How non-emergency medical transportation works: who provides it and what to expect.
Non-emergency medical transportation — NEMT — is the system of services that gets people to medical appointments when they cannot drive themselves and do not need an ambulance. Whether a ride is free or low-cost, who schedules it, and who actually shows up at your door depends entirely on which type of provider is involved. Understanding the landscape of NEMT providers helps you find the right one for your situation faster and set realistic expectations about scheduling, reliability, and what the ride will look like.
This page focuses on the provider side — who delivers NEMT, how each type of service works, and what the experience is actually like. If you want to know whether you are entitled to free transportation through Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance, that is covered on the Medicaid and insurance transportation benefits page. If you are a senior looking for age-specific programs, see senior transportation services. If you have a disability, see [transportation for people with disabilities.
Volunteer driver programs
Volunteer driver programs are community-based services in which trained volunteers use their own vehicles to transport people to medical appointments and other destinations. They are typically organized by nonprofits, faith communities, or local agencies, and they operate on donations and community goodwill rather than government contracts.
The practical experience of a volunteer ride: a volunteer calls or messages the day before to confirm pickup time, arrives at your home in a personal vehicle, drives you to the appointment, and often waits and drives you back. The vehicle is not a specialized medical transport van — it is a regular car. Most programs serve people with mobility challenges but cannot accommodate power wheelchairs or patients requiring medical monitoring during transit. A small donation for fuel is typically requested but not required.
Volunteer programs vary enormously by location. Some are well-organized with scheduling systems and reliable availability. Others are smaller and may not have drivers available on short notice. They are best for patients who can schedule in advance, have appointments that are not time-critical, and do not need specialized vehicle equipment.
Finding volunteer programs in your area: dial 211, contact your county's human services office, or reach out to local organizations such as the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, or St. Vincent de Paul. Your local Area Agency on Aging (call 1-800-677-1116 to reach Eldercare for referrals) coordinates volunteer transportation in many communities and can connect you with programs specific to your county.
Condition-specific nonprofit programs
Some disease-focused nonprofits operate or fund transportation programs for patients managing specific conditions. These are among the most underused NEMT resources because patients often do not know they exist.
The American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program is one of the best-established examples. Volunteer drivers provide free transportation to cancer treatment appointments — chemotherapy, radiation, and related care — for patients who cannot drive themselves and have no one to take them. Road to Recovery operates through local ACS offices across the country. To find a local program and request a ride, visit https://www.cancer.org/support-programs-and-services/road-to-recovery.html or call 1-800-227-2345. Availability varies by location, and rides typically need to be requested several days in advance.
The National Kidney Foundation and American Kidney Fund assist dialysis patients specifically, since the three-times-weekly treatment schedule creates an unusually intense ongoing transportation need. These programs are covered in detail on the dialysis transportation page.
Other disease-specific nonprofits — organizations focused on multiple sclerosis, ALS, Parkinson's disease, and other conditions — sometimes operate or fund local transportation assistance. If you are managing a specific condition, contact the national organization for that condition and ask whether transportation assistance is available in your area.
ITNAmerica
ITNAmerica (Independent Transportation Network America) is a national nonprofit that provides door-to-door transportation for seniors and adults with visual impairments through a network of local affiliates. What distinguishes ITNAmerica from a standard volunteer driver program is the level of assistance provided — drivers help passengers get in and out of the vehicle, escort them to their destination (not just to the door), and stay with them as needed. This makes it appropriate for passengers who need more hands-on support than a basic volunteer ride provides.
ITNAmerica affiliates may charge modest fares, but ride credits, local sponsorships, and grants may reduce or eliminate cost for low-income users in some communities. Availability is entirely dependent on whether an affiliate operates in your area. Find a local affiliate at https://www.itnamerica.org/ or call 1-207-857-9001.
Medicaid-contracted private NEMT companies
When Medicaid NEMT is the funding source for a ride, the actual transportation is almost never provided by Medicaid directly. States contract with transportation brokers who manage the NEMT benefit on their behalf, and those brokers in turn contract with local and regional private NEMT companies to provide the actual rides.
This is why a Medicaid-covered NEMT ride might arrive as a standard sedan, a wheelchair-accessible van, or in some states a rideshare vehicle — the broker selects the appropriate vehicle type based on the patient's needs and what is available. The broker coordinates the scheduling; the private company or rideshare driver executes the trip.
Several national NEMT companies operate across multiple states as Medicaid-contracted providers. These companies do not take direct bookings from patients — rides are arranged through the state Medicaid broker. But knowing these companies exist helps explain what you may encounter when a Medicaid-covered ride arrives.
