What are Rideshare Missed Connections and How Can I Prevent Them? – Roundtrip

One of the biggest frustrations that Riders and Care Coordinators face with rideshare transports are "Missed Connections." These are cancellations that occur when the Rider and Rideshare Driver fail to connect at the pick-up location and complete the ride as requested. This can happen due to two major scenarios:

The driver cancels the ride at their own discretion

The driver cancels the ride as a “Passenger No Show”

Continue reading below to better understand these missed connection scenarios and learn how to prevent them in the future.

Missed Connection - Canceled By Driver

A ride may be canceled by the rideshare driver upon arriving at the pick-up location if the ride is beyond their preferred scope. When drivers mark their arrival at the pick-up location in their respective rideshare app, they gain access to details such as total distance, estimated duration, and requested drop-off location. If the driver decides they are unwilling to complete the ride after reviewing these details, they may choose to cancel it at their own discretion.

Once the driver cancels the ride, both you and your rider will be notified, provided that notifications were enabled for the ride. If the ride is still needed, it can be redispatched within Roundtrip by you or another Care Coordinator (more on this below). Alternatively, you or your rider may also contact our Navigation Center at (877) 396-8080 for assistance with redispatching the ride. As another option, if text message notifications are enabled for the ride, the rider can also text to redispatch their ride.

Missed Connection - Passenger No Show

A rideshare driver can cancel a ride as a "Passenger No Show" if they wait for the rider for more than 5 minutes. According to Uber and Lyft's cancellation policies, drivers are only required to wait at the requested pick-up location for this duration before the ride qualifies for a cancellation and a subsequent cancellation fee.

These no-shows can occur for a few reasons:

Rider was not ready and waiting at the requested pick-up location

Rider took too much time to get to the requested pick-up location

Rider and/or Care Coordinator did not receive notifications to be advised of the driver’s arrival

Driver arrived to a nearby location but not the exact location where the rider was waiting

Other Scenarios That May Indicate a Missed Connection

My Rider Cannot Locate Their Driver

In some cases, riders may have difficulties locating their driver. stating they can not find their driver and the ride status is showing "To Patient" or "At Patient". We can provide the following steps to help the rider connect with their driver:

Review the ride in the Roundtrip Portal and ensure the ride status is either "To Patient" or "At Patient".

If the driver has already canceled the ride, a new ride will need to be dispatched.

Ensure that the pick-up address listed is correct for where the rider is waiting.

Ask the rider or have a staff member look outside to ensure the ride is not waiting nearby.

Contact the driver using the contact information listed in the portal or contact our 24/7 Navigation Center at (877) 396-8080 to assist in connecting with the driver.

Rideshare Drivers Keep Arriving to the Wrong Location

In some cases, rideshare drivers may arrive at nearby locations in error. This is because rideshare drivers operate off of GPS coordinates rather than the physical address booked within the ride. If a rider experiences multiple missed connections due to this issue, please call our 24/7 Navigation Center at (877) 396-8080 or email our Support Team at rideqa@roundtriphealth.com with the Ride ID so we can investigate further.

Costs for Cancelation Fees

For rideshare rides, cancelation fees can be incurred when there is a rider no-show/missed connection or if the ride is canceled after a driver is already en route. The criteria for a cancelation fee and the amount of the fee can vary depending on which rideshare partner was assigned to the ride:

Rideshare Partner	Cancelation Criteria	Cancelation Fee
Lyft	Driver arrives within 0.1 miles of the pick-up location Driver waits on scene for the rider for at least 5 minutes Driver attempts to make contact with the rider	Flat fee is assessed (varies by market)
Uber	Driver arrives within 0.1 miles of the pick-up location Driver waits on scene for the rider for at least 5 minutes	Dynamic fee is assessed based on the distance traveled by the driver for the pick-up

Cancelation fees incurred from our rideshare partners will be passed along to your organization at cost.

Redispatching a Canceled Rideshare Ride

If a rideshare ride is canceled but your rider still requires transportation, there’s a few ways to redispatch the ride. A redispatch is an attempt to quickly relaunch a canceled rideshare ride to find a new driver. There’s a few methods to request a redispatch of a canceled ride:

You or a staff member with Roundtrip access may redispatch the ride within the portal (more on this below).

If the rider has text notifications enabled, they may text “YES” to (215) 309-9702 to automatically redispatch their ride (for rides canceled due to a rider no-show only).

The rider or staff member may contact our 24/7 Navigation Center at (877) 396-8080 for assistance with redispatching the ride.

How to Redispatch a Ride within Roundtrip

Staff members with Roundtrip access can easily redispatch a rideshare ride right within the Roundtrip Portal. A redispatch effortlessly transfers all the details from the canceled ride to a new ride with a single click, saving you the time and effort of booking a new ride from scratch.

Note: Before redispatching a canceled ride, please ensure all ride information is correct, especially the pickup and drop-off locations. A redispatch simply copies all of the existing ride details so any incorrect information will transfer to the new ride. If any information is incorrect, you will need to rebook a new ride with the correct details instead.

To redispatch a ride within Roundtrip, first navigate to the Trip Details page for the canceled ride. Confirm all ride details are correct. If all details are accurate, click “Redispatch Ride” near the top of the page.

You’ll be prompted to confirm your selection to redispatch the ride. Click the “Redispatch Ride” button to continue.

The new ride will launch immediately to begin finding the nearest driver with our rideshare partners. You will automatically be navigated to the Trip Details page of the newly redispatched ride. You will see a banner at the top of the page where you can click to navigate back to the original canceled ride if needed.

The original canceled ride will now also have a banner linking you to the new redispatched ride.

Once the ride has been redispatched, you and your rider will receive notifications, if enabled, to stay up to date on the assignment and arrival of a driver for the new ride.

Preventing Missed Connections

We recognize the frustration that missed connections can cause for both your staff and riders. To prevent such incidents, we suggest evaluating the unique needs of your riders to confirm they are compatible with the services that rideshare transport can offer.

In addition, we recommend implementing the following strategies to further streamline the pick-up process:

Still need help? Contact our 24/7 Navigation Center at (877) 396-8080 or email our Support Team at rideqa@roundtriphealth.com for further assistance. Please be sure to include the Ride ID if inquiring about a specific ride. Learn how to locate the Ride ID here.