Transportation Policies Transportation Nanny, LLC – revised March 2019
A Guide to Transportation Nanny Policies for Parents, Caregivers, and Riders
• Passengers are expected to board Transportation Nanny (TN) vehicles upon their arrival at pick-up locations.
• If a rider fails to board a TN vehicle upon its arrival at a pick-up location, the vehicle might leave without the rider, or additional service fees might be assessed.
• To avoid missed rides, riders should be ready to board TN vehicles ten minutes before their scheduled pick-up times.
•Parents and caregivers can double-check ride schedules and receive near real-time text and e-mail messages about pending pick-ups, drop-offs, delays, and other ride-related situations. .
• All TN passengers must wear seat and shoulder belts properly. Belts must remain fastened until the vehicle comes to a complete stop.
• TN drivers are not required to exit their vehicles to ring doorbells or enter buildings to seek out or escort riders to a TN vehicle. Drivers are not required to honk their horns or make phone calls to announce their arrival at a pick-up or drop-off location. Drivers are not required to sign riders in or out of school, classes, programs, or similar locations or activities.
• Because traffic, weather, and tardy riders can cause delays, TN considers its drivers to be “on time” if they arrive at a given location within ten minutes of their scheduled pick-up or drop-off time.
• Riders expecting a pick-up should not leave their pick-up locations unless they’ve waited at least 15 minutes—past their scheduled pick-up time—for a TN driver to arrive. If a rider has waited 15 minutes and a TN driver has not arrived, and has not already contacted the rider, the rider should seek out a parent or caregiver and contact the TN office, at 864.901.7689.
• A rider’s parent or caregiver has primary responsibility for contacting TN when that rider’s schedule needs to change, for example, when school is not in session or when a ride needs to be canceled.
• TN does not accept route or schedule changes from passengers. We accept changes only from parents, caregivers, or customers.
• Notice of a schedule change—particularly a ride cancellation—should be phoned into the TN office, at 864.901.7689, e-mailed to [email protected], or faxed to 866.819.0482. TN charges for rides that are canceled without advance notice.
• Do not give schedule or route changes to TN drivers. They are not permitted to accept—and they will not be held responsible for—information regarding changes to a rider’s schedule or route.
• TN drivers are responsible for their passengers and their vehicles. For this reason, when riding with TN, passengers must follow the safety and comfort-related instructions and directions given them by TN drivers. Failure to follow a TN driver’s safety and comfort-related instructions and directions can result in the suspension or cancellation of rides.
Pick-up and Drop-off Policies
Passengers are expected to board TN vehicles upon their arrival at pick-up locations.
TN drivers wait at least three minutes at a pick-up location for a scheduled passenger to board the vehicle. If the driver arrives early, before a pick-up is scheduled, he or she will wait at least three minutes past the scheduled pick-up time.
Drivers can choose to extend their wait time, but they are not required to do so, even if a parent or caregiver asks them to delay their departure. TN drivers operate on a planned, timed schedule, and a delay at one location can cause additional delays at other locations.
Failure to board a TN vehicle upon its arrival at a pick-up location may have the following consequences:
1. The driver leaves the pick-up location without the rider. If a pick-up is scheduled to occur at a passenger’s residence, the driver is authorized to leave the passenger at the residence. TN may be able to return and provide transportation, but only if asked to do so by a parent or caregiver, and only if the schedule permits it. An additional service fee may be incurred if TN returns for a passenger who has missed his or her ride. A “caregiver” may include, but is not limited to: a teacher, counselor, school or district administrator, caseworker, therapist, or employer.
2. Additional service fees may be assessed if a pick-up is scheduled to occur somewhere other than the passenger’s residence, and the TN driver and vehicle are delayed or must deviate from their schedule to accommodate a late or missing rider. For more information, please review the section below entitled “Fees Related to ‘Unsafe Drop-offs’ and ‘No Shows’.”
Avoiding Missed Rides
To avoid missed rides, we urge riders to be ready to board TN vehicles ten minutes before the scheduled pick-up time. For example, if pick-up is scheduled for 7:20 a.m., the rider should be ready to leave by 7:10 a.m.
