All Paratransit trips require an advance reservation. All reservations must be made by 1:30PM the business day before your appointment; however, you may request a reservation as far ahead as two weeks. You must call with your requests by 1:30PM on Friday for trips on Saturday, or Monday.
Note: There is an exception for trips of the ADA Complementary Paratransit Program, which can be scheduled the day before your trip during regular business hours of 7:00AM – 4:00PM, Monday – Friday.

Click here to apply for shared ride/paratransit service.

Frequently asked questions

What number do I call to make a reservation?
To schedule a reservation for transportation, call the CAT Call Center at 1-717-233-5657.
The Call Center is open between 7:00AM and 4:00PM, Monday through Friday.
You must speak with a person; requests for trips left on the voicemail will not be accepted. We suggest avoiding Mondays from 7:00AM-9:00AM, which is a peak call time.

What information do I need to schedule a trip?

  • Your Client ID number or name. If you are making a trip for someone else, please give his or her Client ID number or name.
  • The appointment time.
  • The exact address for the trip that you are requesting.
  • The name of the doctor or facility for the trip that you are requesting.
  • Any mobility device that you require.
  • If you need a personal care assistant (previously referred to as escorts). Must be pre-approved by CAT during application process.
  • Notes about special entrances to your building (i.e. Apartment located at back entrance etc.).
  • Passengers are responsible for notifying CAT of any address or phone number changes by 12:00PM the business day before the trip.

How much will I pay?
Different programs have different co-pays. Co-pays range in amounts because each passenger utilizes different funding sources. Please see Shared Ride Fares for detailed Fare Charts pertaining to funding sources and trip purposes. A CAT Call Center representative will confirm the cost of your co-pay for the specific trip you are booking at the time of reservation.

Will someone other than CAT pick me up?
CAT utilizes subcontractors to provide transportation. This means a passenger may be picked up by different provider but will be in a CAT labeled vehicle.

Can I bring my personal care assistant?
Passengers who wish to travel with a personal care assistant must submit a form from their physician. For more information on our policies and to download the form, visit our Personal Care Assistant page.

Can your vehicles accommodate my mobility device/aid?
All vehicles are ADA accessible and service animals are permitted on board. To view the bus lift limitations, see our Mobility Device information page.

Senior woman Using mobile phone at home

Senior Shared Ride Program

Capital Area Transit, through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Lottery Transportation Division, provides shared-ride transportation at a discounted rate to persons over the age of 65. If you would like to find out more about the Senior Citizen Transit Card, please call or come into our offices. We would be happy to assist you in the application process or you can download the application in English or Spanish.

In Harrisburg, Share-A-Ride service is available Monday to Friday from 5:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday from 6 AM to 6 PM.

Eligibility for the program requires that you be:

  • A resident of Dauphin County
  • Over the age of 65
  • Be able to produce verification of age such as a driver’s license, birth certificate, or similar identification.

Personal Care Assistants

CAT takes its role of providing mobility seriously. We recognize that passengers may face barriers that require them to bring a personal care assistant (previously referred to as an escort) when they travel. Personal care assistants must provide assistance to the person traveling. Passengers using Paratransit services requiring a personal care assistant are required to have their physician complete the necessary documentation. Once this form is completed and filed with CAT, passengers will be permitted to bring one (1) personal care assistant on board with them. A personal care assistant trip must be noted at the time the passenger makes a reservation. Failure to note the need for a personal care assistant will prevent the escort from being able to board.
You may bring someone with you as a personal care assistant at no cost to you in the following situations:

  • If you are under 18, you can be escorted by a parent or other relative/guardian.
  • If you cannot travel independently, or you need any assistance due to age, illness, physical or mental disability. A personal care assistant needed in this capacity must be verified by a physician.
  • If you do not speak English, you can bring someone with you to interpret on your behalf.
Download and print a Personal Care Assistant Form
Hands of two women holding the handle of an umbrella

Limited Mobility

If you use a wheelchair, scooter, or other mobility device, these accessibility features can help you get around on our buses:

ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES

  • Buses are equipped with lifts and kneelers.
  • All buses have priority seating areas inside by the door for seniors and riders with limited mobility, plus space for mobility devices.

Operators shall lower the bus to make boarding and de-boarding as easy as possible for everyone, by minimizing the slope of the ramp and using the kneeling option as needed. Operators shall provide assistance to passengers upon request. Passengers with disabilities shall be allowed adequate time to board and disembark the vehicle.

Mobility Devices/Aids

All passengers who utilize wheelchairs must be properly secured before the bus may move.

Service animals are permitted on all CAT vehicles.

If a passenger has oxygen or another medical aid, it must be in a pack or be able to be properly secured. At times, our vehicles are delayed due to traffic, auto accidents, and unusual circumstances. Passengers must have enough oxygen to last the duration of their trip.

Bus Lift Limitations

The average bus has a lift that can accommodate a total combined weight of up to 800 pounds, which includes both the mobility device and the customer. The average lift platform can accommodate wheelchair dimensions of 34″ x 51″. CAT may or may not accommodate anything larger or heavier.

woman with mobility device

Cancellation Policy

It is critical that you call us if you are cancelling your trip. Cancellations not made in a timely manner expend resources when vehicles are dispatched. This ultimately factors into the cost it takes to provide service and may, in time, raise fares.

CANCELLING A TRIP
Customers are responsible for cancelling any trips they no longer need.  To cancel a trip, customers must call 1-(717)-233-5657 at least one hour prior.
If a customer “no shows” their first trip of the day, subsequent trips will not be automatically cancelled. It is the responsibility of the customer to call CAT to alert us for all cancellations.

