Bionic Bus
Passenger Information Guide
Phone# 335-7595
Fax# 335-6647
E-mail: bionic-bus@uiowa.edu
Operated by Cambus, the Bionic Bus system is The University of Iowa’s specialized transportation service for persons with disabilities. It is a demand-response, curb-to-curb service (door-to-door assistance may be provided when necessary) designed to serve the needs of university students, faculty, and staff within most areas of Iowa City and Coralville.
The goal of the Bionic Bus system is to provide effective transportation to eligible riders within the university community. Though the system is utilized and shared by several passengers, we strive to do our best in being responsive to the needs of each individual. We hope to assist in making the university experience fulfilling for all of our passengers.
The purpose of this guide is to provide a detailed explanation of what the Bionic Bus system offers, so that you know what to expect from our service. Also outlined are procedures for scheduling, riding, and what your responsibilities as a passenger are.
Your feedback is very important to us. If you have any comments or suggestions for how we may improve, please let us know. The best way would be to send e-mail (bionic-bus@uiowa.edu), or you may call the Bionic Supervisor directly at 335-7595.
The Bionic Bus runs seven days a week on the following schedule. The times vary depending on the university’s academic session. The Bionic schedule is set to reflect the hours of operation that regular Cambus routes run.
Fall and Spring Academic Monday – Friday: 6:40am – 1:00am
Saturday & Sunday: 12:00pm – 1:00am
Summer Academic Monday – Friday: 6:40am – 12:00am
Saturday & Sunday: 12:00pm – 12:00am
Interims & Breaks Monday – Friday: 6:40am – 12:00am
Saturday & Sunday: 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Holidays – Cambus and the Bionic Bus do not run on scheduled university holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas (2 days), New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day. Schedules for other university-recognized holidays are likely to be altered as well.
Safe Ride – Most Fridays and Saturdays during Fall and Spring academic sessions, Cambus offers a Red and Blue Route that run until 2:15am. On these nights, Bionic will be able to provide service on a call-in basis only. Also, since regular Cambus service is limited to only Red and Blue Routes during this time, the Bionic service boundary is set to reflect these routes more accurately from 1:00am until 2:15am. Generally, this means that Bionic will service 1-2 miles beyond the Red and Blue service area (this includes the Hawkeye apartments).
Bionic will serve nearly any location within the Iowa City and Coralville city limits (except for Safe Ride), regardless of trip purpose.
The only exception to this rule pertains to the Coral Ridge Mall area in Coralville. Bionic does not have the capability to service the Coral Ridge Mall and the surrounding commercial area on a regular basis. Therefore, Bionic will only service this area on Sundays. Monday through Saturday, Coralville Transit services this area, so we will provide a ride downtown so that you may connect with one of these buses.
For any ride that is outside of the Bionic service boundaries, please contact Johnson County SEATS (339-6125).
Just as with Cambus fixed-route service, there is no fare to ride the Bionic Bus.
To be able to utilize the Bionic Bus system, you must obtain a “Certification of Eligibility” as required by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA. During the process of certifying ADA eligibility, a person will be granted temporary eligibility to use the Bionic service for up to 21 days. Eligibility will be granted to individuals with qualifying permanent or temporary disabilities. Depending on your needs, your eligibility could also be conditional or unconditional. The Bionic Supervisor and Cambus Manager will determine eligibility. Decisions may be made in conjunction with the Faculty and Staff Disability Services or with your health care provider. All information remains confidential.
The Faculty and Staff Disability Services provides a number of useful services to persons with disabilities. In addition, they may be able to assist you in completing ADA accommodation requests, if needed. All passengers are strongly encouraged to register with their respective office.
Student Disability Services: 335-1462
Faculty and Staff Disability Services: 335-2660
Since these offices usually keep medical information relating to your disabilities, it is not necessary to provide Cambus with the same information if you have successfully completed registration with either office. However, if you are not registered, then your health care provider’s information is necessary for us to complete certification.
University affiliation (student, faculty, or staff status) is also necessary for the Bionic Bus to be your primary provider for transportation. All other members of the general public should use Johnson County SEATS as their primary provider if they are eligible for service under the ADA. However, some Iowa City or Coralville residents who are certified with SEATS do attain university affiliation. When this happens, they become eligible for Bionic Bus service. While SEATS certification satisfies Bionic certification requirements, we ask that a form still be completed so that we have the complete information necessary to provide adequate service.
To complete the certification process, a prospective rider may either call the Bionic office (335-7595), or their respective disability services office.
All Bionic passengers must periodically renew their certification in order to remain eligible for service. For university students, certification is valid for one year. For university faculty and staff, certification is valid for three years. This is necessary to ensure that Cambus and Bionic Bus records are as up-to-date as possible, which helps in providing the appropriate service to meet everyone’s needs.
