RYDE Client Manual

CONTENTS

RYDE OVERVIEW

The RYDE Program provides young people the opportunity to complete their 50 hours of supervised driving experience with a volunteer Driving Mentor.

Many young people find it difficult to complete the 50 hours of driving experience required for a Western Australian Driver’s Licence.  This might be because they don’t have access to an appropriate vehicle, or a qualified person to spend all of those hours in the passenger seat.  The RYDE program connects Learner Drivers with a Volunteer Mentor and vehicle, so that they can achieve their Licence and all of the opportunities that come with it.

The RYDE Program is a collaborative response to the Western Australian Government’s change from 25 to 50 supervised driving hours in November 2012.  This change was as a result of research showing that the main cause of novice drivers being involved in a crash was inexperience.  It takes time to develop the skills and abilities needed to become a good driver, and novice driver crashes usually occur because new drivers simply make mistakes.  The increase in recorded supervised driving hours provides novice drivers greater opportunity to acquire the necessary skills and develop good driving behaviour.

A side effect of these changes has been the marginalisation of young people with limited access to suitable vehicles or Mentors with which to undertake these requirements.  The RYDE Program seeks to use technology in the areas of; induction, communication, bookings, payments and risk management to offer a sustainable program model.  Volunteer Mentor programs delivered in the Eastern States rely on significant and continuous funding streams for continued operation.  The RYDE model by comparison, leverages the in-kind support of multiple agencies specialising in specific aspects of the Program, linked by a proprietary software platform.

The RYDE software significantly reduces the human input required to deliver the Program by automating and coordinating as many aspects as possible.

Top

1. ELIGIBILITY AND SUPPORT

1.1. Eligibility

To be eligible for the RYDE program, young people aged 16 to 25 need to be experiencing barriers to completing their compulsory ‘Log Book’ hours.  This could be because you don’t have access to a suitable vehicle, or someone with 4 years’ experience to accompany you.

If you plan to participate in the RYDE program, you need to have completed the ‘learning to drive’ phase of obtaining your Driver’s Licence, we recommend that some lessons are done with a professional driving instructor, however this is not essential.  This is to ensure that the RYDE sessions are focussed on gaining experience and honing skills.  Before you can begin participating in the Program, you will need to pass an assessment by one of the RYDE Program’s partner Driving Schools, regardless of previous experience.  The standard required by this assessment is by no means what would be expected to successfully pass the Department of Transport’s Practical Driving Assessment. You just need to possess skills for basic vehicle operation, understanding of road rules and, demonstrate that you would generally not pose a significant risk to other road users.

Each RYDE Program has its own criteria regarding eligibility, often including geographical boundaries. These requirements can be found at each Program’s information page on the RYDE website.

All sessions must commence and conclude at the RYDE Shopfront. ‘Pick-ups’, and ‘Drop-offs’ at other locations are not permitted unless specifically authorised by the Program Manager.

Most RYDE Programs use automatic transmission vehicles for Driving Sessions.  You are still able to gain the required experience hours in this type of vehicle even if intending to get a ‘Manual’ licence.

1.2. Support

Participation within the RYDE Program may only occur if you are in regular contact with your Support Worker. If you become uncontactable by your Support Worker, it may lead to the suspension or eventual cancellation of your account.

Top

 2. CONFIDENTIALITY AND BOUNDARIES

All communication between you and Driving Mentors will need to occur through the RYDE website.  Sharing phone numbers, addresses, meeting outside of RYDE sessions, or involvement in each other’s Social Media is not permitted.

The RYDE Program does not allow you and Mentors to arrange to have contact with one another outside of the Program and Mentors are not permitted to provide lifts to school, home or work, at the beginning or conclusion of driving sessions.

You need to be aware of the limits of confidentiality in the RYDE Program, and that discussions of a concerning nature may be recorded as case notes and forwarded to the Support Worker.  Information will only be shared if directly affects your wellbeing or support needs.

Top

3. DRIVING SESSIONS

Driving sessions consist of 90 minute driving activities with the Learner spending most of the time in control of the vehicle.  Mentors will guide your on-road drills during each Session based on areas of need.

To allow for tight scheduling of Sessions, they will commence and conclude at the RYDE Shop Front.  If the RYDE Program needs to cancel a Session, you will receive an SMS and a refund of your Credit Codes.

Clients need to arrive at the scheduled Sessions on time.  If you arrive late, you may be able to have a shortened Session as long as the Mentor has remained on site.  Clients are required to wear appropriate footwear and must always present a current Learner’s Permit prior to the session.  Bringing your Log Book will allow the Mentor to sign off on the hours completed.

3.1.            Driving Session Start and Finish Location

All Driving Sessions start and finish at the at the RYDE Shopfront

A map showing the location is emailed to the Client.

Top

4. DRIVING ASSESSMENT

Learner Drivers wishing to participate in RYDE must first undertake a ‘Driving Assessment’ by one of the Program’s partnered Driving Schools.  This is a condition of entry to the Program regardless of your existing level of experience.

You will not be able to book Driving Sessions until you have undertaken and received a positive driving assessment.

Learners must have a profile on the RYDE Software before undertaking the assessment.

4.1. Process for booking a Driving Assessment

  1. Be assessed by a Support Worker for RYDE eligibility
  2. Create a RYDE profile with the help of your Support Worker
  3. Contact one of the partnered Driving Schools to book a RYDE driving assessment.
  4. Ensure that you inform them you would like a ‘RYDE Assessment’ and not just a regular driving lesson
  5. Once the Driving School signs off, you will receive an SMS and email confirming it has been completed.  If you do not receive this within 24 hours please contact the Driving School directly. Only the Driving school to complete this step.

