Rider Information
RIDER INFORMATION
Find all your riding do's, don'ts, needs, and guidelines below!
Setting up your ride:
All rides are setup by contacting Dickinson Public Transit dispatch at 701-483-6564 to schedule a ride, whether it is a pre-scheduled or on-demand ride. Please be sure to have all necessary information ready when you place your call.
-Name
-Pickup location
-Destination
-Time, date, and day of trip
-Special information such as a wheelchair, attendant, guest or other special needs
-When you will return
Dickinson Public Transit is a demand ride system but it is a shared ride so we may need to negotiate your pick-up time.
We schedule rides on a first come, first serve basis, so plan to schedule rides as far in advance as you can. We encourage you to schedule your rides at least one day in advance. This helps us to plan for the trip when we make our vehicle schedules.
Dickinson Public Transit provides curb-to-curb service.
IMPORTANT: Drivers may arrive up to 15 minutes before or after the scheduled pick-up time. Passengers need to be ready prior to the driver arriving. Drivers are allotted 5 minutes to wait for passengers before leaving to pick up the next scheduled passenger. Passengers need to be waiting in front of, or as close as possible to the entrances of the pickup location.
Driver, vehicle and routes are determined by our routing software. We are not able to assign a specific driver or vehicle to your ride.
Buckle Up! It is required that you wear your seatbelt while riding with Dickinson Public Transit!
Hours of Operation
Monday through Friday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Holidays
Dickinson Public Transit operates daily with early closings on some holidays. All holiday closure hours will be posted in our vehicles as well.
Easter - Closing at 3:00 pm
Memorial Day - Closing at 3:00 pm
Independence Day - Closing at 3:00 pm
Labor Day - Closing at 3:00 pm
Thanksgiving Day - Closing at 3:00 pm
Christmas Eve - Regular Hours - Closing at 6:00 pm
Christmas Day - Closing at 3:00 pm
New Year's Day - Closing at 3:00 pm
Note: Service hours and holiday schedules are subject to change.
Fares
All fares, except Bismarck trips, are one way only and payment is due upon boarding the vehicle.
We accept cash, check, credit cards, and punch cards.
Punch cards can be purchased at our office or with any of our drivers at a cost of $40.
In-Town Trips within Dickinson City Limits
$4 for the first passenger
$3 for each additional passenger with same pick-up location and drop off destination
Out-of-Town Trips beyond Dickinson City Limits (up to 5 miles)
$4 plus $1 per mile per passenger
$3 per each additional guest plus $1 per mile per passenger.
We follow the map provided by the city of Dickinson to determine what addresses are within city limits. Click here to access city of Dickinson map.
Medicaid Approved Rides
Dickinson Public Transit offers rides for medical appointments that can be billed to your Medicaid. Rides must be from your home, work, or school and can only be to an approved medical facility. Return rides must also be to your home, work, or school. You must be pre-approved by Dickinson Public Transit to bill rides to Medicaid. Stark County Social services must pre-approve all out-of-town Medicaid rides, they also schedule those rides with Dickinson Public Transit directly. Please call 701-456-7675 at least two business days in advance for pre-approval of out-of-town Medicaid rides.
Pre-scheduled Service
Pre-scheduled rides must be called in the day prior of the ride and have no changes the day of the ride. You may schedule as many rides as you need for whatever reason you have. There is not a limit to the number of rides an individual can have in a day, week, month, or year!
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Our software system can handle recurring appointments: if you have a trip every Tuesday, we can set that up. Or every weekday, or 3 days a week. And if you need to do a recurring schedule and something changes for a day, just call and let us know and we can make the adjustment.
On-Demand / Same Day Service
We cannot guarantee vehicle availability at your requested time for requests called in on the day of your ride.
You may need to negotiate your pickup time.
Please plan accordingly.
“Will Calls”
Passengers with medical appointments and variable work schedules are not required to schedule their return rides.
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These passengers may instead have a “will call” return trip in which the passenger will call Dickinson Public Transit when they are ready. These trips may require a waiting period and will be handled as a driver and vehicle become available. “Will calls” are not allowed for shopping, or social/recreational trips.
Cancelling Rides
We understand that things come up and don’t always go as planned. If your plans change or you cannot be ready at your scheduled time, please call us so we can cancel your ride. We ask that you call to cancel your ride an hour before your ride for efficiency of our routes. By doing so this helps other riders reach their destinations on time.
