Buying OPT Tickets

After you have registered as an OPT rider, you may buy OPT tickets in books of 20 for $5.00 at many senior centers, by mail or in person at the OPT office (650 Smithfield St., Suite 440, Pittsburgh, PA 15222).

Call OPT at 412-562-5385 for more information.

Scheduling a ride on OPT

• The name and phone number of the local OPT carrier that you will call to schedule your rides will be provided to you by your senior center.
• To schedule a ride, you must call before 3:00 p.m., one weekday before your trip. (Call on Friday for a Monday trip.)
• You cannot use OPT to schedule same-day trips.
• Please have the following information ready when you call.
  
  
  • Full name
  • Home phone number
  • Social Security number
  • Date/time of appointment
  • If you use a wheelchair, need special help or will have an escort.
    (Medical trip escorts ride free.)
  • Where you are going
    (If going to a doctor, give the doctor’s name and phone number.)

Since OPT is a shared-ride service, allow at least one hour for travel when you schedule your pick-up time. If you know when the visit will be over, you may set up a return pick-up time when you schedule your ride. If you do not know when you will be finished, you may place a “will call” request when you are finished. “Will call” requests must be made before 5:00 p.m.

Waiting for OPT 
Since OPT is a shared-ride service, it is hard to predict the exact vehicle arrival time. For this reason, OPT vehicles may arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled pickup time or 20 minutes after and still be considered “on time.” Be ready to leave at least 10 minutes early.

Drivers are not allowed to enter your home to look for you or wait more than five minutes after arriving. To inquire on late pickups, wait at least 20 minutes after your pick-up time or at least 30 minutes after requesting a “will call” before calling the OPT office (412/562-5385) to check on the vehicle’s whereabouts.

Complaints
If your experience using OPT is not positive because of a missed trip or late pickup, or Customer Service concerns, please call the ACCESS/OPT office (412/562-5385) – do not call the OPT Carrier (where you scheduled your ride) – and ask to submit a formal complaint. Lodging a formal complaint initiates OPT’s process to resolve issues and improve services.

Cancellations & No-shows 
If you cannot go on a trip that you have scheduled, you must call at least one hour before your scheduled pick-up time to cancel. If you do not, a “no-show” will be marked on your record. A "no show" means that the vehicle arrived, but you were not there. A record of repeated “no-shows” may result in loss of your OPT privileges.

Bad Weather
OPT service may be suspended due to bad weather. This sometimes coincides with winter weather when Pittsburgh Public Schools are closed. Every effort will be made to complete Life-sustaining Medical Trips (including dialysis, chemo and radiation therapy) on bad-weather days. On bad weather days when OPT is running, you must keep the walkways between your home and the OPT vehicle free of snow and ice. The driver may not stop to pick you up if (s)he believes it is unsafe to do so.

Trip Tips 
Only those persons who use wheelchairs may request a certain type of vehicle.

You must wear a seatbelt.

Smoking is not permitted in any OPT vehicles.

Senior center trips can be arranged by calling your center one weekday in advance to get on their daily trip schedule.

Grocery shopping trips occur as needed, based on reservation procedures and minimum ridership (4 riders per trip). Call your senior center or the OPT office one weekday before to reserve your ride. You will have about an hour to shop and each rider may bring up to four bags onto the vehicle.