Finding Local Senior Transportation and Volunteer Driver Programs

You may not drive as much as you once did. You may have stopped driving at night. Or you may have given up your car for good. You still need to get to the doctor. You still need food, drugs, and time with friends.

Good rides do exist in most towns. They are just not in one place. Some rides come from your town or county. Some come from a senior center. Some come from kind folks who drive for free. This guide shows you where to look first, who to call, and what to ask.

This guide is part of our Aging at Home hub. If you are just starting to think about driving less, see our guide to planning transportation when driving becomes difficult. If a bus is hard for you to use, read our guide to understanding paratransit applications and service limitations.

Key takeaways

• Start with the Eldercare Locator. Call 1-800-677-1116 or go to eldercare.acl.gov. It links you to local aging help, and rides are on that list.
• Your local Area Agency on Aging knows the ride programs in your county. It can run some rides, fund some rides, or tell you who does.
• Senior centers often run vans or shuttles. Many faith groups and aid groups run free rides with volunteer drivers.
• Volunteer driver programs are in many towns. A volunteer drives you in a car or van, most often to care or to shops.
• Medicaid covers rides to covered care when you have no other way to get there. This is called non-emergency medical transportation, or NEMT.
• Original Medicare does not pay for routine rides to visits. It pays for an ambulance only when a car would put your health at risk. Some Medicare Advantage plans add a ride benefit, so check your own plan.
• Most local rides need you to book ahead. Ask about cost, pick-up help, and wheelchairs when you call.

Start with one call: the Eldercare Locator

The best first step is free. The Eldercare Locator is a service of the Administration for Community Living. That agency is part of the U.S. government. The agency, known as ACL, says the Locator links older adults, families, and care partners to trusted local help. That help includes meals, home care, rides, training for care partners, and rest support.

You can call 1-800-677-1116. You can also search at eldercare.acl.gov. Tell them your ZIP code and what you need. They will link you to the aging office that serves your town.

ACL also lists ways to find rides on its site. It says ACL runs the Eldercare Locator to help older adults find services, including transportation. That one call can save you days of searching on your own.

Write down the names and phone numbers they give you. Then call each one. Programs change, and local staff know what is open now.

What your local Area Agency on Aging can do

Your Area Agency on Aging is your local aging office. USAging is the national group for these agencies. USAging says these agencies exist in nearly every community in the country. It also says you can contact your local agency to arrange rides to medical visits for a loved one.

That help can take a few forms. The agency may run a van service of its own. It may pay a local group to run rides. It may give you a list of trusted ride programs near you. It may also help you plan a mix of rides. One program can cover care trips. A second can cover shops and visits.

Ask the agency these things:

If you care for a spouse or a parent, you can call too. USAging lists rides as one of the ways agencies help care partners, not just the person who needs the ride.

• What ride programs serve my street and my town?
• Which ones go to the doctor, and which go to shops or senior centers?
• Do any programs use volunteer drivers?
• Is there a wait list, and how do I join it?
• What does each ride cost, and is help with cost offered?

Senior centers and local ride programs

Your town senior center is a good next call. Many centers run a van or a small bus on set days. A van may take you to the center for lunch. It may take a group to a food store. It may run to clinics on certain days of the week.

These rides are often low cost or free. They tend to stay close to home. You may need to join the center first. You may need to book a seat a day or more ahead.

Faith groups, aid groups, and town groups also run rides in many places. Your Area Agency on Aging and the Eldercare Locator can tell you which ones serve your area. So can your senior center. Ask them by name for volunteer driver programs. That phrase will help staff find the right list for you.

How volunteer driver programs work

A volunteer driver program matches you with a person who drives for free. The driver may use their own car. The program may use a van it owns. Programs are often run by a senior center, a faith group, a town group, or your Area Agency on Aging.

The Federal Transit Administration, or FTA, lists volunteer driver programs as one kind of project that can get funds to help older adults and people with disabilities get around. Its program is called Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities, or Section 5310. The FTA says this program helps when regular transit is not there, is not enough, or does not fit the need. It funds work in large towns, small towns, and rural areas.

That tells you two true things. First, volunteer rides are a real, known part of senior rides in the U.S. Second, no two towns run them the same way. One town may offer rides only to care. A town nearby may offer rides to shops, banks, and church too.

Most programs ask you to:

Ask if the driver can wait for you, help you to the door, or carry a bag. Ask if a family member or care partner can ride with you. Rules vary, so ask each time you join a new program.

To learn how lift vans and other access rides work, see our guide to arranging accessible rides and mobility device transportation.

• Sign up first, before you need a ride.
• Book days ahead, not on the same day.
• Ride in the town or county the program serves.
• Be able to get in and out of a car with a little help, unless the van has a lift.

Public transit, reduced fares, and paratransit

Do not rule out the bus. If a bus route runs near your home, it may be the cheapest ride you have. The FTA says that transit providers that get federal funds may not charge more than half of the peak fare for fixed route transit during off-peak hours for seniors, people with disabilities, and Medicare cardholders. Ask your local transit office how to get the reduced fare and what proof you need.

If you cannot use a fixed route bus due to a health limit, you may qualify for paratransit. Paratransit is a shared ride service that picks you up and drops you off, rather than using set stops. The FTA notes that the choice on who can use paratransit rests on how well you can use the fixed route bus, not just on a diagnosis. You must apply, and there are limits on where and when vans run. Our guide to understanding paratransit applications and service limitations walks through the steps and the limits in plain terms.

The FTA Section 5310 program also funds buses and vans, wheelchair lifts and ramps, travel training, and non-emergency medical transportation. So the van that picks you up may be paid for in part by this federal program, even if you book it through your town or senior center.

