet the Your Ride van at the curb or streetside for your pickup.
- Be at the door waiting for Your Ride.
- The driver may come before your scheduled pickup window. If the van arrives early, it will wait until the scheduled pickup window.
- If time permits, the driver will wait a few minutes. If you are not ready to go by then, the driver must leave to pickup other passengers in order to remain on schedule. If you are not ready to go within your pickup window you will be marked a no show.
- If the driver is more than 15 minutes late, call Your Ride. The staff person will check on your van and, if necessary, send a different one to pick you up. If you have to leave the pickup location to make your phone call, and miss your pickup, the Your Ride staff will instruct the driver to return and pick you up.
- Be ready to go at the beginning of your pickup window. The driver will wait not more than 5 minutes for you to come out to the van. The driver must stay on schedule in order not to inconvenience other passengers.
- If the van is more than 15 minutes late, call Your Ride.
- Be ready for your trip to take up to 60 minutes.
- Tell the driver who you are, so she or he knows that you are the right person to be picked up.
- Have correct fare. Drivers do no make change.
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What To Expect
- Your Ride service is available throughout Genesee County
- Your Ride is public transit designed for use by persons who are unable to use fixed route bus service, or where fixed route bus services are not available. Your Ride should be used only when your age or disability prevents you from using fixed route bus service or fixed route bus services are not available to you
- Your Ride is curb-to-curb service. This means that at your confirmed pickup time you should meet the Your Ride van at the curb or street side for your pickup
- Eligible passengers with special needs may request door-to-door service, with eligibility based on ADA criteria. Door-to-door service means the MTA will assist you from the outside door of the building you leave to the outside door of your destination
- Your Ride trips may take up to 60 minutes. If you need to arrive at a certain time, you may be picked up as much as 90 minutes ahead of your scheduled appointment because of other trips scheduled on the same day. This will ensure that you are on time for your scheduled appointment
- You can use Your Ride for one-way or round trips. Your return trip must be at least one- half hour after you are dropped off. The van will drop you off and go to its next stop
- You will be given a pickup time window when you call for your trip. This can change, depending on other calls received after yours, so you must call to confirm your pickup time
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Changing Or Canceling A Trip
- If your plans change, cancel your reservation as soon as possible. To cancel a reservation call your community service center at least 60 minutes before your scheduled pickup window. If you do not cancel at least 60 minutes in advance, you will be marked a no show
- If you need to change your reservation, you must call by 5:00 p.m. the day before your scheduled trip
- Cancellations are considered missed trips. Cancellations after 5:00 p.m. the day before your trip is a late cancellation. You will be notified if you have a high rate of no shows or late cancels.
- If time permits, the driver will wait a few minutes. If you are not ready to go by then, the driver must leave to pickup other passengers in order to remain on schedule. If you are not ready to go within your pickup window you will be marked a no show
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Transfers
- Persons with disabilities and senior citizen riders from suburban areas will be able to move within the Your Ride system at the downtown Customer Service Center at no additional cost
- Only senior citizens and persons with disabilities are eligible for Your Ride service within the City of Flint. Persons who are not considered eligible must change over to the regular fixed route bus service at the Downtown Service Center for a fare of $2.50
- Likewise, fixed route bus riders who would like to use Your Ride to travel to locations outside the City of Flint operating area will be required to pay the appropriate Your Ride fare
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Subscription Service
If you need for Your Ride service on the same day at the same time on a regular basis, you can make arrangements in advance with subscription service. It’s an ideal way to plan personal transportation to and from work or school, going to the doctor or even grocery shopping. If you need to cancel a regularly scheduled pickup while on subscription service, please call the MTA one day in advance.
For more information, or to subscribe, call your nearest Your Ride Community Service Center.
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Same Day Emergency Service
Same day emergency service is available for medical emergencies, or in the case of an unforeseen or unavoidable circumstance. The MTA is committed to meeting your transportation needs through efficient passenger scheduling. Your assistance in helping us perform efficiently requires advance notice whenever possible.
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Passenger Conduct And Safety Rules
- You should not board a van until it is completely stopped and the door is open
- You must stay in your seat at all times
- Van rules prohibit smoking, eating food and drinking beverages while in the van
- You should wait until the van is completely stopped and the door open before leaving
- Loud talking or shouting is disturbing to other passengers and distracting to the driver, and must be avoided
- Any damage to the van shall be paid for by the rider causing the damage
- You should help to keep the van clean inside
- Please dress appropriately when riding a MTA Your Ride van or making a transfer. The MTA defines appropriate dress as clothing worn at school, work, or an office
- Be courteous and cooperative to your van operator. Your help will enable the driver to make your ride safe
- You must use a seat belt or sign a waiver carried by drivers exempting MTA from liability
These rules are not intended to be complete, they serve as a guide only.
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Our Service Commitment To Persons With Disabilities
As the provider of public transit in Genesee County, the Mass Transportation Authority is committed to meeting the transit needs of persons with disabilities in our operating area. In the Flint Service area, where fixed route service is available, eligibility to use Your Ride is reserved for persons who have a disability or are over age 65. In areas outside the Flint service area, Your Ride services are available to all individuals. In order to use Your Ride instead of the regular buses, passengers must have an MTA Eligibility Card, please call (810) 767-0100. The MTA is in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The Americans with Disabilities Act establishes for persons with disabilities that qualify a national transit eligibility card. Information on how to obtain a national ADA card can be obtained by calling (810) 767-0100. The national ADA card offers, for persons that qualify, access to all public transit in the U.S.
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