Senior Citizens Transportation Program
Policies and Procedures
Commissioner El Franco Lee is pleased to provide this service to Harris County Precinct One residents 55 years of age and over. The program aims to help groups of seniors enjoy the many activities, parks and scenic places available throughout Precinct One and surrounding areas. By making available this rec-reational transportation for use by senior citizen groups, we hope to assist in adding years of pleasure and adventure to the lives of our valued older citizens. There is a 150 mile radius limit, no overnight or out of state trips. Nursing Homes and Assisting Living Facilities Trips are limited to a 75 mile radius (See Nursing Home and Assisted Living Policies). Detailed itineraries and plans for the group must be arranged by the Group’s Trip Coordinator. Unfortunately Precinct One staff, including the bus drivers cannot plan trips. The trip must be planned by the trip coordinator and listed on the required Trip Reservation Form and submitted to the transportation department by the 15th of the month prior to scheduled departure.
Participants must be 55 years of age and older. One adult escort under the age of 50 may accompany each group; this individual must be at least 18 years of age. Exception to the age rule will be made for spouses of participating sen-iors.
The Harris County Precinct One Senior Citizens Transportation Program grate-fully appreciates any donations you or your group may wish to make. Contribu-tions help pay the cost of the program and allow the Seniors Program to pre-sent special events. To make certain your donation is credited to your group, make donations payable to the Precinct One Senior Citizens Program and Mail to, Harris County Precinct One Senior Citizens Program 1001 Preston Ave., Suite 950 Houston, Texas 77002.
Trip Coordinators
Trip Coordinators must reside in Harris County Precinct One and must insure that every passenger is in compliance with Harris County Precinct One’s age restriction of 55 years or older. Failure to adhere to this guideline could result in termination of the group’s bus usage. It is necessary that all trip coordinators and assistant trip coordinators attend the scheduled Transportation Training Meetings.
Additional Responsibilities for Trip Coordinators
Designate at least one alternate trip coordinator for the group in the event that you are unable to accompany your group on a trip. Ensure that all contact information on file remains current.
Research trip ideas and coordinate trips for the group. Ensure all trip destinations are accessible for bus
Arrange for admission tickets, parking fees, and meals for the bus driver, when applicable.
Be advised that Precinct One bus drivers are not allowed to accept tips, cash or gifts of any kind.
Advise all passengers that eating, drinking (with the exception of water), chewing gum, and tobacco products are not permitted on the buses.
The use of alcohol is discouraged while on a day trip and exces-sive alcohol consumption will not be tolerated.
The Precinct One Seniors Transportation Office is available to
Group Information Form
In December, trip coordinators will be sent a Group Information Form to begin the reservation cycle for the next calendar year. The Group Information Form must be completed and mailed back to the Precinct One Transportation Office 15108 Cullen Blvd., Houston, Texas 77047.
Once the form is returned to our office the trip coordinator will be called with their new group number that is assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. This number determines the order in which calls will be made to reserve buses.
Forms must be MAILED via US MAIL.
Forms that are faxed, emailed, or hand delivered will not be accepted.
Reserving the Buses
Buses will be reserved two times per year in February and August.
In February, buses will be reserved for the months of May through October. In August, buses will be reserve for the months of November through April. The Transportation Office will call the trip coordinator first. If the trip coordinator is not available, the alternate or assistant trip coordinator will be contacted to provide preferred travel dates, alternate travel dates, size of bus needed and if a lift is needed for passengers to access the bus.
Each group will be offered 2-3 trips for every six month period
Groups may request two buses for the same day/destination; howev-er, that reservation will be counted as 2 trips.
If additional buses are available, trip coordinators will be contacted to schedule an additional trip.
Trip coordinators may request to be placed on a waiting list in the event that a trip cancels and a bus becomes available.
Trip Reservation Form
Trip coordinators are required to complete and submit a Trip Reservation Form for each trip scheduled and provide all the information required be-fore returning the form. In order to secure your reserved trip your Trip Reservation form must be received by 4:00 p.m. on the 15th of each month prior to your scheduled trip. If the form is not received by the 15th your group’s trip will be automatically cancelled.
Please note the following when completing:
Departure times cannot be earlier that 7:00 a.m.