Passengers—and their parents or caregivers—are responsible for knowing when a TN vehicle arrives at a pick-up location. TN drivers are not required to provide advance notice of, or make known, their arrival at a pick-up location. Drivers are not required to exit their vehicles to ring doorbells or enter buildings to seek out riders, nor do they honk their horns or make phone calls to announce their arrival.
TN drivers are not authorized to sign riders in or out of school, classes, programs, and so on. If a sign-in or out procedure is in place, arrangements for its completion must be made in advance between the rider’s caregiver, TN, and the school, class, program, etc.
Staying Put
Because traffic, weather, and tardy riders can cause delays, TN considers its drivers to be “on time” if they arrive at a given location within ten minutes of their scheduled pick-up and drop-off time.
Most of the time a driver will be less than ten minutes behind schedule, but delays can, occasionally, be much longer. When a TN driver knows he or she will be more than ten minutes late for a pick-up or drop-off, TN will try to contact the parent, caregiver, passenger, or an authorized supervisor at the pick-up or drop-off location.
TN riders expecting a pick-up should not leave their pick-up locations unless they’ve waited at least 15 minutes—past their scheduled pick-up time—for their TN driver to arrive. In most instances, leaving a pick-up location will only cause further delays. If a rider has waited 15 minutes and a TN driver has not arrived—and has not already contacted the rider—the rider should seek out a parent, caregiver, or authorized supervisor and contact the TN main office at 864.901.7689.
Changing Routes and Schedules
Parents and caregivers are responsible for contacting TN when a child’s ride schedule needs to change, for example, when school is not in session, or when a ride needs to be canceled. Few Greenville, SC-area teachers, administrators, or school officials accept this responsibility, even when they know a change is needed or imminent.
As a courtesy and a value-added feature of the service, TN makes some school schedule-related information—and reminders—available to parents through it’s website, and via e-mail and text messages. However, TN is not responsible for notifying, and does not guarantee it will notify, parents or caregivers of changes to school schedules.
Parents and caregivers are advised not to give route or schedule change information to TN drivers. TN drivers are not permitted to accept—and they will not be held responsible for—information regarding changes to a rider’s route or schedule. To make changes, please contact the TN main office at 864.901.7689. Changes can also be e-mailed to [email protected], or be faxed to 866.819.0482.
When changes are requested that will increase or decrease a ride’s service fee, and the individual requesting the change is not the customer, that is, not the person or entity with financial responsibility for paying TN’s invoices, TN will need the customer’s approval before making the change. For this reason, TN urges those who have their transportation paid for by a third-party to contact that party with their changes, and ask the third-party to contact TN.
Changing a passenger’s pick-up or drop-off time or location, especially if a change is made with less than 24 hours notice, may result in the delayed arrival of TN, or the rider, at either or both locations. The customer may also be assessed an additional fee.
TN does not accept route or schedule changes—including cancellations—from passengers, because the majority of our riders are minors who did not request, cannot authorize, and do not have financial responsibility for service from TN. Unless other arrangements are made in writing, we accept changes only from customers, parents, and caregivers.
Unfortunately, customers, parents, and caregivers do not always contact TN to make needed changes. When this happens, the practices and policies described herein apply.
If a child requests a route or schedule change, without prior customer, parental, or caregiver approval, TN will attempt to contact a responsible adult, which includes alternative contacts. If we cannot secure adult approval of a change, the child is transported to his or her original, scheduled destination.
Neither TN nor its employees are responsible for contacting a parent or caregiver in the event that a passenger misses a ride, cancels a ride, or refuses to board a TN vehicle. TN has systems in place that enable us, on occasion, to provide this information as a courtesy and as part of our value-added service, but it is not the accepted responsibility of the company or its employees.
Canceling Rides
We understand that rides sometimes need to be canceled. Should this be necessary, we respectfully request—and will be sincerely grateful for—as much advance notice as possible.
Notice of a ride cancellation should be phoned into the main office, at 864.901.7689, e-mailed to [email protected], or faxed to 866.819.0482.
If a customer has scheduled at least six rides in a calendar month, and if we receive at least 24 hours notice of a cancellation, we will credit a customer’s account, but only for two such cancellations each calendar month. If five or less rides are scheduled, or special transportation arrangements have been made, other policies may apply. When other policies apply, they will be confirmed in writing.