Any cancellations not made within one (1) hour of the scheduled pick-up (24-hour notice is preferred) will result in a “no show.” See No Show Policy section.

Outside of regular Call Center hours, cancellation messages may be left on the dispatch voicemail. You will automatically be connected to this voicemail after regular hours when calling 1-(717)-233-5657. Be sure to give the name of the passenger who has the trip.

No-Show Policy

No-Show Policy and Appeal Process

Capital Area Transit (CAT) is authorized by federal and state regulation to establish an administrative process to suspend, for a reasonable period of time, the paratransit/shared ride service of customers who establish a pattern or practice of missing scheduled trips, except where the trips are missed for reasons that are not under their control. This Policy implements the administration of “no shows.”

CAT will record each customer “no show” or “late cancellation” as a missed trip.  Customers whose missed trips are excessive, as defined by this Policy, may be suspended for a reasonable period of time.  This policy applies to both advance reservation and subscription trips. A “no show” that occurs due to a CAT error does not count against the transit customer. 

DEFINITIONS

  • A “no show occurs when the vehicle arrives at the pick-up location within the pick-up window, waits the required 5 minutes and the customer does not board the vehicle.
  • A late cancellation occurs when a customer cancels a trip less than one hour before the scheduled pick up window.

CANCELLING A TRIP
Customers are responsible for cancelling any trips they no longer need.  To cancel a trip, customers must call 1-(717)-233-5657 at least one hour prior to their trip.

If a customer “no shows” their first trip of the day, for an ADA passenger, the subsequent trips will not be automatically cancelled. For all other passengers those trips will be cancelled. It is the responsibility of the customer to call CAT to alert us for all cancellations.  

EXCESSIVE MISSED TRIPS

“No show” and/or “late cancel” trips are considered excessive and will be considered a “pattern or practice” of missed trips when a customer meets or exceeds the following within a calendar month:

  • Customer reserved at least 7 trips AND;
  • Customer had at least 3 “no show” and/or “late cancel” trips within the rider’s control AND;
  • The “no show” and “late cancel” trips make up at least 20 percent of the customer’s scheduled trips

If a customer meets or exceeds the above criteria the customer will be sent written notification that he/she has met or exceeded the Policy’s Excessive Missed Trips threshold and is subject to suspension based on the tiers indicated below.

These three criteria are to ensure that customers with a low number of total trips, “no shows” or “late cancels” are not unfairly restricted by a low sampling volume. The 20% threshold is designed to provide a method of determining “pattern or practice” beyond those minimum trip requirements to ensure a standardized approach. It is calculated by dividing the total number of “no show” and “late cancel” trips by the total number of trips reserved per month.

SUSPENSIONS

Customers that exhibit a pattern or practice of missing trips that are not beyond the rider’s control are subject to suspension for a reasonable period of time. The following shall apply to violations of the Excessive Missed Trips definition that occur within the same rolling 12-month period.

  • 1st Violation: The customer receives a warning letter.
  • 2nd Violation: The customer receives a 7-Day suspension.
  • 3rd Violation: The customer receives a 14-Day suspension.
  • 4th Violation: The customer receives a 21-Day suspension.

In addition, subscription service will be canceled for any customer who is suspended under this Policy. Any suspended subscription service customer must reapply if he/she wishes to be considered for a new subscription. The application will not be considered until 6 months after the end of the suspension period.

RIGHT TO APPEAL

Customers who have been notified of a scheduled suspension from CAT have the right to appeal, either in writing or in person.

WRITTEN APPEALS

  • Customers must submit the completed “Service Suspension/Termination Appeal Form.”
  • Customers must submit either the “Appeal Form” or a letter documenting why they believe that the violations were charged in error and/or should be excused, including any supporting documentation.
  • These documents must be postmarked no later than 4 calendar days prior to the start of the suspension.

IN-PERSON/OVER-THE-PHONE/EMAIL APPEALS

  • Customers must submit the completed “Service Suspension/Termination Appeal Form.”
  • These documents must be postmarked/delivered/emailed to info@cattransit.com no later than 4 calendar days prior to the start of the suspension.
  • CAT will review the appeal form. If CAT determines the Notice of Termination was issued in error, the customer will be contacted and service will not be interrupted.
  • The system’s advisory group will be consulted for feedback on appeals.
  • In-person appeals are by scheduled appointment only. Walk-ins will not be seen.

No suspension will take effect if customers have filed an appeal according to the instructions and by the deadlines noted in this Policy, and the Appeals Panel has not determined the outcome of the appeal.

APPEAL DECISION

CAT will advise customers in writing of its decision concerning their appeal. If the decision upholds the suspension, the notice of decision will provide customers with the beginning and ending dates of the suspension period. The decision of the Appeals Panel is final.Política de faltas y suspensión / anulación en paratránsito y transporte compartido

If you wish to file an appeal, and you need assistance, you can call CAT at 717-233-5657 and we will assist you.

Appeal Form

Actions leading to suspension and/or termination of service include, but are not limited to the following:

  • No Shows
  • Use of obscene language
  • Uncooperative behavior
  • Smoking
  • Eating or drinking on vehicles
  • Willful damage to CAT property
  • Willful injury to another passenger, employee or volunteers
  • Willful damage to the property of any CAT representative
  • Any unlawful actions
  • Failure to return required documentation
  • Any action that impedes on safe vehicle operation
  • Recurring on unresolved hygiene or incontinence issues

CAT will suspend or terminate service to a customer when the following occurs:

  • The customer no longer needs service.
  • The customer misuses the service.
  • The customer displays uncooperative behavior.