Trips are limited to 8 hours per day from the time of pick-up to return 6 hours for Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facilities Overnight or Out of State Trips are NOT permitted
The pick-up and return location must be the same and within Harris County Precinct One’s geographical boundaries
Transportation is provided as a round-trip service and all
passengers must travel with the group for the duration of the trip Please contact the Seniors Transportation Office as soon as possible if there are any changes after the trip reservation form has been submitted
Once the trip reservation form has been completed; please mail, fax or email the form to:
Harris County Precinct One Seniors’ Program Attn: Transportation Department
15108 Cullen Blvd. Houston, Texas 77047
Fax: 713-731-1102
TRIP RESERVATION FORM
THIS FORM MUST BE FILLED OUT COMPLETELY AND RETURNED BY THE 15TH OF EACH MONTH PRIOR TO YOUR SCHEDULED TRIP
DATE OF TRIP NUMBER OF PEOPLE TODAY’S DATE
7/6/09 32 5/15/09
TIME OF PICK UP _8____AM ________PM TIME OF RETURN ______ AM ____4____ PM
TRIP COORDINATOR NAME TRIP COORDINATOR NUMB
Craig Butcher 1000
EMAIL: [email protected]
ADDRESS,CITY, STATE AND ZIP 15108 Cullen Houston, Texas 77047
PHONE NUMBER(S) HOME: 713.733.3717 WORK: 000.000.000
ALTERNATE NAME AND PHONE NUMBER: Shametriase Harper 713.888.8888
NAME OF GROUP Tom Bass Young at Heart
PICK UP/ RETURN POINT Tom Bass Center
ITINERARY: (PLEASE INCLUDE ADDRESSES, PHONE NUMBERS AND REST STOPS)
1) 8:00am Depart for Schulenburg
2) 8:45am Arrive at Rest Stop Mc Donald's in Sealy
3) 10:00am Schulenburg Chambers of Commerce (618 N. Main St.) 1.979.743.4514 (Tour 2 Churches)
4) 11:30am Lunch at Oakridge Restaurant (712 N. USA HWY 77) 1.979.2900/ 3372
5) 1:30pm (Tour 1 Church)
6) 2:00pm Depart for Houston
Please mail, fax, or email form to:
Harris County Precinct One Seniors Program Attn: Transportation Department 15108 Cullen Blvd., Houston, Texas 77047
Phone: 713.733.3717 - Fax:713.731.1102 [email protected].
Trip Confirmation
A confirmation letter will be sent to the Trip Coordinator after the Transportation Office has received the Trip Reservation Form. Upon receipt of the confirmation letter, the trip coordi-nator should review all information. Please notify the Precinct One Seniors Program Trans-portation Office immediately at 713-733-3717 if any of the trip information listed on the con-firmation letter is not correct.
IMPORTANT!!! If fewer people sign up for your event that anticipated, with proper notice we will assist you in sending the appropriate vehicle. However, Trip coordinators must call the transportation office at 713-733-3717, at least (3) to five (5) days in advance of your trip for this assistance. At the time of pick up, if you have fewer people than the required minimum and have not given minimum prior notice your trip may be cancelled. All trips should depart no longer than 30 minutes after scheduled pick up time. Any groups re-questing additional time must get approval from the transportation department. Please take note to the minimum number of passengers required for usage of the buses below.
A minimum of 10 passengers is required for the 27 passenger buses. A minimum of 20 passengers is required for the 39 passenger buses.
With proper notice, mentioned above, we will do our best to accommodate the size of your group. Although if you do not have the required number of passengers upon arrival of the bus or 30 minutes after the arrival, the driver is instructed to call the transportation office, after which the coordinator will be notified of the trips cancellation. Your trip cannot be au-tomatically cancelled by the driver.
Trip Cancellations
If a trip must be canceled, call the Transportation Office immediately at 713-733-3717. If it is after normal business hours, before 8:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. or dur-ing weekends, please contact Fred Franklin at 281-960-4601.
Should the weather become severe during a trip, it will be up to the Transportation supervisor to determine whether the trip should be cancelled. In the event that un-safe weather conditions prevail or due to mechanical issues with the buses, the Pro-gram Director may cancel a trip in advance of departure.
Physically-Challenged Participants
If a participant requires special attention or uses a wheelchair, it is necessary that some-one accompany them, since the bus driver is unable to provide individual assistance. Indi-viduals who cannot board (climb the steps) the bus without assistance need to be trans-ported on one of the wheelchair accessible buses; individuals who use walkers or have dif-ficulty with steps can also board the bus using the lift. Only wheelchairs can be accommo-dated. Unfortunately, “scooter” type vehicles cannot be transported, since they cannot be adequately secured.
Special needs for your group, such as ramps, elevators, wheelchair and/or special assis-tance, must be handled by the trip leader or coordinator in advance. Please contact the destination to arrange for special service required by participants.