Dickinson to Bismarck Trips(Pre-scheduled Service Only)
Every Tuesday Dickinson Public Transit travels to Bismarck to take riders to appointments, Bismarck airport or shopping. The departure times are based on the first scheduled appointment. Appointment times should be scheduled between 9:30 am CDT and 4:00 pm CDT (8:30 am MDT and 3:00 pm MDT). We often have multiple riders going to Bismarck on the same day. Dickinson Public Transit dispatch will contact you the day before traveling to Bismarck to inform you of your scheduled pick-up time by Monday afternoon. When setting up your ride to Bismarck, it is important to give the dispatcher a phone number where you can be reached so we can let you know of any changes in your pick-up or drop off time.
We will coordinate all riders going to Bismarck on a given day to one vehicle. Therefore, riders will all need to leave at the same time regardless of what time your appointment is. Riders will also need to wait until all riders have completed their appointments. Once the rider is done with his/her appointments, please call Dickinson Public Transit dispatch so we can coordinate pickup times for returning to Dickinson.
Off day trips (days other than Tuesday) to Bismarck are available pending driver and vehicle availability. Trips to Bismarck on days other than Tuesday are not a guarantee. Please call ahead of time to see if there is availability.
Dickinson to Bismarck Fares
Tuesday
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$37.50 one-way
$75 round trip
$5 for each additional stop in Bismarck
Off Days
(Pending Driver and Vehicle Availability)
$125 round trip
$125 one way
$5 for each additional pre-scheduled stop in Bismarck
Attendants, Guests and Children
Dickinson Public Transit employees are not caregivers or personal attendants.
Attendants
-Attendants must be picked up/dropped off at same location and time as fare rider.
-There will not be a fare charged for an assistant who assists a fare rider.
-Anyone other than one attendant will be considered a guest and will be required to pay a $3 fare.
-An attendant may be a friend, family member, medical professional, or assisted living staff.
-When you schedule your ride, let the dispatcher know that an attendant will be accompanying you.
Guests
-Guests pay the regular fare as an additional passenger, $3 each.
-Guests must be picked up/dropped off at same location and time as fare rider. If the time or location differs then the guest will be required to pay $4 for the trip.
-When you schedule your ride, let the dispatcher know how many guests will be accompanying you so we can schedule our vehicles accordingly.
Children
-Children 12 and under who require a caregiver, ride free with a paying accompanying adult.
-Children riding with Dickinson Public Transit under the age of 8 must be in age appropriate car seats per North Dakota state law.
-Dickinson Public Transit does not provide car seats.
-Children must be removed from strollers. Strollers must be able to be collapsed and fit between the seats of the bus or secured by the driver. Strollers may not be placed in the aisle or next to the wheelchair lift.
General Guidelines(Guidelines and all rider information is not inclusive)
• All customers are required to practice safety at all times.
• Dickinson Public Transit employees are not caregivers or personal attendants.
• All rides are pending driver and vehicle availability.
• All rates and schedules are subject to change.
• All fares are one-way trips, payment is due upon boarding the vehicle.
• United States currency, punch cards, tokens, vouchers, personal checks, and debit/credit cards will be accepted.
• Drivers may arrive up to 15 minutes before or after scheduled pick up time.
• Drivers will wait 5 minutes before going to the next ride.
• All passengers are required to wear seat belts at all times while riding in our vehicles.
• All oxygen equipment must be secured.
• Wheelchair footrest supports are highly recommended for all wheelchair riders.
• Drivers are not able to pick people up when flagged from the road. Please call dispatch to schedule a ride.
• Transporting wheelchairs and other items will be charged the regular fare.
• Dickinson Public Transit is not equipped to operate with the school system. Rides will only be given to children to or from work or medical appointments to the school.
• While the use of cell phones is permitted on the vehicle, we ask that passengers please be considerate of the other riders. Loud talking that disturbs other passengers may result in a driver asking the offending passenger to restrain from using their cell phone.
• No bikes, TV’s, furniture, mattresses, or other large items can be transported.
• Individuals are unable to ride if they have not paid for service, exhibit inappropriate behavior or have poor hygiene.
Prohibited BehaviorsThe following are prohibited behaviors which may result in suspension and/or termination of services. These behaviors include but are not limited to:
No standing (must remain seated when the bus/van is moving)
No smoking
No fighting, throwing things, pushing, shouting, loud behavior, or vulgar language
No firearms, weapons, gasoline or other flammables, or fireworks
No feet on the seats or dashboard
No open alcohol containers
Shirts and shoes are required attire
Any behaviors determined to be threatening or that reduce safety may result in immediate termination of services