POLICIES
West Alabama Public Transportation
POLICY/PROCEDURES
for
ACCIDENTS, INCIDENT, EMERGENCIES, BREAKDOWNS
Accidents
An accident involves a vehicle or another vehicle. Accidents will result in disciplinary actions when:
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The driver fails to obey the rules and regulations of WAPT
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The driver fails to obey traffic laws
All accidents, no matter how minor, involving property and/or physical injury will immediately be reported to the Main Office and further actions and directions will be given by the Operations Manager. Failure to report an accident to the proper personnel will result in disciplinary actions up to and including immediate termination of employment. (See Vehicular Accident/Incident Policy for more information.)
Incidents
An incident is the result of something that occurs on the vehicle, in the office or with a passenger. An incident is any unusual event or illness that results in the injury or harm to an individual or vehicle i.e. a rock striking a windshield, wheelchair tipping over, a customer acting in a threatening manner, individual not responding or seizures. All incidents are to be reported immediately to the Director. A written report should be made and kept on file in the Main Office. (See Vehicular Accident/Incident Policy for more information.)
Emergencies
Emergencies are very frightening and stressful. Emergency information should be stored in the plastic sleeve on the visor of each vehicle. This information consists of emergency phone numbers, bus information, insurance information etc. The following guidelines and actions must be followed appropriately to maintain professional in emergency situations.
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Keep calm
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Protect your passengers, yourself and your vehicle
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Never leave the scene of the accident; Take pictures of incident.
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Report to the dispatcher so instructions from the Main Office supervisor can be followed. If office is closed contact your direct supervisor, who will then provide guidance. Forward, by text, any pictures of incident you may have.
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Complete the required reports due to the Main Office at end of shift.
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Complete drug and alcohol testing as necessary.
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Vehicular Breakdowns
Vehicular breakdown is defined as anytime a vehicle will not function in a safe manner as designed. In the event the vehicular breakdown occurs while in route, the driver must adhere to the following guidelines:
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Pull off the highway and park in a safe location that is level and on stable ground.
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Report to the Main Office dispatcher immediately
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Remain calm and reassure passengers
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Set triangles properly for safety
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Wait for mechanic/tow truck to arrive.
HISTORY OF WEST ALABAMA PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Initially, West Alabama Health Services started transportation in 1977. The non-profit healthcare facility purchased two 15-passenger vans to transport dialysis patients to their appointments. After about a year, a federal mandate required all local Department of Human Resource services to provide transportation for their clients. Although the Greene County Department of Human Resources had a master-level social worker transporting clients, the director realized the inconvenience of this duty.
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Working together, the director of DHR and the executive director of WAHS were able to establish a partnership that solved the problem. The Greene County Department of Human Resources would now be able to register clients seeking social services and in need of transportation for ridership with West Alabama Health Services. Additional vehicles were purchased; two 7-passenger wagons and five 15-passenger vans. The Section 19 Program allowed West Alabama Health Services to acquire a fleet of vehicles and transportation services were expanded to other counties and evolved into West Alabama Public Transportation.
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In the early 1970's and 80's, about 20% of the rural West Alabama population did not have transportation and no public transportation program was available. A survey was conducted to research the dire need for a public transportation program. The survey measured costs paid for services to secure daily living necessities to specialized medical services. Persons without transportation were paying up to $20 for a trip to the doctor, grocery store or other pertinent needs. In this rural area, services were limited in small towns like Eutaw, Greensboro, Livingston, Demopolis, Butler and Uniontown. Specialists and other individual services were only located in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, Selma and Meridian. At this time, dialysis units were located a distance away in Birmingham and Mobile in Alabama and in Jackson in Mississippi. The results of the survey proved a need for reliable cost-effective transportation in rural areas.
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Today, West Alabama Public Transportation (WAPT) is the designated provider in nine (9) counties including Bibb, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry and Sumter.