The Bionic Bus is a shared-ride service. This is based on the principle that several members of the university community rely on the Bionic Bus to meet their transportation needs. Although you may not have other passengers riding with you for many of your rides, it is best to keep in mind that there are several others riding before and after you. Remember that often times it is necessary for everyone to be flexible so that no one’s needs are left unmet. Although Bionic will do its best to avoid keeping a passenger on the bus for an excessively long trip, it sometimes is possible that the duration of a ride could last up to 60 minutes. This of course depends on several factors (ride requests, distance from campus, etc.)
It is also important to remember that not all ride requests can be accommodated right at the specific time requested. In some cases, we may have to offer a ride up to 60 minutes before or after the time that you request. Bionic will do everything it can to try to avoid any ride request denials that fall outside of this 60-minute time frame, and will try to fulfill all requests as close to the requested time as possible.
Call-in rides may be scheduled at any time, regardless of trip purpose. To schedule a ride on a call-in basis, the Cambus Dispatcher can be reached by calling the Bionic line at 335-7595. The phone is staffed during normal Bionic operating hours (shown on page 3) with only a few exceptions. The dispatcher will have the current week’s schedules in front of them, and by Thursday evenings, will have the following week’s schedules as well. Any ride requests that you want to make before the schedules are made available to the dispatcher, you can e-mail the Bionic Supervisor (bionic-bus@uiowa.edu). The following are tips to make the call-in scheduling smoother.
1. Have the following information ready at the time that you call.
- Your name
- Date of the trip
- Time to be picked up or dropped off (choose one, but not both)
- Specific locations of the pick-up and drop-off
- Whether a mobility device will be used
- Whether a service animal will be used
- Whether an attendant or companion will by accompanying the rider
2. Have any information for a return ride as well. This is the passenger’s responsibility to schedule.
3. Keep the phone call short. If your information is not complete when you call, scheduling errors are more likely. Keep in mind that the dispatchers are very busy. In addition to the Bionic line, they also are responsible for three other department phone lines, as well as the Cambus radio. When scheduling rides, it is best to avoid peak rush-hour times on the phone. If the dispatcher asks you to call back, please be understanding because they are likely very busy at that given moment.
4. Be aware that all ride requests are subject to bus availability. The dispatchers are always as accommodating as possible, but there simply isn’t always room in the schedules at the time you request. Remember that the more flexible you are, the more likely you will be able to schedule a ride.
5. Have a pen/pencil and paper handy write down the dispatcher’s name, and time of your rides.
If you have sent in a ride request by e-mail, be sure to allow plenty of time for the request to be filled. Keep in mind that the Bionic Supervisor is the only one with access to the e-mail, and will generally only be checked during weekdays. Immediate changes or requests should not be done by e-mail, as they are unlikely to be viewed in time.
Sometimes, due to scheduling constraints, it may be necessary to require a 30-minute spacing between a passenger’s drop-off and their next scheduled pick-up. This is usually the case when Bionic is operating only one bus on nights and weekends, and during other peak scheduling times. The reason for this is because Bionic needs to allow space between rides in order to be able to accommodate ride requests from other passengers. The Bionic Supervisor or dispatcher will be able to use discretion in scheduling such rides on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all of these relevant factors.
Dispatchers are normally available at the Bionic line during normal Bionic operating hours. The following are the times where the dispatcher will not be available during normal operating hours.
Weekday Mornings: The dispatcher is available as early as 4:15am. Until around 7:00-7:30am, however, they will be at the Cambus Maintenance Facility. If there is no answer on the regular Bionic line, please call 335-5208.
Late Nights: Bionic will provide service until 1:00am when there is no Safe Ride service. However, the dispatcher will leave the Cambus Office at 12:30am. If you need a same-day call-in ride late at night, be sure to call before 12:30am.
Interim Weekends: During interim weekend service, there will be no dispatcher on duty. All rides should be scheduled during the week prior to an interim weekend. If an immediate change is necessary, however, the driver must be contacted at the Cambus Maintenance Facility (335-5208). They will be available to answer the phone from 11:30am until 11:50am, and when they are not out providing a ride. In case of an emergency, a rider may contact UI Public Safety at 335-5022, who will then contact the driver over the Cambus radio.
A “permanent ride” is a ride that is automatically scheduled at the same time and day, every week, for the entire semester. Permanent rides are a privilege assigned to facilitate rider convenience and to utilize the available service more efficiently. Riders with permanent rides may also call in for additional rides at any time. For any correspondence regarding permanent rides, we request that this be done via e-mail whenever possible.
Scheduling permanent rides is quite different from scheduling a call-in ride. Trip purpose is considered when creating the permanent schedules. Rides to class and to place of employment will receive equal consideration over all other requests. In addition, there are several guidelines to follow when requesting and maintaining a permanent schedule.
Sometimes drivers may assist passengers in carrying small items to their door. However, there are limits on this level of assistance that the drivers may provide. The general guidelines for driver assistance with packages are as follows:
- The driver will only carry a package from the bus to the passenger’s door.
- Packages should be of a number that requires only one trip.
- Packages should be of an easily manageable size and weight.
- Drivers should not carry highly fragile or valuable items.
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