Health Connector Rider Registration
Thank you for completing the Health Connector Rider Registration. You should receive email confirmation of your participation from HIRTA within 7-10 days.
In the meantime to prepare of your participation, please download the HIRTA On Demand app and create an account if you have not done so already.
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Check out this explainer video for our new Health Connector project!
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What is Health Connector?
The Health Connector, led by HIRTA, aims to address the needs and challenges faced by various populations, particularly underserved communities, in accessing healthcare services. The overview is to integrate healthcare appointment scheduling and transportation. The objective is to ensure enhanced and equal access to healthcare options for all residents, with a specific focus on groups such as persons with disabilities, individuals with low income, older adults, veterans, and those with limited English proficiency. For more information and updates, visit the Health Connector website.
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Who is eligible?
You must be 18 years or older and needing transportation within Dallas county.
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How do I get signed up?
To register for Health Connector, please complete the registration form above.
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How do I book a ride?
Once registered and briefed by a HIRTA employee, you can book your Health Connector trip using the HIRTA On Demand app or the web portal. The app is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Standard message and data rates may apply. Additionally, there is a kiosk conveniently located at the Dallas County Hospital.
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How do I pay for my ride?
You can pay with exact cash at the time of your trip, link a credit/debit card to your account through the HIRTA On-Demand smartphone app or preload credit over the phone with our customer service team.
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How much does it cost to ride?
One-way trips within town are $2.50. One-way trips within the county are $5.00.
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Can your bus accommodate my wheelchair?
Yes! Please ensure that we are informed of any mobility devices at the time of scheduling. The lift platform must not exceed 34” x 54” and the combined weight (mobility device while occupied) should not exceed 600 lbs.
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May I have someone ride with me on the bus?
A personal care attendant (PCA) may accompany a rider free of charge, provided they are picked up and dropped off at the same location as the customer. Please inform HIRTA when a PCA will also be riding.
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How much extra time should I plan for my trip?
The driver may arrive within a 10-minute window before or after your scheduled time. Please be prepared at the beginning of this 20-minute window to avoid missing your ride.
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What should I do if I no longer need my scheduled ride?
Cancel or reschedule your ride as soon as possible, which can be done through the HIRTA On-Demand smartphone app or by contacting customer service. Failure to do so may result in penalties. Refer to our full service policies for consequences regarding no-shows and same-day cancellations.
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What is NaviLens and what does it have to do with Health Connector?
As part of the Health Connector initiative and our commitment to serving underserved communities, we utilize NaviLens at Dallas County Hospital to provide smartphone-based directions with auditory read-outs. These codes are placed in key areas of the hospital and on HIRTA vehicles.
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How do I use NaviLens?
Decide whether you need NaviLens or NaviLens GO. NaviLens assists blind and low-vision users by reading signs aloud and providing audio information, while NaviLens GO provides the same information without audio for sighted users. Launch the app on your smartphone, hold it up, and point it in the direction you want to scan. Move slowly until a code is detected. The app will announce the name and distance of the code, and its direction relative to you. Select the detected code for more information, or shake your phone to have the app read the NaviLens code aloud.
Download the NaviLens app for free on Apple App Store and Google Play.
Download the NaviLens GO app for free on Apple App Store and Google Play.
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What languages are supported?
The HIRTA On Demand app is available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin, and can be changed in your device’s settings. The web portal supports 133 languages and can be translated using Google Translate.
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What if I have additional questions not covered in this FAQ page?
Feel free to review our service policies, FAQs about HIRTA, or contact us with any further questions.
About the Health Connector Project
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Phase 1
Phase 1 is complete. HIRTA has been awarded a cooperative agreement to continue Phases 2 and 3. For more information, you can read more by clicking here. To view the published documents on the health connector, click here.
The U.S. Department of Transportation launched the ITS4US Program in 2021. The scope is to support seamless travel for all users across all modes, regardless of location, income, or disability.
HIRTA was one of five sites selected to begin Phase 1. The first phase is to spur Complete Trip deployments nationwide, identify needs and challenges by populations, develop and deploy mobility solutions that meet needs, measure impact of integrated deployments, and identify replicable solutions and share lessons learned.
HIRTA’s “Health Connector: An Inclusive Mobility Experience from Beginning to End” will pilot in Dallas County, with the desire to adopt regionwide. The project team’s overall objective is to provide enhanced and equal access by integrating the scheduling and management of healthcare appointments and transportation, with a focus on underserved communities.
We are in the stages of developing a solution allowing users to schedule and manage their appointments and transportation services at the same time. With this program, we hope to provide enhanced access to healthcare options for ALL in Dallas County with a specific focus on underserved communities, including persons with disabilities, people with low income, older adults, veterans, and persons with limited English proficiency.
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Phase 2 (current phase)
Over this 24 month period, the HIRTA Public Transit team and partners will work to design, test and deploy a Complete Trip Solution. Evaluations on the framework and planning will be completed.
This Cooperative Agreement was awarded after Phase 1 of the project was awarded in 2020 for HIRTA’s Health Connector for the Most Vulnerable: An Inclusive Mobility Experience from Beginning to End. After successfully completing the first phase of this program, the Concept Development phase, HIRTA is one of four awardees to continue with Phases 2 and 3. Phase 2, Design and Testing, and Phase 3, Operations and Evaluations, will take place over the next three to four years.
The project will provide enhanced and equal access to healthcare options for all in Dallas County. Specifically, the program emphasizes focus on underserved communities, including rural, veterans, persons with disabilities, low-income, older adults, and persons with limited English proficiency. More information and periodic updates can be found at here.
For more information on Phase 2, click here.
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Phase 3
Upcoming
A minimum of 18 months will be spent to demonstrate multiple large-scale deployments. The team will share data and lessons learned.
The overall goal is to sustain operations for a minimum period of five years after the program is completed with no additional funds focused on rural areas.