Important Update

Thank you for your patience as we continue vetting and onboarding new drivers to better serve the Bloomington-Normal community and your ride needs.

Over the past several months, we’ve experienced an increase in no-shows and late cancellations, particularly from ride requests made by phone or text. In many of these cases, riders were added manually without an upfront payment method on file. As a result, our dedicated drivers arrived at scheduled pickups with no rider present—creating lost time, lost income, and unnecessary strain on our team. This stops now.

Effective Immediately – Booking & Request Policy

Until the Neighborly Rideshare app completes its final build, primary ride requests must be made throughneighborlyrideshare.com using Square Bookings for all current and new riders between the ages of 18 and 65. Online booking allows you to view real-time availability, enter ride details seamlessly, and manage your account and appointments in one place.

Text requests will now serve as a secondary backup only and will be used solely if our online booking system is temporarily unavailable due to maintenance.

Phone ride requests will be limited to:

  • Senior citizens 65 and older

  • Individuals with verified accessibility needs

Phone support remains available to all users for non-booking matters such as Ride Weekly questions, billing concerns, or safety concerns.

New users who attempt to request a ride via text will be sent a direct link to our website and Square Bookings and instructed to complete online booking as their primary method.

Eligible phone-based riders will have their payment method securely added by a dispatch agent during the call.

NRS App (Beta) Users (IMPORTANT)

Important Service Update for NRS Beta Users

Effective immediately, the Neighborly Rideshare (NRS) Beta Tester program is concluding. All riders and drivers will now exclusively use the Square Appointments / POS system for booking, checkout, and payment processing.

Ride Weekly Users

Riders with Ride Weekly deal or locked-in pricing for trips averaging 11 minutes or longer will see those rates carry over to their Square account, along with updated Terms of Service reflecting this transition. No action is required at this time beyond maintaining a valid payment method on file.

Ride Now & Ride Later Users

Riders not on deal or weekly pricing will now be charged based on real-time Google Maps GPS ride duration, rather than historical or average trip times.

What this means for you:

  • If your usual ride averages 8 minutes, but today’s trip is 7 minutes, your price will be lower (for example, $7.95 including terminal fee instead of the usual $9.00).

  • If your ride time fluctuates upward (for example, 9 minutes), your fare will adjust accordingly (for example, $10.05).

This model ensures fair, transparent, real-time pricing—you pay for the ride time you actually use, not an estimated average. Shorter trips cost less, longer trips adjust proportionally.

Why This Change

This transition allows us to:

  • Improve billing accuracy and transparency

  • Reduce system overlap and maintenance interruptions

  • Ensure consistent service during platform updates

  • Better protect both riders and independent drivers

We sincerely thank all of our beta testers for helping us test, learn, and improve. Your feedback has played a critical role in shaping the platform as it continues to evolve.

As always, we remain committed to providing a reliable, accountable, and community-focused ride experience. If you have questions or need assistance during this transition, our team is here to help.

Thank you for riding with us—and for growing with us.

Payment & Dispatch Requirements

Please note: We will not dispatch an independent contract driver without a valid payment method on file and complete ride details.

If a rider incurs a no-show or late cancellation fee and the payment method fails, an invoice will be sent via phone or email. Failure to resolve the invoice will result in a temporary pause of account access and advance scheduling privileges.

All users who do not currently have a Square account with a valid payment method on file will be sent a direct link to complete setup. This must be completed before any service can be provided.

Why This Matters

These updates are designed to:

  • Protect drivers from uncompensated time and preventable losses

  • Improve safety by reducing distracted driving from text and phone dispatch

  • Minimize response delays caused by overlapping phone calls and manual processing

  • Create a more reliable, accountable experience for everyone

We sincerely appreciate your understanding, trust, and support over these past three years. We are proud to serve this community and deeply value our riders—but we must also protect our drivers, who are working just as hard to support themselves and their families.

Accountability matters—for all of us.
Thank you.