AIRPORT TRIPS NOW REQUIRE 7 DAYS ADVANCE NOTICE!! For information on rides to your school of choice, click here
The Benzie Transportation Authority(BTA) understands that because your ride requires trips to be scheduled in advance, riders may sometimes miss scheduled rides or forget to cancel rides they no longer need. BTA also understands that riders may sometimes miss scheduled trips or be unable to cancel trips in a timely way for reasons that are beyond their control. However, repeatedly missing scheduled trips or failing to cancel trips in a timely way can lead to suspension of service. The following information explains BTA’s no-show policy.
Definitions: No-Show, Pickup Window, and Late Cancellation
A no-show occurs when a rider fails to appear to board the vehicle for a scheduled trip. This presumes the vehicle arrives at the scheduled pickup location within the pickup window and the driver waits at least 3 minutes. No Show fee is the one-way fare DOUBLED.
The pickup window is defined as the 20-minute window provided when scheduling your ride. Riders must be ready to board a vehicle that arrives within the pickup window. Upon arrival, the driver will wait for a maximum of 3 minutes within the pickup window for the rider to appear.
A late cancellation is defined as either: a cancellation made less than 1 hour before the scheduled pickup time or as a cancellation made at the door or a refusal to board a vehicle that has arrived within the pickup window. Late Cancellation is the one-way fare DOUBLED.
Definition: No-Shows Due to Operator Error or to Circumstances Beyond a Rider’s Control
BTA does not count as no-shows or late cancellations any missed trips due to BTA’s error, such as:
BTA does not count as no-shows or late cancellations, situations beyond a rider’s control that prevent the rider from notifying us that the trip cannot be taken, such as:
Riders should contact Benzie Bus when experiencing no-shows or late cancellations due to circumstances beyond their control.
When a rider is a no-show for one trip, all subsequent trips on that day will be automatically canceled. It is the responsibility of the rider to reschedule the return trip if still needed.
Suspension for a Pattern or Practice of Excessive No-shows and Late Cancellations
Each verified no-show or late cancellation consistent with the above definitions counts as 1 penalty point. Riders will be subject to suspension after they accumulate 5 penalty points in one calendar month.
Penalties are as follows:
All suspension notices include a copy of this policy, information on disputing no-shows or late cancellations and how to appeal suspensions.
Riders wishing to dispute specific no-shows or late cancellations must do so within 5 business days of receiving suspension letters. Disputes may be emailed to dispatch@benziebus.com
Unaccompanied Youth Rider Registration
Dear Parent/Guardian,
It’s hard to believe that the beginning of the school year is just around the corner! We hope your child(ren) enjoyed their time off, and are excited to start the school year.
Due to an increase in demand, we’ll be doing things differently this year. If your child needs transportation to and/or from school, please fill out this Unaccompanied Youth Rider Form and return it to us by Monday, August 22nd.
Also included in this packet is a copy of our No Show & Late Cancellation Policy. It’s imperative that we are informed when a student will not be riding the bus. No Shows/Late Cancels are not only costly for the bus system, but If you are scheduled to ride then we have saved that seat on the bus for you, and may have told someone else we didn’t have room for them.
To summarize, if your child needs transportation to school this year, please do the following by August 22nd:
Thank you for riding with us,
Jessica Carland
Interim Executive Director
Benzie Transportation Authority
