Fred Connection is the city's transit service for residents who are 60 or older or who live with a physical or mental disability.
Eligibility
Riders qualify by age (60 or older) or by having a physical or mental disability.
Applicants who qualify by age must show proof of it. A copy of a state-issued driver license, a state ID card or a birth certificate is accepted.
Applicants who qualify through a disability need a physician or other licensed health care professional to fill out and confirm Part V of the application.
If you are applying for Medicaid, say so on your application. Staff will confirm your Medicaid status with the state's Medicaid transportation program.
Apply Online
Step 1. Collect Your Documents
Upload your proof of age, or, if you qualify through a disability, Part V (the Disability Certification section of the Fred Connection Qualification Application), completed and signed by your physician or licensed health care professional. Part V comes in two versions:
- Disability Certification (Part V), English
- Disability Certification (Part V), Spanish
Step 2. Complete the Online Form
Good to know: the final section needs your signature and a witness's signature, so bring a witness along for the signing.
Start your application on the ridership application page.
What happens next?
Staff review your application to confirm that you qualify. Fred Connection will then mail you a letter, and that letter is your confirmation that you are approved to ride. Once you have it, you can request trips inside Fredville city limits for medical and dental visits, work, school, Nutrition Program outings or grocery runs. Questions about your letter? Call (555) 010-1276.
Apply by Mail
Step 1. Collect Your Documents
Paper applications need the same supporting documents described above.
Step 2. Get a Paper Application
- Pick one up from the Transportation Services Department at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive, Fredville, TX 75999, or from the Transit Dispatch Office in the Equipment Services Center at 1850 Depot Road, Fredville, TX 75999.
- Call (555) 010-1276 and leave a voicemail with your name and full mailing address, and we will mail you a copy.
- Download and print the Fred Connection Qualification Application in English or Spanish.
Keep in mind: we can only process an application once you and a witness have both signed it.
Step 3. Mail or Fax the Application
Send the signed original, along with all of your supporting documents, to:
Fred Connection Transit Service
City of Fredville
P.O. Box 1000
Fredville, TX 75999
To get the review started sooner, you may fax your application to (555) 010-7284. We still need the original by mail for our files.
Reasonable Modifications
Fred Connection is dedicated to giving qualified people with disabilities equal access to all of its programs, services and activities. We understand that riders with disabilities sometimes need reasonable changes to our policies and procedures in order to receive equally effective service.
Fred Connection follows every applicable federal and state law, regulation and guideline on reasonable modifications, and will make changes as needed so people with disabilities have equal access. We never treat anyone differently because of a disability when it comes to joining, taking part in or benefiting from any of our transit programs or activities, and we take appropriate steps to make sure riders with disabilities have an equal chance to participate.
No qualified person will be shut out of, denied the benefits of or discriminated against in any Fred Connection service, program or activity because of a disability.
A copy of the full Reasonable Modification Policy is available on request.
Title VI Complaints
Your Rights Under Title VI
As Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act requires, the City of Fredville serves everyone through Fred Connection regardless of race, color or national origin. If you believe you were harmed by a discriminatory practice that Title VI prohibits, you may file a complaint with the city's Fred Connection program.
To learn more about the civil rights program or how to file, phone the Director of Transportation, (555) 010-7671, or stop by the Customer Service Center at 1850 Depot Road, Fredville, TX 75999, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Complaints can also go straight to the civil rights office of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in Washington, D.C., to the attention of its Title VI Program Coordinator.
For help in a language other than English, call (555) 010-1276.
Filing a Title VI Complaint
Anyone may submit a signed, written complaint describing the alleged discrimination. Complaint forms are available in English and Spanish, at the Fred Connection office at 1850 Depot Road, or by calling (555) 010-1276.
Every Title VI complaint is handled using these standard steps:
- File your complaint within 180 days of the date the alleged discrimination took place.
- Deliver the completed, signed form in person or by mail to: City of Fredville, The Fred Connection, Attn: Transit Manager, 1850 Depot Road, Fredville, TX 75999.
Complaint Acceptance
The Transit Coordinator will mail you a letter confirming receipt of your complaint within 10 days.
If something is missing, the coordinator will request it by mail, and you will have 30 days to respond. If the information does not arrive, the complaint may be closed for lack of investigative merit.
Investigations
The Transit Coordinator investigates within 60 days of receiving a complete complaint. Based on what is learned, the coordinator prepares a report of findings with a recommended action for the Director of Transportation Services. Complaints should be settled informally whenever possible, and any informal efforts and their outcomes are summarized in the report.
Final Decision
Within 90 days of receiving your complaint, you will get a written notice from the Director of Transportation Services describing the final decision and the proposed resolution. The letter also explains your right to appeal to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) or the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) if you disagree with the outcome. When the investigation wraps up, the Transit Coordinator also sends TxDOT and USDOT a copy of the decision and a summary of findings.
Federal Transit Administration
You may also send your Title VI complaint directly to the FTA Office of Civil Rights, addressed to the Title VI Program Coordinator.
ADA Complaints
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), in Title II, requires Fred Connection to make its programs and services accessible to people with disabilities. This procedure fulfills the program's Title II duty to offer a grievance process. If accessibility barriers kept you from using a Fred Connection program or service, or you believe you were treated unfairly because of a disability, you may file a complaint under the ADA.
Submitting an ADA Complaint
Fill out the ADA Complaint Form for Fred Connection.
If you need another way to file, email the Transit Manager at [email protected]. Let us know whether the complaint relates to your disability, and include enough facts to show how. If you give us an email address, you will receive an acknowledgment within three business days. If you ask for a response and provide enough contact information, you will get the results within 20 business days.
This process is meant to meet Fred Connection's obligations under the ADA. It covers anyone who alleges disability discrimination in the way Fred Connection provides its services, activities, programs or benefits, and it is designed to settle ADA concerns quickly and effectively. Each complaint is investigated under the Fred Connection ADA complaint procedure.
Appealing an ADA Decision
Not satisfied with how your complaint was resolved? You may appeal to the Transportation Director using the ADA Appeal Form.
Appeals are due within 30 calendar days of when you received your results or when you first filed, whichever is later. Your appeal must be in writing and lay out every fact and argument showing why you believe the complaint was not handled properly. The Transportation Department's ADA Coordinator or a designee will review it and reply in writing within 30 calendar days.
To file an appeal in another format, contact the Transportation Department's ADA Coordinator or a designee at (555) 010-7671 or [email protected]. Fred Connection keeps complaints, appeals and responses on file for a minimum of one year.
Why Isn't Fredville Part of a Regional Transit System?
When the regional transit authority was formed, member cities had to dedicate a one-cent sales tax to join. Fredville chose to keep that penny for other uses. Joining today would take a public vote to commit a full cent of sales tax, and Fredville does not have that much sales tax capacity to spare. The city does have a park-and-ride lot along the interstate, east of Kestrel Line Road, and is in talks with the regional transit authority about serving it in the future. West Redstone Station, a rail stop near Kestrel Line Road and Quarrystone Road, also serves Fredville riders.
Who Can Ride Fred Connection?
Service is open to residents 60 and older and to residents with a physical or mental disability.
Riders who qualify through a disability must have Part V of the application completed by a physician or licensed health care professional.
Fredville is a demonstration city built by Talk to Fred. Names, numbers and details on this page are sample content.