Link Dial-A-Ride is a service for persons with disabilities who are ADA-certified to use paratransit.  This section features information about County Connection's Link Services.  For more information you can visit their site at http://www.cccta.org/LinkSer.html.

About the CCCTA

General Information
The Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (CCCTA), or The County Connection, is your transit provider within central Contra Costa County. The County Connection serves Clayton, Concord, Danville, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, and unincorporated areas of central County. The County Connection began service in 1980 with a fleet of 12 small buses. Today the County Connection operates 112 wheelchair lift-equipped buses on 27 fixed routes within central County.

County Connection LINK is an advance reservation, dial-a-ride service, operated with 40, 15 passenger lift equipped vans.  The County Connection LINK paratransit service is an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit service.  The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) requires all public transit operators to provide a special service to persons whose disabilities prevent them from using lift-equipped public transit.  The special service, called "paratransit service," operates at similar times and in similar areas as existing non-commute (off-peak) fixed-route transit.

Eligibility
In order to be eligible for County Connection LINK service, it must be determined that you are eligible for paratransit services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  A person can be found to be ADA paratransit eligible for all or for some of their transit trips, based on the individual's specific condition(s).  To apply for ADA paratransit eligibility and County Connection LINK service, you may either come to the County Connection's Transportation Center at the Walnut Creek BART facility, 220 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek, or call 676-7500 and have the application materials sent to you.

Once the County Connection receives your completed application materials, you will be notified by mail of your eligibility status within 21 days. The guiding principle for ADA paratransit eligibility is the inability to independently use the fixed-route transit due to certain conditions. Once you have been determined eligible for ADA paratransit services by County Connection LINK, you will also be eligible to use other ADA paratransit services throughout the Bay Area. For more information, please call 676-7500.

Hours of Operation

Service hours
Monday-Friday:  6:00 am to 10:00 pm
Saturday:  8:30 am to 7:30 pm (Limited areas)
Sunday:  8:00 am to 6:30 pm (Limited areas)

ADA Service on behalf of BART
Monday-Friday:  4:00 am to 6:00 am and 10:00 pm to 1:00 am.
Saturday:  5:00 am to 8:30 am and 7:30 pm to 1:00 am.
Sunday:  6:00 am to 1:00 am.

Please note that evening service, Saturday service, Sunday service and service provided on behalf of BART is provided in very limited areas and in strict compliance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  This service is provided within 3/4 of a mile of regular bus service or a BART station.

Fares
The one-way fare for any County Connection LINK trip is $2.50.  Passengers must have the exact fare for each one-way trip.  Drivers do not make change.

Trips and Reservations

Scheduling a Ride
To schedule a ride on the County Connection Link, phone 938-7433 (RIDE).  You may call up to two days in advance between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm from Monday through Friday.  Same day requests will be accepted on a space available basis.  Group reservations will be accepted for Nutrition and Adult Day Care programs.  Standing orders will be accepted for people with a disability who require transportation to hemodialysis, chemotherapy, or for work or school.  Standing orders will be accepted on a space available basis only.

Under certain circumstances, LINK vehicles will be made available for group trips and special outings during normal operating hours.  Please call 938-7433 for additional information.

Before you place your call to County Connection LINK, please gather all pertinent information you may need to arrange the trip. For example, if you will be arranging a trip for a doctor's appointment, be sure to have the following before calling:

• The doctor's address
• Suite number (If applicable)
• Phone number
• The date and time.

You will need to provide information concerning your return trip.  If your trip is to a doctor's office, please let your physician know that you will be using the LINK service and ask how long the visit will take.  Please let the LINK scheduler know what time to return for you.  It is always better to allow extra time because physicians frequently run late due to emergencies.  Also, please let the LINK scheduler know if you will be accompanied by a personal care attendant or companion.

Late Cancellation/No-Show Policy
Please see the County Connection LINK's website for more information.

Cancellations
To cancel your LINK trip, call 943-1829.  A recorder will record your message with a date and time stamp.  CCCTA's Late Cancellation/No-Show Policy requires that you call twenty-four hours prior to your pick-up time. However, if you have been unable to call twenty-four hours in advance, as a courtesy please call at least one hour before the pick-up time so the trip schedulers may do their best to fill this time slot with another trip.  Your fellow riders will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Riding the County Connection LINK

Rules and Procedures
Passengers should wait at the entrance of their pick-up location and be visible to the driver.  In order to provide safe transportation for all LINK clients, County Connection requires all riders to use a seat belt.  Lap belts will be provided for individuals who use wheelchairs and do not have their own lap belt.

County Connection LINK is a door-to-door service when it does not conflict with the following policy.  Their van drivers are not allowed to:

• Enter private residences
• Go beyond the front entrance of the hospital, physican’s office complex, shopping center, etc.
• Lose sight of their vehicle when other clients are on board.
• Carry more than four bags of groceries or large, heavy packages.
• Take individuals in wheelchairs up or down any stairs, steep ramps or inclines.
• Go into riders pockets or purses to retreive fares or house keys.

Drivers are required to have the vehicle in his/her sight at all times.  They will not be able to enter residences (Including garages) to provide assistance.  The Drivers will assist you from the door to the van.

An attendant may accompany a passenger free of charge, and an escort or guest may accompany a passenger and ride at the same fare as the passenger, provided that the attendant, escort, or guest is picked up and dropped off at the same point as the passenger. Please notify LINK at the time the trip is scheduled that an attendant, escort, or guest will accompany you.

Once passengers have boarded the vehicle, no changes can be made to the trip destination and trip times. County Connection LINK service is a ride-sharingsystem, and rides are shared to serve more people whenever possible. Please be aware that you will be picked up and dropped off in the order which is most productive for the service.

Care Giver Alert
County Connection cannot accept responsibility for individuals who are unable to act on their own behalf.  It may be necessary for the care giver to accompany an individual with a cognitive impairment or to provide a personal care attendant.

Wheelchairs and Securement
All County Connection LINK vans are wheelchair lift-equipped and all drivers receive special training in the boarding and securement of wheelchairs.  Here is some tips

• Drivers cannot physically assist individuals in maneuvering their mobility devices.
• It is suggested that all wheelchairs have locking brakes.
• Individuals in scooter type mobility devices may be asked to move to a seat.
• Wheelchair lift platforms are 30” x 48”.  Vans may not be able to accommodate wheelchairs with a larger wheelbase than these dimensions.
• All riders are required to use a seatbelt and lap belts will be provided for individuals who use wheelchairs and do not have their own lap belt.
• Mobility devices must be free of bags, baskets and any other attachments that
  may interfere with securement.

Other Details...

Traveling outside the County Connection's Service Area
Individuals who are eligible for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit service may
schedule trips which take them into the service area of other Bay Area paratransit providers.  Please call the trip reservation number at 938-7433 to schedule the trip.  The scheduler will make the necessary arrangements with the other paratransit providers.
Fare

Fixed Route Service
Fixed-route service uses buses which travel a set route and stop at designated bus stops.  Fixed-route is less expensive than LINK service and does not require advance reservations.  You may find that some of your transportation needs could be accommodated by the use of County Connection's fixed-route service. See the County Connection's website for more information, maps and timetables.

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