Senior Services Transportation Program

Customer Complaint Policies & Procedures

Process for customers to express concerns, complaints
or to receive explanations concerning services.
Senior Services Transportation Program is committed to providing a personalized, safe
and satisfying transportation experience for seniors and people with disabilities in King
County. A small, community-based transportation provider, we pride ourselves on our
personalized customer service. We welcome all customer comments, complaints,
suggestions and concerns as a way to improve their transportation experience and
improve our service delivery.
Senior Service Customer Complaint Policy has been established to ensure that our
customers have an easy and accessible way to provide feedback to us. In the event
that a customer has a complaint against service delivery or against an employee of the
Transportation Program or alleging discrimination based on race, color or national
origin, the following procedures will be utilized:
Contact Information
Customers may contact us in the following ways:

US Mail: Senior Services Transportation Program

2208 Second Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121

Email: seniorshuttles@seniorservices.org

Phone: 206-727-6262; 1-800-282-5815

Fax: 206-652-0433

TDD: 206-448-5025

TeleInterpreters Language Services: 1-800-822-5552

Feedback Process
We train all Transportation Program staff on Senior Services formally adopted
procedures for responding to customer grievances. Confidentiality and privacy of the
customer will always be taken into consideration.
1. The customer will be referred to the Transportation Coordinator responsible for

delivery of the service. The Coordinator will attempt to address the customers
concern(s). Every attempt will be made to clarify, counsel, and make
adjustments in order to reach a mutually acceptable solution. The Coordinator
will request information helpful to the review of the complaint, including
description of the incident, including date, time and location, drivers name
and/or vehicle or route number as well as complainants name and contact
information to facilitate follow-up with the complainant.
2. Should the Coordinator ascertain that the customer is not satisfied, the
customer will be referred to the Hyde Shuttle Manager and/or Transportation
Program Director to pursue the matter further. If necessary, informal discussion
will take place with the driver (paid or volunteer) who provided the service, and
any other third parties involved.
3. If the customer is still not satisfied, the Program Director will refer to the Vice
President/Chief Operating Officer of Direct Support Services.
4. The Vice President, working with Transportation staff, the customer and any
other third parties involved, will attempt to resolve the matter to customer
satisfaction. If necessary, the Vice President will include other appropriate
agency staff, including the agency Executive Director and Director of Human
Resources.
5. All complaints must be filed within 180 days of the incidents occurrence.
Feedback Acknowledgement
Anyone who submits a comment, complaint, or service suggestion to Senior Services
Transportation Program shall receive a response provided they give legible contact
information. We respond to all formal written complaints sent via mail, email or fax
within five business days after receipt of the complaint. Feedback by phone will be
returned within 72 hours.
Customer Appeals Process
If the Executive Director, working with other agency staff, the customer and any other
third parties involved, ascertains that the complaint has not been resolved to customer
satisfaction, notification will be made to the customer of their right to file a complaint or
lawsuit with one of the following organizations:
1. Aging and Disability Services (and, if necessary, investigation and mediation by
the State of Aging and Adult Services Administration.)
PO Box 34215
Seattle, WA 98124-4215
2. Washington State Department of Transportation
Public Transportation Division
Attn: Title VI Coordinator
PO Box 47387
Olympia, WA 98504-47387

3. Federal Transit Administration

Attn: Title VI Program Coordinator
East Building, 5th floor TCR
1200 New Jersey Ave SE
Washington DC 20590
4. US Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
Coordination and Review Section NWB
950 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20530
Written notification, a description of events concerning the nature of the complaint,
results of Senior Services internal investigation and any information that would be
helpful will be forwarded to the agencies listed above.
Information and Outreach Process
Information about the Customer Complaint Policy, including how to submit a complaint,
is made available to riders in the following ways:
We mail Senior Services Customer Grievance Procedures to all customers when
they first register for service and every third year thereafter for active riders.
Customer Comment Cards are available on all of our vehicles and we are in the
process of placing Comment Cards in senior centers and community centers
served by the Hyde Shuttles.
We developed a Memorandum of Understanding, detailing Hyde Shuttle policies
and procedures, which is distributed to nutrition site managers and staff from
other human services agencies with whom we work.
We mail Client Satisfaction Surveys to all customers on an annual basis. These
surveys provide room for comments and suggestions. The Transportation
Program Director reviews all surveys to evaluate service delivery.
Information about the Customer Comment Process appears on Senior Services
website on the Transportation Program Home Page.
Reporting and Tracking
Senior Services Transportation Program maintains a tracking system in Excel for all
feedback from customers that provides a unique identification of each customer
communication and allows ready access to information on the status of the comment at
any time. A written description of the complaint(s) and subsequent related events will
be maintained in a separate file, including date and type of complaint, investigation
and/or lawsuit, summary of the allegations and actions taken in report to the complaint,
investigation or lawsuit.
If it becomes necessary to refer the complainant to the Vice President, Human
Resources Director or Executive Director of Senior Services, all information pursuant to
the complaint will be tracked by Senior Services Human Resources Department until
the complaint, investigation or lawsuit has been closed. The records will then be stored
according to state and federal record retention requirements.
Senior Services Transportation Program Director will report tracked Title VI complaint
information to WSDOT as the grantor of FTA funds.

In addition, the Transportation Program Director compiles a summary of rider responses

to our Client Satisfaction Surveys for Senior Services board, staff, employees and
funders to use in reviewing and evaluating service.
Protection from Retribution:
Senior Services Transportation Program has established a grievance procedure to
provide customers with a process to resolve perceived or actual violation of any policy
or procedure established by the program. Customers of Senior Services Transportation
Program should be able to submit feedback without fear of retribution from the agency.
Exercising such right to grievance shall in no way affect the customers right to
Transportation services. If a rider feels like they are being treated unfairly in response
to the feedback that they provided, they should contact the Transportation Program
Director, who will follow formal protocol outlined in Senior Services Grievance
Procedure. Senior Services will appropriately discipline any employee that retaliates
against a customer.

Client Comment Card

Comments, Compliments &

Complaints
We want your ride to be as
enjoyable as possible. Please let us
know how were
doing and if theres any way
to better serve you.
Date of your ride: __________________
Time of your ride: __________________
Satisfactory reservation process?

Senior Shuttle
Comment Card
If you would like a response to your
comments, please provide us
with your contact information.
We will respond by phone or letter
within 5 working days after
receipt of your information.
Name:_______________________
Address:_____________________

Satisfactory ride?

Helpful and courteous driver?

_____________________
City, Zip:_____________________
Phone #:_____________________

Please mail this card to the address

below, or feel free to call or email
us with your feedback.
Senior Services
Transportation Program
2208 Second Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
206-727-6262
1-800-282-5815
seniorshuttles@seniorservices.org

We do not discriminate against persons on the

grounds of race, color, national origin, sex,
gender, religion, creed or disability in the
provision of our service.