TN charges for rides canceled with less than 24 hours notice.
Credit is not given for cancellation notices given to TN drivers.
TN reserves the right to suspend or cancel any scheduled rides, at any time, if doing so will, in the company’s judgment, be in the best interest of a child, other children, TN, or the general public.
For additional information, see the section below entitled “Scheduling Rides and Billing Practices.”
Fees Related to “Unsafe Drop-offs” and “No-shows”
Certain ride-related situations—all of which are outside TN’s control—increase the company’s operating costs. These are not the typical weather, traffic, or tardy child situations that are part of the company’s normal workday. They are, instead, what TN refers to as “unsafe drop-offs” and “no shows.” In these situations, neither a parent nor a caregiver is present to accept responsibility for a child, nor available to provide information about a child’s transportation needs or whereabouts.
“Unsafe drop-offs” and “no shows” can cause a customer to incur an additional fee. The additional fee is charged to the customer who requested the service. The "customer who requested the service" means the individual or entity with financial responsibility for a given rider’s Transportation Nanny invoices, as identified on our registration and emergency form.
“Unsafe drop-offs” are those in which a TN driver is unable to leave a rider's drop-off location because the rider:
• Cannot enter his or her destination • A parent or caregiver is not present or does not accept responsibility for the rider • The rider cannot enter a situation or environment that the driver considers safe
When an unsafe drop-off situation arises, the TN driver is required to retain responsibility for the rider until one of the three criteria mentioned above can be met.
If a TN driver must retain responsibility for a rider for more than five minutes past the vehicle's arrival time at a scheduled drop-off location, TN will charge the customer who requested the service $60.00 per hour—with an automatic minimum charge of $30.00—for the time spent waiting until the rider can be dropped off safely at his or her destination.
Also, if the TN driver must retain responsibility for a rider, for any of the reasons given above, or for some reason not named but apparent and necessary to ensure the rider's safety, and the driver is directed by a TN administrator to keep the rider in the company's vehicle and leave the rider's drop-off location in order to fulfill the company’s commitments to other riders, TN will charge the customer who requested the service the automatic minimum of $30.00.
If TN returns to a rider's drop-off location after fulfilling its commitments to other riders and customers, and the driver must continue to retain responsibility for the rider, for any of the reasons given above, or for some reason not named but apparent and necessary to ensure the rider's safety, TN will charge the customer who requested the service $60.00 per hour for the time spent waiting. The time spent waiting will be calculated based on the time that the company's vehicle first arrived at the drop-off location.
If TN receives at least 30 minutes advance notice of a delay at the drop-off location, that is, if a parent or caregiver calls TN at least 30 minutes prior to a rider's scheduled drop-off to apprise the company of his or her delayed arrival at the drop-off location, TN will waive the automatic minimum and the $60.00 per hour charges. However, we will only waive these charges one time, regardless of the number of rides a customer has scheduled.
A “no-show” situation is one in which either of the following occur:
• A rider, who has two or more rides scheduled on a given day, is a no-show at his or her first pick-up location of the day. For example: a rider has an a.m. pick-up scheduled at home and a p.m. pick-up scheduled at school, and he or she is a “no show” for the a.m. pick-up.
• A rider, who is scheduled for a pick-up at a location that is not his or her home, is a no-show at that pick-up location. For example: a rider has a late a.m. pick-up scheduled at school.
In both of these no-show situations, the following conditions apply:
• The ride was not canceled in advance • No one on-site at the pick-up location canceled the ride or gave TN instructions of any kind • TN has no information about the rider's plans or whereabouts
In no-show situations, TN makes at least three attempts by phone to secure—but cannot and does not guarantee they will receive—information or instructions from a parent, caregiver, or an on-site authority at the rider's pick-up or drop-off location regarding the rider’s plans or whereabouts, or the disposition of his or her rides.
If TN receives information or instructions from a parent, caregiver, or on-site authority, the company will consider ways to act upon that information, or implement those instructions. However, TN does not guarantee that it will be able to do either.
