Schedule or Cancel a Ride

How to Schedule a Ride

Office Hours

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday
Closed Saturday and Sunday

Phone

(910) 346 – 2998
Telecommunications Relay Service 1-800-735-2962 or 1-800-735-8200 voice.

1. Passengers must call the number above no later than 10:30 a.m. the day before the needed transportation or up to 14 days prior. Please keep in mind that some trips are subject to driver/vehicle availability.

2. You must provide:

      • Your name, address, and phone number
      • Name of destination with the correct address
      • Time needed to be there
      • Time to be picked up to return home
      • Name of anyone traveling with you (if applicable)
      • Date or dates of needed transportation

3. Your reservation will be read back to you for confirmation.

4. Reservations will not be taken from the answering machine.

5. If you are affiliated with an agency, scheduling a ride may need to go through their office. OUTS must have approval from the agency before transportation can begin.

6. Please try to set up your appointments between 6:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Passengers will be dropped off before the requested time; please plan accordingly if the destination will not be open 30 minutes or more before your requested drop off time.

Out of County Trip Schedule

Out of County Destination 1st Thursday 2nd Tuesday 3rd Tuesday 4th Thursday Pick Up Window $$ Trip Fare
Hampstead, Wilmington, Leland X X 2-3 hours prior to scheduled appt. $15.00
Kinston, Greenville, DownEast Express X 2-3 hours prior to scheduled appt. $15.00
Pollocksville, Newbern, DownEast Express X 1-3 hours prior to scheduled appt. $10.00
Cedar Point, Carteret, Morehead City X 2-3 hours prior to scheduled appt. $10.00
DownEast Express X X 4-5 hours prior to scheduled appt. $25.00

All out of county trips must be set up with the OUTS office no later than 10:30am three days prior to the scheduled appointment. All cancellations must be called the day before your scheduled appointment by 12pm. All trip fares are one way.

Out of county appointments (except DownEast Express) must be made no earlier than 9am and ready for pickup no later than 2pm.

DownEast Express is coordinated with Carteret County Public Transportation (CCATS) for appointments in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and Duke. DownEast Express appointments will follow the CCATS DownEast Express schedule and must be made no earlier than 10am and ready for pickup no later than 2pm. The Fare for DownEast Express is $25.00 each way.                                                                                                              

Passengers must prepare for an all-day trip and will need to pack any food and medication they will need. One (1) Personal Care Attendant rides for free. All rules and regulations concerning behavior and attendance with the OUTS van will remain in effect.

Trip costs are billed to OUTS or the passenger’s agency is a shared mile rate.

Cancelling a Ride

In-County Transportation

Cancellations must be received by the office at least 2 hours before your scheduled drop off time.  To cancel a reservation you may call the office at any time. An after hours message system is available to cancel an appointment.

Please speak clearly otherwise your cancellation may be completed. Leave the following information in your message:

        • your name and phone number
        • destination information
        • date and time of transportation

Failure to cancel a ride before the deadline may result in a no-show. Please refer to the No-Show Policy for additional information.

Pick-Up & Drop Off Information

Pick-Up

Passengers must be ready 1 to 2 hours before the requested drop off time depending upon where you live within the county and where you are going.

• Passengers should begin to board when the vehicle arrives and MUST BE ON THE VEHICLE WITHIN 5 MINUTES AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF THE VEHICLE. DRIVERS WILL NOT WAIT LONGER FOR PASSENGERS WHO ARE NOT READY AT PICK UP TIME. EXTRA TIME MAY BE GRANTED TO PERSONS WITH SEVERE DISABILITES (Providing this information beforehand helps to ensure proper scheduling). A “NO-SHOW” WILL OCCUR IF THE PASSENGER DOESN’T BOARD IN TIME.

• Every night beginning at 6:00 p.m (This time may be adjusted by OUTS discretion), OUTS IVR system starts calling passengers informing them the time to be ready for next day transportation.

• Actual pick up times will fluctuate based on cancellations and no-shows occurring the day of your trip. The driver may arrive 15 minutes before or after your scheduled pick up time. Please make sure you are ready.

• “On The Way” calls are also available upon request. The IVR will call 15 or 30 minutes before van is expected to be at pick up location.

• For Out of County – passengers’ pick up times will be based on the destination city and the earliest appointment drop off time scheduled for that day.

Pick Up Destination
Passengers must be present at pre-scheduled location. If you travel to a different location than what was previously scheduled, you will not be picked up. Drivers will not proceed to other locations in an attempt to find you.

Drop Off

1. You will be picked up from your destination within 45 minutes to 1 hour of the scheduled pick up time depending upon where you live in the county.
2. For Out of County – pick-ups will not begin until all passengers have contacted the OUTS Driver stating they are ready.
3. Medical Appointments
If not ready at the designated time, passenger will be made a “Will Call” and will need to call the office once they are ready. You will be picked up by the next available vehicle going to your area.
4. All Other Appointments
If not ready, a “No Show” will occur.

Drop off Destinations
Passengers are to be dropped off at pre-scheduled destination. Drivers will confirm the passenger’s identity & their destination at time of boarding. No special stops or side trips will be made unless approved by the dispatcher.

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