Nursing home staff who assist residents must be 18 years of age or older. This policy in-cludes assisted living and/or convalescent care staff. Please note: Precinct One requires that nursing homes and assisted living communities provide enough staff for the needs of individuals in the group. In the event that proper staffing is not sent on the trip the driver is instructed to contact the transportation office for further instruction. Please see Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities Policies and Procedures.
Precinct One’s handicapped-accessible buses can accommodate a maximum of 39 ambulatory passengers without transporting any wheelchair-bound passengers. A maximum of six (6) standard folding wheelchairs can be stored in the luggage com-partment of our 39 passenger buses and three (3) standard folding wheelchairs in the rear storage area of our 27 passenger buses. When transporting wheelchair bound or “fixed” passengers in a 39 passenger bus we can transport a maximum of 25 passengers including the maximum six (6) standard folding wheelchair-transferring passengers and a maximum of four (4) fixed standard wheelchair bound passengers for a total of 10 wheelchairs and 29 total passengers. Please contact our office for different total passenger configurations with less than four (4) fixed wheelchairs. When trans-porting wheelchair bound or “fixed” passengers in a 27 passenger bus we can transport a maximum of 24 passengers including the maximum three (3) standard folding wheelchairs–transferring passengers and a maximum of three (3) fixed standard wheelchair bound passengers for a total of 6 wheelchairs and 21 total passengers.
RULES ON THE ROAD
To conform to safety laws and regulations, we ask for your groups’ cooperation in observing these rules for riding Harris County Precinct One buses:
Participants must be 55 years of age and older. One adult escort under the age of 55 may accompany the group. That individual must be at least 18 years of age. NO CHILDREN, NO EXCEPTIONS!
All passengers must sign the Sign In Sheet provided by the Driver.
All passengers must remain seated while bus is in route.
All passengers must EXIT the bus at the groups planned destination. Seniors are not permitted to be on the buses alone during a planned stop, nor is driver required to stay on the bus during this time.
No EATING or DRINKING on vehicles. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Only, water is allowed. Please announce this to your group prior to the trip and departure. (Note: Picnic lunches may be taken but not eaten on the buses.)
No SMOKING, smoking is prohibited on all vehicles.
No ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES are allowed on the vehicles.
We request that groups using our buses do not serve nor use alcohol during their event.
Please do not tip the driver. Donations to the program are greatly appreciated.
If any rider gets unruly, the driver will notify the group leader and ask that he or she solve the problem. If the group leader is unable to solve unruly behavior by any rider, the driver is instructed to leave the event or discontinue the trip. The driver will then make a written report to the Senior Citizens Transportation Program, to be reviewed by the Program Director. Misconduct reports on any group could re-sult in canceling future requests. The mobile phones in all vehicles are ONLY for use in emergency situations.
If there are any complaints about your driver or the vehicles, please contact Delsie Stoute, the Precinct One Seniors Program Director at 713-733-3717.
Trip
planning
guidelines
Major Ques ons to ask for a Successful Trip
When making reserva on (s) always give informa on/history about the group; for example, the average age of the group, discusses hearing and visual limita ons, etc., etc. Ask for solu ons for the need of your
par cular group. Ask these ques ons at each and every place the group is going on their trip.
Important: Always ask for the very best accommoda ons for the
group.
How much walking is required?
Is the surface flat?
Exactly what is the walking surface: paved, gravel, dirt, grass, etc?
Is the event, ac vity, or entertainment on the first floor? If not, what floor
How many steps?
Handrails? Elevators?
Escalators?
Is there a place to sit down and rest?
If someone does not wish to take the tour, is there a place for
them to wait for the group?
How many restrooms are available? How far are the restrooms from
where we will be seated?
What is the dura on of the entertainment, tour, ac vity or event?
When does the door open? How early should we arrive?
Will I receive a wri en confirma on?
Will anyone meet us?
Will we have reserved sea ng?
Will our group be seated first?
Do they give a welcoming announcement?
For example, “…and we especially want to welcome the group from the Tom
Bass Community Center in Houston.” This is important to give the group recog‐
ni on.
Is there something special to see or do while we are there: A “don’t miss” event.
Is there a smoking area?
Will the loca on have a view?
Where does the bus drop/pick up the group?
Is it close to the entrance?
Where does the bus park?
Are there parking fees?
What me do we expect to depart/return?
Is there any free me to explore, shop, eat, etc?
What happens if it rains?
Will the event be cancelled, rescheduled?
Is there a canopy for a “dry” drop and pick up?
What is the floor surface?
Will it be slippery?
Are some areas be er‐lighted areas? (Ask for well lighted accommoda ons).
Reserva on
(s)
and
Money
(!)
