Guidelines for Passengers
The County Area Transit System (CATS) wants all passengers to have a safe and pleasant ride. To ensure the safety of all passengers, we reserve the right to remove and / or deny service to any passenger who poses a threat to the safety of themselves or others. We ask all passengers to follow these guidelines, etiquette, and rules.

Guidelines & Etiquette 

• Allow people to exit before you board.
• The driver is only allowed to wait up to 5 minutes for you.  It is your responsibility to be ready to take your trip.
• Arrive at the pick-up point five minutes before the scheduled bus arrival time.
• Be considerate of elderly and disabled passengers for seating availability.
• Check the sign above the windshield to ensure you are boarding the correct bus.
• Deposit the proper fare or show your pass.
• If you have a child in a stroller or other wheeled carrying device, you must remove the child and collapse the stroller or wheeled carrying device.
• Inform the driver of your destination upon boarding.
• Minimize interaction with the driver while the vehicle is in motion.
• Never change seats while bus is moving.
• Only persons with a CATS fixed-route, half-fare card or Medicare card may ride at half fare.
• Place any bags, packages, baggage, or other items you are bringing on-board either on your lap or under your seat only. Drivers are not required to assist you in bringing parcels onto the bus.
• Signal to the driver that you wish to board the bus. 
• Take your seat quickly and quietly. 
• Use earphones if using sound producing devices such as radios, MP3 Players, etc.

 
Rules
The following activities are proper rules for using regular monthly bus passes on the fixed routes: 

• CATS does not replace lost or stolen passes.
• CATS does not replace or validate passes that are damaged or otherwise altered through customer use.
• Each passenger is responsible for the care and use of their bus pass.
• Passengers must be behind the white line whenever the bus is in motion.
• Riders in wheelchairs or similar mobility aides must be facing forward while the bus is in motion.
• Sharing of monthly passes is strictly prohibited. One pass per person allowed.

 
Prohibited Activities
The following activities are prohibited on any CATS bus:

• Boarding the bus without the driver
• Boarding the bus with weapons or hazardous / dangerous materials or devices, including but not limited to automotive batteries, or other batteries of this type, propane tanks, fuel containers containing fuel, explosive materiel, etc.
• Bringing animals on board, except service animals and animals that are in a carrier designed for animal transport. The carrier must be able to fit on the passengers lap or between their legs when riding.
• Consumption of any / all food, beverage, or illegal substance
• Fighting or mock fighting
• Gambling, panhandling, or soliciting
• Harassing or intimidating any person 
• Not wearing shoes, shirts, other appropriate attire
• Placing of any bags or objects in aisles or other places where a reasonable person would consider dangerous
• Putting hands on or touching other passengers without consent
• Putting hands out the window
• Smoking
• Talking on cell phones or other portable media considered by the driver to be loud enough to be a disturbance to other passengers
• Throwing objects inside bus or out of the windows 
• Using behavior, gestures, or language considered to a reasonable person to be dangerous, disruptive, obscene, threatening, violent, inciting, or insulting
• Using profanity
• Using sound-producing devices such as radios, CD players, MP3 players, etc. without earphones (devices must not be of such volume to be heard by other passengers or driver)

Passenger Rights
The CATS office is committed to ensuring that no person will be subjected to discrimination.

Transit Employee Conduct
Our staff is expected to be professional and friendly. Moreover, they are expected to abide by the same standards as our passengers. If you feel that one of our drivers or other staff violated your rights, compromised your safety, or violated any rules described in this section, please contact us at (585) 394-2250 or (800) 667-CATS. You can also visit the MV Transit website or use the CATS Feedback Form.

It will help us if you have the bus driver’s name, bus number, the route number, and the time and date you were riding. If it was another staff member, please recall as much information as possible, such as their name and time you spoke with that person. If you have any suggestions or comments please let us know.