Transportation

Our Nutrition Services

HomeCare Services, Inc. is a subcontractor of HIRTA (Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency) and provides public transportation services throughout Dallas County. No forms are necessary to use our transportation and fees vary for service type. Please see link below for our rates for clients that are over and under 60 years of age. Some financial assistance is available based on grants from various funders.

Click here to view our rates as of October 2015

Where Do We Transport?

Transportation is provided within and in & out of Dallas County. When you call to setup a trip, you specify where you want the bus to pick you up and drop you off. We also provide special trip shuttles to Prairie Meadows, Valley Junction Farmers Market, and shopping.

How Much Does A Trip Cost?

Our fare prices vary depending upon the pick-up and drop off location, funding, and other factors. See the Fares page for the full list and breakdown of our fares.

How to Get a Ride

HomeCare Services, Inc. provides a demand response service which means that rides are arranged to your specifications when you call. Trips should be requested at least one business day prior to the date of the trip. Same day ride requests are accommodated as our schedule permits.

How to Setup a Ride

Call our office at 515-993-4531 or 515-465-2300, extension 1, between 7am and 4:30pm, Monday through Friday to set up a ride.

The first time you setup a ride:

We need to know your name, address, phone number, date of birth, and any assistance needs to enter you into our system. Then we will need to know what day you want to go, where you want to go, what time you need to be there, an approximate time you want to be picked up, and payment method.

Rides after that:

We will need your name, day you want to go, where you want to go, what time you need to be there, an approximate time you want to be picked up, and payment method.

How Far Ahead to Call

Rides should be requested at least one business day prior to the date of the trip and made up to 30 days in advance of the date of the trip. Same day ride requests are accommodated as our schedule permits.

Changing a Scheduled Ride

If you find that you need to make a change of time or location to a ride, call HomeCare Services, Inc. at 515-993-4531 or 515-465-2300, extension 1. Changes should be made at least one business day in advance of the date of the ride. Requested changes to drop off or pick up locations that are less than one business day in advance are made only when the schedule permits and are not always available. To ensure you can get your ride changed, please call at least one day ahead.

Cancellations and No Shows

Ride cancellations must be called in to HomeCare Services, Inc. one hour prior to the scheduled pick-up time to avoid being charged for the scheduled ride. If the bus/van arrives at the pickup location and the rider cancels at the door, is not there, or does not board the bus, then a ‘no show’ charge equal to the full fare cost will be charged. HomeCare Services, Inc. telephones are able to accept cancellations 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Please call 515-993-4531 or 515-465-2300, extension 1 to cancel transportation.

Having Someone Ride With You

ATTENDANT – You can have one attendant ride with you at no additional charge. A spouse, parent, child, friend, health care provider is considered an attendant if they are riding with you to provide you help or support. If you are planning to have an attendant ride with you, please inform us when you schedule the ride. If your attendant needs a ride to a different location than you, that ride will be considered a separate trip and will cost the fare corresponding to that specific trip.

GUEST – If someone is riding with you to participate with you in your activities, such as shopping, or in their own activities, such as going to their own medical appointment, that person is considered a guest and will be charged the corresponding fare.

How To Pay For Your Ride

HomeCare Services, Inc. has several methods. You can pay by cash, check, pre-established vouchers, or we can bill you. If paying with cash we recommend you have the exact amount as our drivers do not carry cash and are unable to make change.

Title IIIB

Title IIIB transportation funding is available for anyone age 60 or older and is currently living in their home or assisted living. The purpose of this funding is to help enable these people to continue to lead a healthy, independent lifestyle. Title IIIB funding is given to HomeCare Services, Inc. by Aging Resources of Central Iowa. A NAPIS request form is required once every year.

Waivers

The Department of Human Services and other organizations provide waivers for people with a disability to cover the cost of their transportation. Each waiver has different eligibility requirements. Clients should check with their case manager for more information. A Notice Of Decision (NOD) from the case manager must be filed with HomeCare Services, Inc. prior to utilizing our transportation service.