What are the fees, charges, etc.?
Any special or extra charges not included?
Is there a senior adult discount?
When is the money due?
a. Is a deposit necessary to hold the ckets, reserva ons, etc?
When is the final payment due?
How should the check be made out?
Will they accept a personal check?
Do they need only one check?
To whom and where is the money sent?
Are there free ckets, meals, parking, etc?
For example, one free for 10 full paying; or one free for 15 full
paying; (bus drivers, trip coordinators meals?) Always ask!! Its
very important to ask since it can save the group money.
Will they provide individual checks for meals?
How much is the tax?
Will the gratuity be included?
If there is a guide, is there a charge/fee/gratuity?
What is the cancella on or refund policy?
Always, always, get the name of the individual who made the reserva on (s) and the date.
Estimated Travel Time
(From the Downtown Area) Chamber of Commerce
Alvin: 30 minutes 281-331-3944
Angelton: 1 hour 979-849-6443
Beaumont: 2 hours 409-838-6581
Brenham: 1 hour and 30 minutes 409-836-3695
Brookshire: 1 hour 281-375-8100
Bryan-College: 2 hours and 30 minutes 409-260-5200
Burton: 2 hours 409-289-3734
Caldwell: 2 hours and 30 minutes 979-567-0000
Centerville: 2 hours 903-536-7261
Chappell Hill: 1 hour 979-337-9910
Clear Lake Area: 30 minutes 281-488-4676
Coldspring: 2 hours 936-653-2184
Columbus: 1 hour and 30 minutes 409-732-8385
Conroe: 1 hour 936-756-6644
Crockett: 2 hours and 30 minutes 936-544-2359
Eagle Lake: 2 hours 979-234-2780
East Columbia: 1 ½ hour and 30 minutes 979-345-3921
El Campo: 1 hour and 30 minutes 979-543-2713
Flatonia: 2 hours 361-865-3920
Galveston: 1 hour 409-763-5326
Giddings: 2 hours 409-542-3455
Gonzales: 2 hours and 30 minutes 830-672-6532
Harwood: 2 hours and 30 minutes 830-875-3214
Hempstead: 1 hour 979-826-8217
Hockley: 45 minutes 281-516-1606
Houston: 713-844-3600
Humble-Kingwood: 30 minutes 281-446-2128
Huntsville: 1 hour 45 minutes 409-295-8113 1-800-289-0389
Independence: 1 hour 30 minutes 979-836-4211
Katy: 30 minutes 281-391-5289
Kountze: 2 hours and 30 minutes 409-246-3413 1-866-4kountz
La Grange: 1 hour and 45 minutes 979-968-575
La Marque-Texas City: 45 minutes 1-888-860-1408
LA Porte-Deer Park: 45 minutes 281-471-1123
Ledbetter: 1 hour and 45 minutes 979-249-3066
Lexington: 2 hours 409-773-4337
Livingston: 1 hour and 30 minutes 936-327-2660
Lufkin: 2 hours 936-634-6644
Lumberton: 2 hours and 30 minutes 409-755-0554
Madisonville: 1 hour and 30 minutes 409-348-3591
Magonlia: 45 minutes 281-356-1488
Manvel-Alvin (See Alvin): 30 minutes 281-331-3944
Montgomery: 1 hour 936-597-4155
Navasota: 1 hour and 30 minutes 1-800-252-6642
Needville: 1 hour 979-793-5700
Nederland: 2 hours 409-723-1531
Orange: 2 hours and 30 minutes 409-883-3536
Pasadena: 30 minutes 281-487-7871
Port Arthur: 2 hours 409 -963-1107
Rosenberg-Richmond: 45 minutes 281-342-5464
Romayor: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Schulenburg: 2 hours 1-866-504-5294
Seabrook-Kemah: 45 minutes 281-291-5600
Sealy: 1 hour 979-885-3222
Shiner: 2 hours and 30 minutes 361-594-4180
Silsbee: 2 hours and 30 minutes 409-385-5562
Spring: 45 minutes 281-257-4431
Sugarland: 45 minutes 281-491-0800
Tomball: 45 minutes 281-351-7222 1-866-670-7222
Victoria: 2 hours and 30 minutes 361-573-5277
Washington: 1 hour and 30 minutes 979-836-3695
Wharton: 1 hour and 30 minutes 409-532-1862
Weimar: 1 hour and 30 minutes 1-888-393-4627 979-725-9511
West Columbia: 1 hour and 30 minutes 409-345-3921
Woodlands: 45 minutes 281-367-5777
Woodville: 2 hours 409-283-2632
