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Disability Services & Advocacy, LLC "Lifetime Planning and Services for People with Disabilities and their Families"
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BURLINGTON COUNTY PO Box 6000 I. BCTS (Burlington County Transportation System) - Non Emergency Transportation Service For Seniors and Adult Disabled a.
Introduction II. BurLink Shuttle Bus System Between Pemberton and Mount Holly a.
What is BurLink? The information presented below will provide you with an overview of the Burlington County Transportation System ((BCTS). The BCTS provides special non-emergency transportation service for seniors (60+) and adult Disabled (21+) in Burlington County. The BCTS is sponsored by the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders. The BCTS is a service which is subsidized by revenues applied for annually from Casino Revenue, State and Federal Grants. These funds together with County funds enable the Board of Chosen Freeholders to provide this invaluable service for the residents of Burlington County. BCTS is intended to meet the transportation mobility needs of eligible residents to obtain transportation assistance for non-emergency medical treatment at doctor's offices, medical centers and hospitals; shopping; personal business; social, recreation purposes and limited transportation for employment and training in residing locality. BCTS also provides transportation to the Tender Adult Day Care Center in Moorestown, and to three (3) County Nutrition Sites sponsored by the Burlington County Office on Aging. All rides are on a first call, first serve basis with no guarantee of a ride. Services Statistics and Daily Operation of BCTS During the course of the year, the BCTS provides over 100,000 trips, through a private carrier, to Senior Citizens and Disabled residents of Burlington County. Presently, there are over 6,000 people registered to use the service. Approximately 20 vehicles are n use on a daily basis. Burlington County is the largest County in New Jersey, encompassing 826 square miles. Approximately 2,000 miles are traveled each day reaching out to those who depend on our service. On average, 450-500 persons use the service daily. A mixture of vans and mini-buses are used in the BCTS Service. A number of these vehicles are equipped with lifts to accommodate wheelchairs. Description of Services (Non-Emergency Only) provided through a Private Carrier BCTS offers non-emergency, curb-to-curb service and requires advance reservations. Service is on a first call, first served basis. Most trips are medical, food shopping, mall shopping and various personal business; all are non-emergency meical, and are taken between the hours of 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM. A toll-free telephone number is available for residents directly to the Private Carrier. Mall Day - On this day only trips to malls will be available. Malls visited are shown on a monthly service schedule which is distributed on the vehicles. Service - to one of the three (3) County Nutrition Sites is provided to eligible Senior Citizens five (5) days a week for those residents who live close to the sites. Eligibility is determined by the Burlington County Office on Aging with respect to your proximity to the site and whether or not the site can accommodate another member. These Nutrition sites are located in Willingboro, Bordentown and Pemberton also, transportation is provided for the Tender Adult Day Care Center. For more information on this program and eligibility, call the Burlington County Off on Aging/NJ Ease at (609) 265-5008 for more information. Veterans Service - Trips are arranged through the County Service Officer at Veterans Services. Veterans must register with that office to qualify for limited transportation available two (2) days a week. Call (609) 265-5008 for more information. The day-to-day administration of BCTS is through the County Transportation Office (BCTS) which is located in the County Administration Building at 49 Rancocas Road, in Mount Holly. The Transportation Office (BCTS) is directly under the Clerk of the Board of Chosen Freeholders. The Transportation Office (BCTS) is responsible for: Sending out applications and proper review and approval. The operation of the BCTS program and private vendor (contractor). All Planning and specification for BCTS including a Public Hearing. Establishing procedure and policies for compliance. Instituting changes and improvements as required. Preparation of reports and correspondence on BCTS, including surveys. Maintaining cost accounting and statistics on the BCTS. Monitoring the carrier's operation and sensitivity training of BCTS drivers. Applying for yearly fining of BCTS through Federal & State grants and Casino Revenue monies. Investigating and attempting to resolve complaints. Advertising, promoting and marketing the program (BCTS). Distributing information to the riders and other applicants. In addition to all of the above, the Transportation Office (BCTS) participates in the activities of a Transportation Advisory Committee. The Transportation Advisory Committee is an oversite and review committee with responsibility in determining unmet transportation needs for Burlington County's Senior Citizens and Disabled Residents. They act in an advisory capacity to the County Transportation Office (BCTS) and make recommendations to the Freeholder Board of Burlington County, NJ Transit and other agencies and entities. If you have a question, comment or suggestion write to the BCTS Advisory Committee at 49 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly, NJ 08060-6000. You must be a resident of Burlington County and a Senior Citizen, age 60 plus, or an Adult Disabled Resident age 21 plus. To use the service you must first register with the BCTS Office at (609-265-5109) and request a Rider Application. After filling out and signing, return it, along with proof of age or disability, to BCTS, County of Burlington, 49 Rancocas Road, PO Box 6000, Mount Holly, NJ 08060. If you are a disabled resident, your physician must complete the disabled section of the application, attesting to your disability. After your application is processed and approved, you will receive your packet containing a riders guide, schedule of service days and reservations and your bus pass. After receiving your packet, you may make reservations. Your bus pass must be shown to the driver upon entering the bus at all times. There is no guarantee of a ride. Rides are on a first call, first serve basis. All service is curb to curb. Seatbelts must be worn by every passenger before and throughout their trip. No smoking while riding in this vehicle. No food, eating or drinking permitted on the vehicle. No alcoholic beverages are permitted on vehicle at any time, or any suspicion, by the driver, of drinking or intoxication, will result in immediate removal from the service. No standing or moving about while vehicle is in motion. Because of safety or liability issue, the driver may refuse service to the rider; a report must be made immediately to the County. No loud or profane language is permitted on this vehicle. The use of a radio is confined to earphones. No shopping carts or carriages are permitted on this vehicle. 