- Modivcare (formerly LogistiCare) is one of the largest Medicaid NEMT brokers in the country, operating in numerous states. If your state uses Modivcare as its NEMT broker, scheduling goes through them. Their general information is at https://www.modivcare.com/.
- Veyo provides Medicaid NEMT brokerage services in several states including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Michigan, and others. Contact information and state availability at https://veyo.com/.
- MTM, Inc. operates NEMT programs in multiple states. Their location and contact information is at https://mtm.work/.
- American Logistics provides NEMT services nationally. General information at https://americanlogistics.com/.
These companies are listed as reference — again, patients do not typically call them directly. The entry point is always your state Medicaid office or managed care plan, which will direct you to the correct broker for your state.
Rideshare: consumer apps and healthcare platforms
Uber and Lyft serve the NEMT space in two distinct ways that are worth distinguishing.
The consumer-facing accessible services — Uber WAV and Lyft Access — provide wheelchair-accessible vehicles and assisted rides that passengers book directly through the standard apps. These are on-demand services available in participating markets, appropriate for ambulatory patients or those using manual wheelchairs who need flexible, same-day transportation.
The healthcare-specific platforms — Uber Health and Lyft Healthcare — work differently. Hospitals, clinics, health plans, and NEMT brokers use these platforms to arrange rides for patients, with the cost billed to the healthcare entity rather than the patient. The patient receives a text with ride details and a driver arrives at the scheduled time — no app or account required. These rides are appropriate for ambulatory patients who do not need accessible vehicles or hands-on assistance.
In states where Medicaid NEMT brokers have integrated rideshare into their programs, eligible Medicaid patients may find that some covered rides are fulfilled through these platforms. If you have accessibility needs and a broker or provider is scheduling a ride for you, specify your requirements clearly when booking so an appropriate vehicle is dispatched.
Full details on both the consumer and healthcare rideshare services — including availability, pricing, WAV dimensions, ADA rights, and tips for use — are at accessible rideshare for disabled and elderly riders.
Community action agencies
Community action agencies are nonprofit organizations that receive federal and state funding to serve low-income residents and operate in most counties across the country. Many community action agencies operate transportation programs as part of their broader services — sometimes as a dedicated transportation program, sometimes as coordination with local volunteer networks or transit authorities.
Services vary widely by agency. Some run their own vans and provide scheduled medical transportation. Others provide referrals, help patients navigate Medicaid NEMT, or offer one-time emergency transportation assistance when a patient faces an immediate need. Community action agencies are particularly useful as a starting point when you are not sure what is available locally — staff generally know the transportation landscape in their area and can point you in the right direction.
Find your local community action agency through the community action agency directory.
Hospital and health system transportation programs
Many hospitals and health systems — particularly safety-net hospitals, cancer centers, and dialysis facilities — operate their own patient transportation programs or have partnerships with transportation providers. These programs exist because patient no-shows are expensive, and getting patients to appointments consistently is in the provider's interest as well as the patient's.
If you have an upcoming appointment at a hospital, specialty clinic, or treatment center, call the patient services, social work, or case management department before your appointment and ask whether transportation assistance is available. These programs are rarely advertised. Cancer treatment centers and dialysis facilities are most likely to have them; primary care clinics less so. Your care team's social worker, if you have one, is the best person to ask.
What type of provider to look for in your situation
The right NEMT provider depends on what you actually need. A few practical guidelines:
If you have Medicaid, start with your state's NEMT broker — it is likely the most comprehensive and reliable option and it is free. Contact your Medicaid office or managed care plan to get the broker's number and scheduling process.
If you have a specific condition (cancer, kidney disease, a disability), check condition-specific nonprofits before assuming no free options exist. Road to Recovery and the kidney disease nonprofits are well-established and worth a direct call.
If you need occasional rides and have flexibility on scheduling, a volunteer program may be sufficient and is often the simplest to access.
If you need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, confirm wheelchair accessibility explicitly when booking any ride — volunteer programs, private NEMT companies, and rideshare providers have varying availability of accessible vehicles. Paratransit is usually the most reliable source of accessible vehicles for ongoing needs.
If your medical provider is arranging the ride, ask your social worker or care coordinator whether they use Uber Health, Lyft Healthcare, or a contracted NEMT company — this helps you know what to expect.
This page provides general educational information about non-emergency medical transportation providers and programs. Availability, eligibility, and service areas vary by location and change over time. Contact programs directly to confirm current offerings and how to schedule service.
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