Top

5. LOGGING INTO RYDE

5.1. How to log into RYDE

  1. Go to the RYDE website ryde.org.au
  2. Click on the Login button in the top right hand corner
  3. Enter your email address and password
  4. Click the blue Login button
  5. If your password and email are correct you will be logged into RYDE
  6. If your email and/or password are incorrect an error message will appear and you will need to check the email and password are correct and enter them again
  7. If you are still having issues contact your RYDE Support Worker

5.2. Forgotten password

  1. Click on the Forgot Your Password? link next to the blue login button
  2. Enter your email address and click the blue Send Password Reset Link button
  3. An email will be sent to you with a web link
  4. Click on the link and your web browser will open
  5. Enter your email address in the ‘Email Address’ box
  6. Enter your new password in the ‘Password’ box
  7. Confirm your password
  8. Click the blue Reset Password button
  9. Your new password will have been updated and you will be logged into RYDE

5.3. Forgotten email address

If you have forgotten your email address please contact your Support Worker who will be able to reset it or remind you of it

Top

6. EDITING AND UPDATING YOUR DETAILS

If you need to update your email address, mobile phone number or change your password, do the following:

  1. Log in using your username and password as described in section 5.1
  2. Click on the My Account tab
  3. Edit the details you wish to change
  4. If you do not want to change your password, leave it blank
  5. Click the blue Update My Account button

Top

7. RYDE CREDITS

7.1. About RYDE Credit

RYDE allows you to access and book Sessions within the calendar once you have purchased RYDE Credit.  To allow the system to remain generally automated, the methods of purchasing these Credits are via Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  If you experience difficulty accessing these payment methods, you should discuss the issue with your Support Worker who may be able to arrange other methods of payment.

Each RYDE Credit costs $15.

RYDE Credit are forfeited if you fail to show up at scheduled Sessions or cancel within 24 hours of a Session.

7.2. Purchase Credit Codes

  1. Click the RYDE Credits tab in the menu bar
  2. Click the green Purchase more codes credit codes button button
  3. Choose the number of Codes you wish to purchase in the Number of Codes field.
    It is recommended that only only purchased as small amount of Credits at a time, as refunds are not given.
  4. Click the orange Pay by Credit Card, Debit Card or PayPal button
  5. You will be directed to the ‘Payment Gateway’ page
  6. Complete all relevant payment details

Top

8. BOOKING AND CANCELLING SESSIONS

8.1. Book a Session

    1. Click the Book and Manage Sessions tab in the menu bar
    2. A list of available sessions will appear
    3. To find out more about the available Mentors, click on their ‘Mentor Info’ button
    4. To book one of these RYDE sessions, simply click on the ‘Select’ button, and confirm.
    5. Once the booking is complete, you will receive a Text Message and an email as confirmation.

8.2. Cancel a Session

  1. Log into your profile
  2. On the home screen, scroll to the upcoming sessions section
  3. Find the session you wish to cancel and then click on red Cancel Session cancel session button
  4. Confirm you want to cancel the session when the dialogue box appears
  5. The page will refresh and the session will now have been cancelled
  6. The RYDE Credit is forfeited if you cancel within 24 hours of a Session

Top

9. GOT YOUR LICENCE

We want to know when you get your licence. It’s an awesome achievement.

  1. Log into your account as shown in section 5
  2. Click the I got my licence! tab in the menu bar
  3. Click the green I got my licence! i got my licence button

Top

10. SUSPENDED ACCOUNT

The RYDE Program has inbuilt parameters that will cause your account to automatically suspended if they are met.  These two parameters, detailed in section 11 and 12 of this manual, include too many ‘No Shows’ and repeat cancellations.

To have your account unsuspended you will need to contact your Support Worker.

Top

11. NO SHOWS

You are expected to arrive for your scheduled Driving Sessions on time.  If you do not turn up for your session it will count as a ‘no show’.  This will lead to the forfeit of that session’s RYDE Credit.

If a ‘no show’ is recorded for 3 sessions within a 6 month period, the RYDE Program will automatically suspend your account and notify your Support Worker.

Upon suspension, any and all future bookings in the RYDE software will be cancelled and refund RYDE Credit issued.

To have your account unsuspended you will need to contact your Support Worker.

Top

12. SESSION CANCELLATIONS

You can cancel existing booked Sessions at any time.

If you cancel with more than 24 hours’ notice, you will receive a refunded RYDE Credit.  Cancellations within 24 hours of the Driving Session will lead to a forfeit of that RYDE Credit.

In the unlikely situation where you book and cancel 12 Sessions within a 3 month period, your account will be suspended and your Support Worker will be notified.

Upon suspension any and all future bookings in the RYDE Software will be cancelled and refund RYDE Credit issued.

To have your account unsuspended you will need to contact your Support Worker.

Top

13. PROVIDING FEEDBACK

Feedback is an important part of making RYDE even better. You can use the feedback function to tell us about any aspect of the RYDE Program. This might be a suggestion on how to make it better or could be issues relating to one of the Driving Mentors you had.  Any feedback entered goes directly to the RYDE Program Manager to review and action as necessary.

To provide feedback:

  1. Log into your account as show in section 5 of this manual
  2. Click on the Feedback/Issues tab
  3. Enter your feedback in the large text box
  4. Click the blue Submit Feedback button

Top