When driving gets hard, make a plan early

The best time to find rides is before you need one the same day. Make a short list now. Put the Eldercare Locator number at the top. Add your Area Agency on Aging, your senior center, and one or two volunteer programs. Note which rides go to care, which go to shops, and how far ahead each one needs you to book.

Our guide to planning transportation when driving becomes difficult can help you build that plan step by step. A plan means a missed ride does not turn into a missed doctor visit.

Keep the list on your fridge. Share a copy with family. If your health or your car use changes, call the programs again and update your list.

Rides for medical care: Medicaid and Medicare rules

Rides to care have their own rules. They differ a lot by the coverage you have.

If you have Medicaid, ask about non-emergency medical transportation. Medicaid calls these rides NEMT. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, says Medicaid NEMT is a key benefit for people who need to get to and from medical services but have no means of transportation. Federal rules require states to ensure that eligible Medicaid beneficiaries have NEMT to take them to and from providers.

CMS also notes that every state Medicaid program is different. Your state may use a broker, a health plan, or local groups to arrange rides. You may need to show you have no other way to get there. CMS lists needs that can count. These include not having a valid driver's license, not having a working car at home, being unable to travel or wait alone, or having a physical or mental limit. Call your state Medicaid office or your Medicaid health plan. Ask how to book NEMT in your state. Do not assume a ride to a non-covered service will be paid for. Ask first.

If you have Original Medicare, the rule is much more narrow. Medicare.gov says Part B covers ground ambulance transportation when traveling in any other vehicle could endanger your health. You must need medically necessary services from a hospital or a skilled nursing facility, among other listed places. In some cases, Medicare may pay for non-emergency ambulance transportation if you have a written order from your doctor. That order must say the ambulance is medically necessary. Medicare will only cover ambulance services to the nearest appropriate facility that can give you the care you need. After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for a covered ambulance ride.

That means Original Medicare does not pay for a routine ride in a car or van to a check-up, just because you no longer drive. For those trips, look to Medicaid if you have it, a local program, or a Medicare Advantage ride benefit if your plan offers one.

Medicare Advantage plans are Medicare-approved plans from private companies. Medicare.gov says these bundled plans include Part A, Part B, and usually Part D. Plans may offer some extra benefits that Original Medicare does not. Some Medicare Advantage plans offer rides to care as one of those extra benefits. Not all plans do. The number of rides and the rules vary by plan. Read your plan's Evidence of Coverage. Or call the number on your plan card. Ask if rides are covered, how many, and how to book them.

Who covers what

• Medicare: Original Medicare does not pay for routine rides to doctor visits in a car, van, or taxi. Part B pays for ground ambulance transportation only when travel in any other vehicle could endanger your health and you need medically necessary care. In some cases it pays for non-emergency ambulance transport with a written doctor order that it is medically necessary. For a covered ambulance ride, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after you meet the Part B deductible. Some Medicare Advantage plans offer rides to care as an extra benefit. Check your own plan, as not all plans offer it and limits vary.
• Medicaid: Medicaid covers non-emergency medical transportation, or NEMT, for eligible beneficiaries who need a ride to and from providers for covered care and have no other means of transportation. States must ensure this transportation. Each state runs it in its own way. Rules on who qualifies and how to book vary by state. A ride to a place that is not a covered medical service is not covered as NEMT.
• Private pay: Local senior rides from an Area Agency on Aging, a senior center, or a volunteer driver program are often free, by donation, or low cost. That is set by the local program, not by Medicare or Medicaid. If no program covers your trip, you pay on your own for a taxi, a ride service, or a private medical ride company. Ask the fare before you book. Ask if a reduced fare or a voucher is offered in your town.

Questions to ask when you call

A short call goes better with a short list. Have this list by the phone:

Write the answers down. Programs that sound the same can work in very different ways.

• Do you serve my home address, and where will you take me?
• Do I need to sign up, and is there a wait?
• How many days ahead must I book?
• What does the ride cost? Is there a reduced fare or free ride for those in need?
• Can the driver help me to the door? Can someone ride with me?
• Can you take a wheelchair, a walker, or a scooter? See our guide to arranging accessible rides and mobility device transportation for what to check.
• What time will you pick me up for the ride home?
• What do I do if I need to cancel?

Sample Situation

Ruth lives alone in a small town and no longer drives at night. She needs a ride to a clinic in the next town twice a month, and a ride to buy food each week. Her daughter helps her make calls on a Sunday afternoon. First, they call the Eldercare Locator and get the number for the local Area Agency on Aging. That office tells them about a senior center van for food trips and a volunteer driver program for clinic trips. Ruth signs up for both that week. She learns she must book the volunteer ride a few days ahead, and that the driver can walk her to the clinic door. For the food trip, she books a seat on the center van. Ruth puts both phone numbers on her fridge. She now has a plan she can use on her own, and her daughter has the same list at home.

Your next step

Once you have a ride plan, you may want to see what care and support you can reach near home. Browse local providers and services in our provider directory to find care you can now get to with the rides you have found.

Sources

• https://acl.gov/help
• https://acl.gov/TransportationCenter/FindServices
• https://usaging.org/content.asp?contentid=1803
• https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/civil-rights-ada/frequently-asked-questions
• https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/enhanced-mobility-seniors-individuals-disabilities-section-5310
• https://www.cms.gov/medicare-medicaid-coordination/fraud-prevention/medicaid-integrity-education/downloads/nemt-booklet.pdf
• https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/assurance-of-transportation
• https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/ambulance-services
• https://www.medicare.gov/publications/12026-Understanding-Medicare-Advantage-Plans.pdf
• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/MTA_Celebrates_31st_Anniversary_of_ADA_(51337536704