Title 19 Medical Trips

All Title 19/Medicaid transportation requests are handled through Access To Care/TMS by the client. They can be reached at phone number, 1-866-572-7662. Access To Care/TMS takes your information and assigns it to a pool of transportation providers of which we participate. If we are assigned your transportation, we will contact you with your pick up time. Have your Medicaid number ready when you call Access To Care/TMS.

Charter Regulations

Effective April 30th, 2008, the United States Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration (FTA) enacted new charter regulations. These new charter regulations apply to both private and public group trips. HomeCare Services, Inc. is still able to provide special group trips. Please contact us for more information or questions, 515-993-4531 or 515-465-2300, extension 2.

Grocery & Package Policy

The driver can help you carry bags or groceries to your door. However, since we are a public transportation service with schedules to keep, we limit the amount that the driver will help with to three bags. Items must be of a reasonable weight. Drivers are not able to help you with oversized items.

Car Seats & Riding with Young Children

All children who are under the age of 3 years old are required to be seated in an appropriate child restraint (car seat) while riding on the bus. If you have a child under 3 years old, you are responsible for providing an appropriate car seat and safely securing that car seat in the bus. HomeCare Services, Inc. of Dallas County does not provide car seats. We will not transport without an appropriate car seat or when an appropriate car seat cannot be secured properly on the bus.

What’s Allowed on the Bus:

Unopened food and drinks
Service animals
Car seats (must be age-appropriate, legal, and secured by the parent)

What’s Not Allowed on the Bus

Open food and drinks
Smoking or tobacco
Consumption of alcoholic beverages
Pets (even if they are in carriers)
Weapons or firearms
Anything illegal

Our Drivers

Safety is a number one priority at HomeCare Services, Inc. of Dallas County. All of our drivers must pass a criminal, elderly, and child background-check, a motor vehicle record check, a drug & alcohol test, and a DOT physical. They must obtain a commercial driver’s license with a passenger endorsement in the state of Iowa. Drivers of our mini-vans are required to possess a minimum of a chauffeur’s license.

Interested in driving for us? We are always interested in obtaining part time and full time drivers to help us meet the needs of Dallas County. Please go to our Application to complete and submit.

How Much Can The Driver Help

Since we provide a door-to-door service, the driver can help you from your door to the bus, and from the bus to your door. The driver cannot go into your residence to assist you in any way. The driver can help you with limited bags or groceries.

Our Buses

HomeCare Services, Inc. currently operates eight buses and two mini-vans. Our buses are equipped with lifts and four-point restraint systems for transporting people who use wheelchairs or who cannot climb the bus stairs. Our mini-vans are equipped with ramps and four-point restraint systems for transporting people who use wheelchairs. Each vehicle has safety equipment including first aid kits, bio-hazard kits, fire extinguishers, and warning triangles. Eight of our vehicles are equipped with onboard cameras that records what happens on and around the bus for your security.

What We Don’t Do

Personal taxi service: Since we are a public transportation service, we are not always able to wait for you after we drop you off.

Student Rides

HomeCare Services, Inc. of Dallas County offers transportation for preschool children. See Rate Sheet, Under 60 for in-town and out of town cost.

For additional information about our transportation service or to schedule a ride, please contact us at (515) 993-4531 or (515) 465-2300 ext. 1.
For the Transportation Supervisor, Marge Westphal, press ext 2 or email at [email protected].

Click here to view our Non-Discrimination Policy.

It takes a special team of caregivers to ensure the health and well-being of our most frail and vulnerable members of society.

If you have a caring heart and a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of others, we want to talk to you.

Application

HomeCare Services Inc., depends on subsidies from various waiver programs and donations in order to continue services to those who are without the ability to
cover the costs of services, or to supplement other funding. We thank all who assist in helping us continue services to others.