East Haddam residents have greater mobility with access to a regional transit system. The Town of East Haddam has a contract with River Valley Transit to provide general public Dial-A-Ride service throughout the town.
River Valley Transit, operated by the Estuary Transit District, currently provides Dial-A-Ride service throughout Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, and Westbrook. Any location within East Haddam and Moodus is also included in the expanded service area. In addition, East Haddam residents may travel to the Middletown Stop & Shop supermarket, Middlesex Hospital, Middlesex Community College and the Saybrook Road area medical offices.
Dial-A-Ride is available on a first-come-first-served basis, Monday – Friday 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 pm, dependent on availability. The service is open to the general public with no age restrictions. All vehicles are fully accessible with wheelchair lifts and service is available for any trip purpose. To reserve a trip, customers should reserve trips with River Valley Transit up to two weeks but no less than one day in advance; reservations must be made by 4:30 pm the day prior to a desired ride. Trips may be scheduled in the Mobility App or by calling 860-510-0429. The fare will be $3.50 each way.
Before your first trip can be booked, you must be set up as a new client. To do this, they will need your full name, mailing address, email address, phone number and any mobility devices used or special instructions. If you are age 60+ and would like to participate in the senior fare program, they will also need your date of birth. There will also be additional questions required by the senior grant program.
When scheduling a trip, be sure to have the date, time, street address of pick-up and drop-off locations, and return trip information available. If the trip is for work, school or a medical appointment, please tell them the time you must be at the destination. It is your responsibility to provide this information—they cannot look up addresses. Your trip time may be adjusted as much as 1 hour before or 1 hour after the requested time, depending on availability. It is always recommended that you book your trip as early as possible.
The agent will give you a half-hour pick-up window in which the bus will arrive. Due to the nature of shared ride service, you cannot be given an exact pick-up time. You must be ready to board the vehicle any time within this window. You must be visible to the operator and making your way to the vehicle within five minutes of arrival, or you will be considered a no-show. Operators are not permitted beyond the front door and will not search for you. Operators will sound the horn only if you have notified RVT that you are visually impaired, but you will not receive a phone call. You can see the location of the vehicle in the Mobility App.
The operator is available to assist passengers on or off the vehicle. Assistance will also be provided to or from the front door of the point of origin or destination upon request. Assistance with up to three bags will also be provided if requested. Operators will not lift wheelchairs or scooters but will assist if you have a ramp.
Passengers needing additional assistance are encouraged to bring a personal care attendant (PCA), who may ride for free. Tell the dispatcher when you book your ride that you will have a PCA.
Although there is no limit to the purpose of the trip, people going to work, school or other regular appointments may set up a subscription. Once booked, a subscription will repeat regularly unless canceled so there is no need to keep calling to book your trip.
Additional information, route maps and schedules are available online at https://rivervalleytransit.com/ or by calling River Valley Transit at (860) 510-0429.