If TN doesn't receive instructions from a parent, caregiver, or on-site authority, they either:
• Attempt to provide the day's remaining ride(s) as scheduled, if the no-show occurred at the rider's first pick-up location of the day
• Confirm with on-site authorities that the rider is a no-show (if the no-show occurs at a pick-up location that is not the rider's home), that TN has not received any information about the rider's plans or whereabouts, and that the TN vehicle is leaving the pick-up location without the rider
If, after the TN vehicle leaves the pick-up location without the rider, TN receives a request that a vehicle return to the pick-up location because the rider has been located, such a return will occur solely at the discretion and convenience of TN. If a return to the pick-up location occurs, the customer who requested the service may incur an additional service fee of $30.00.
Transportation Nanny reserves the right to waive additional fees related to unsafe drop-offs and no-shows.
Passenger Behavior, Ride Suspension and Cancellation
TN drivers are responsible for their passengers and their vehicles. For this reason, when riding with TN, passengers must follow the safety and comfort-related instructions and directions given them by TN drivers.
Passengers are expected to be respectful and courteous toward the driver and all other passengers at all times. Behavior or language that compromises safety or impinges on the rights of others in the vehicle will not be tolerated, and will be grounds for temporary suspension of services or cancellation of all scheduled rides. TN determines when safety has been compromised, or when the rights of others have been impinged upon. TN involves law enforcement officials when necessary.
All TN passengers must wear seat and shoulder belts properly: they must be worn across the lap and over the shoulder. Belts must remain fastened until the vehicle comes to a complete stop.
Passengers may not eat or drink in TN vehicles.
Holidays and School Closings
TN does not provide transportation on the following holidays, including Monday observances when they are considered part of the holiday: New Years Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving Day and the Friday that follows it; December 24 –31.
If a child’s school, school district, or scheduled destination closes due to weather, road, or other conditions, TN will be deemed closed as well, and will not provide transportation for children to or from that school, district, or destination until it reopens.
In addition, TN reserves the right to suspend operations in its own discretion if doing so will help ensure the safety of our passengers, drivers, and other motorists.
In the event that a school, district, or destination closes, which would cause TN to close, individuals scheduled to ride on the day or days of that closing will receive a credit equal to 50% of the normally applicable fees.
In the event that TN exercises its discretion to suspend operations, a credit of 100% will apply to all applicable fees.
TN reserves the right to close on other days and occasions that we deem necessary. TN will notify affected customers if and when such closures occur.
TN operates Monday through Friday between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Office hours are from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Service is also available outside these hours, and on weekends, by advance arrangement.
TN accepts written requests for transportation from parents, legal guardians, caregivers, and the legal representatives of businesses and organizations.
TN fulfills its service obligations to parents, guardians, caregivers, businesses, and organizations by allotting and reserving time in our transportation schedule. To allot and reserve time, those making requests for transportation must specify the dates, times, points of origin, and destinations on which, and at which, a child or group of children are to be picked up and dropped off.
A Transportation Nanny passenger may, occasionally or regularly, share a ride with other children. When this occurs, it may not be possible to transport him or her directly from a pick-up location to a drop-off location. In these situations, the passenger may have to travel in a TN vehicle for an extended period of time. How long a rider travels depends on a number of variables. In general, we try to limit any one rider’s time aboard a TN vehicle to a maximum of 60 minutes. TN provides details for specific riders upon request.
Scheduling Rides and Billing Practices
To request service, customers are asked to complete, sign, and return a registration and emergency form. TN accepts only written requests for service that are made using this form. It can be submitted via e-mail, fax, or mail delivery service.
Once TN confirms that a request can be fulfilled reliably, and the customer has submitted a signed registration and emergency form, the requested rides are considered “scheduled and billable.”
The following apply to scheduled, billable rides.
1. The TN policies described in “Canceling Rides,” above.
2. To be exempt from the policies outlined in “Canceling Rides,” scheduled, billable rides in any given calendar month must be canceled before the 26th day of the preceding month. For example, to avoid being billed for rides in the month of February, TN must receive notification of their cancellation by the end of the day on January 25th.
Service Fees
Service fees can vary. They are based mainly on the distance a rider travels between the pick-up and drop-off locations. Other factors such as time of day, location of pick-up or drop-off, total number of rides, and special requirements may also affect the service fees. TN provides cost estimates for approval before scheduling rides and applying fees. We use the Google Maps website to determine travel distance, travel time, and the fastest route.