METS Mobility Service
No-Shows/Late Cancellation Policy
Revision July 2016

METS understands that because Mobility requires trips to be scheduled in advance, riders may sometimes miss scheduled rides or forget to cancel rides they no longer need. METS 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 METS’ no-show policy.

Definitions: No-Show, Pickup Window, and Late Cancellation:

No-show
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 5 minutes.

Pickup Window
The pickup window is defined as from 15 minutes before the scheduled pickup time to 15 minutes after the scheduled pickup time]. Riders must be ready to board a vehicle that arrives within the pickup window. The driver will wait for a maximum of 5 minutes within the pickup window for the rider to appear.

Late Cancellation
A late cancellation is defined as either: a cancellation made less than 60 minutes 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.

Definition: No-Shows Due to Operator Error or to Circumstances Beyond a Rider’s Control.

METS does not count as no-shows or late cancellations any missed trips due to our error, such as:

• Trips placed on the schedule in error
• Pickups scheduled at the wrong pickup location
• Drivers arriving and departing before the pickup window begins
• Drivers arriving late (after the end of the pickup window)
• Drivers arriving within the pickup window, but departing without waiting the required 5 minutes

METS 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:

• Medical emergency
• Family emergency
• Sudden illness or change in condition
• Appointment that runs unexpectedly late without sufficient notice

Riders should contact the Mobility dispatch office (812-435-6188) when experiencing no-shows or late cancellations due to circumstances beyond their control.

Policy for Handling Subsequent Trips Following No-Shows

When a rider is a no-show for one trip, all subsequent trips on that day remain on the schedule unless the rider specifically cancels the trips. To avoid multiple no-shows on the same day, riders are strongly encouraged to cancel any subsequent trips they no longer need that day.

Suspension Policies for a Pattern or Practice of Excessive No-shows and Late Cancellations

METS reviews all recorded no-shows and late cancellations to ensure accuracy before recording them in a rider’s account. 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 meet all of the following conditions:

• Accumulate 3 penalty points in one calendar month
• Have booked at least 15 trips that month
• Have “no-showed” or “late cancelled” at least 20 percent of those trips

A rider will be subject to suspension only if both the minimum number of trips booked and the minimum number of penalty points are reached during the calendar month. METS will notify riders by telephone after they have accumulated 2 penalty points and would be subject to suspension should they accumulate any additional penalty point/s that month consistent with the criteria listed in this section of the policy above.

All suspension notices include a copy of this policy, information on disputing no-shows or late cancellations, and how to appeal suspensions.

Suspensions begin on Mondays. The first violation in a calendar year triggers a warning letter but no suspension. Subsequent violations result in the following suspensions:

• Second violation: 5-day suspension
• Third violation: 10-day suspension
• Fourth violation: 15-day suspension
• Fifth and subsequent violations: 30-day suspension

Policy for Disputing Specific No-Shows or Late Cancellations

Riders wishing to dispute specific no-shows or late cancellations must do so within 5 business days of receiving suspension letters. Riders should contact the Mobility paratransit service operations center at 812-435-6188, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to explain the circumstance, and request the removal of the no-show or late cancellation.

Policy for Appealing Proposed Suspensions

Riders wishing to appeal suspensions under this policy have the right to file an appeal request, which must be in writing by letter or via email. Riders must submit written appeal requests within 5 business days of receiving suspension letters. Riders who miss the appeal request deadline will be suspended from Mobility paratransit service on the date listed on the suspension notice.

All suspension appeals follow METS’ appeal policy.