4 bags or packages is the maximum permitted on this vehicle, and must be in the control of the rider. Seats are not reserved nor designated in the vehicle except for disabled needs by the driver. The driver is the operator and is in total control of the vehicle and riders. If the driver is suspect of a rider's physical or mental condition, the driver must document and send incident report to the BCTS Office for action. Respect your fellow riders privacy and be courteous. Personal hygiene and cleanliness are expected, any exceptions are reported by the driver. Failure to adhere to the above policies may result in suspension or removal from the service. Medical Days: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday
Local Shopping & Business: Monday and Friday
Malls: Wednesday Only
CALL 1-800-836-0580 RESERVATIONS ARE TAKEN FROM BurLink Customer Service and Reservations
1-800-836-0580 NJ Transit Access Link 1-800-955-ADA-1 (2321) What Is BurLink? The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to provide BurLink, a new shuttle bus providing service between Pemberton and Mount Holly. This new bus line serves the Pemberton and Mount Holly. This new busline serves the Pemberton Township communities of Country Lakes and Browns Mills, as well as other areas in Pemberton Township, Pemberton Borough, Southampton, Eastampton, Westampton, Hainesport, Lumberton, and Mount Holly. BurLink provides service to numerous destinations and connects with NJ Transit buses. BurLink was designed to meet the transportation needs of the entire community, including individuals who may have difficulty getting to established bus stops. Unlike a traditional public bus service that operates a fixed route on major transportation routes and highways, BurLink is a flexible system that can be rerouted to pick up and drop off passengers at agreed upon locations. The BurLink Customer Service Office accepts call in trip requests on a first call, first serve basis. These requests are subject to some negotiation for where and when a requested trip can be scheduled. This flexible system allows the BurLink to deviate up to approximately 3/4 mile (white area on map inside) on either side of the designated route, while continuing in the same forward direction. Hours of Operation and Holidays BurLink operates Monday through Friday, 6:30 AM to 7:00 PM. Please consult the schedule for the exact operating times of each route and the departure times. BurLink will not operate on:
There are FOUR easy ways to use BurLink. BurLink Bus Stops (identified by numbers 1-7 or a star on the map) On-Demand Bus Stops (identified by a triangle on the map) In addition to the designated bus stops shown on the schedule, there are some locations that are on-demand bus stops. These stops are listed below and designated on the map by a triangle. You may exit the bus at these on-demand locations by simply notifying the driver when you board the bus and prior to reaching the stop. You must make a reservation to board the bus at an on-demand stop by calling Customer Service at 1-00-836-0580. You may make this reservation before your trip or after you exit the bus. However, once you leave the bus at an on-demand stop, you should plan on spending a minimum of 2 hours at your destination to enable Customer Service to reroute a bus to pick you up at the on-demand stop, regardless of when you made your reservation. On-Demand Bus Stop Locations
If you cannot reach any BurLink stop, a BurLink bus may be able to pick you up or drop you off if your origin and destination are within approximately 3/4 of a mile off the BurLink bus route. Just call the BurLink Customer Service Office at 1-800-836-0580 between 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM, to make a reservation and a Customer Service Representative will work with you to try to route a bus that serves your needs. Reservations may be scheduled with as little as 2 hours notice, but for best results, reservations should be make 1 to 2 days in advance. Except for the on-demand stops, all requests for service to locations not directly on a route must be make in advance. Drivers cannot make unscheduled changes. Place a Standing Order If you plan to make the same trip regularly, you can place a "standing order" with the BurLink office. Once your "standing order" is confirmed, a BurLink bus driver will pick you up as requested until you cancel the "standing order." To place a standing order call Customer Service at 1-800-836-0580. BurLink will meet you at the curb of the agreed upon pick-up location. If you are not at the pick-up point, the bus will not wait. If you need to cancel or change your reservation or standing order for a BurLink trip, please call Customer Service at 1-800-836-0580 before 4:00 PM, the day before the trip is scheduled. Canceling on the same day or not showing up at a pick-up location will be considered a missed trip. Passengers with more than 3 missed trips within 30 days will be denied the privilege of requesting a reservation for 30 days.
All BurLink buses are wheelchair accessible and priority seating areas are available. People who use a mobility device or have difficulty using steps may board a bus using the lift. Those passengers needing the lift service and all passengers using wheelchairs must make a reservation in advance. Reservations need to be made for specific times at specific stops. To reserve or to cancel a reservation for this accessibility service, call Customer Service by 4:00 PM, the day before you wish to travel. Bus operators will announce bus stop numbers (the seven major stops) and stops requested by passengers. All buses have proper destination signs on the outside of the vehicle. We will do our best during inclement weather to meet the BurLink schedule, as long as it is safe to do so. In inclement weather, please contact Customer Service to ensure that the BurLink is running and that there are no delays. BurLink Connecting Service with NJ Transit Buses The BurLink shuttle is designed to connect with NJ Transit bus routes 317 and 413. NJ Transit route 317 provides service between Asbury Park, Fort Dix and Philadelphia and route 413 provides service between Philadelphia, Mt. Holly and Burlington. Please see the BurLink schedule for these connection locations. Call Cross County Connection at 856-596-8228 for NJ Transit information and to obtain a NJ Transit bus schedule. Cross County Connection can also assist you with other transportation needs.
Failure to adhere to the above policies may result in suspension or removal removal from the service.
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