Elderly Transportation Services in Florida: Options, Costs & How to Book

Giving up the car keys does not have to mean giving up doctor visits, grocery trips or lunch with friends. Florida has more ride options for older adults than most families realize. The hard part is knowing which one fits, what it costs, and who to call. This guide explains each type of service, compares costs, and gives phone numbers for Florida's largest counties.

Types of Elderly Transportation Services

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (Medicaid Rides)

If you have Florida Medicaid, rides to covered medical care are part of your benefits. Non-emergency transportation is a required service in every Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) plan, including the Long-Term Care program, for people who have no other way to get there. (Source: Agency for Health Care Administration.)

• Where it goes: doctor, dental and mental health visits, dialysis, and other Medicaid-covered care. Long-Term Care members also get rides to their long-term care services, such as adult day care.
• What kind of vehicle: the least costly option that is medically right for you. That can be a bus pass, taxi, rideshare, wheelchair van or stretcher van.
• Cost: up to a $1 copay per trip, unless you are exempt or your plan waives it.
• Escorts: an escort can ride at no charge if you need personal help, are blind or deaf, or have a mental illness or intellectual disability.
• No trip limits: providers can't cap how many rides you take or deny a ride because of distance.

(Source: Florida Medicaid Non-Emergency Transportation Coverage Policy.)

County Paratransit (ADA Dial-a-Ride)

Every Florida bus system must offer ADA paratransit, a shared door-to-door or curb-to-curb van ride for people whose disability keeps them from using the regular bus. Eligibility is based on what you can do, not your age or diagnosis, and most agencies decide within 21 days. Federal rules say the fare can be no more than twice the regular bus fare. Agencies must take trip requests made the day before, and a personal care attendant rides free. (Source: 49 CFR 37.131.)

Florida's Transportation Disadvantaged Program

This state program is the one many families have never heard of. You may qualify if, because of age, income or a disability, you cannot drive and have no other way to get around. Each county has a Community Transportation Coordinator that groups riders into shared trips to medical care, work, shopping and other essential places. You must book ahead, and there may be a small fare set by your county. (Source: Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged.)

Find your county's coordinator on the Community Transportation Coordinator list, or call the Transportation Disadvantaged Helpline at 1-800-983-2435, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Volunteer Driver Programs

Nonprofits, faith groups and senior centers in many Florida communities use volunteer or staff drivers to take older adults to appointments and errands. Rides are often free or low cost, but you usually need to book days or weeks ahead, and the program may only cover a small area. Examples we confirmed:

• Neighborly Senior Care Network (Pinellas County): medical rides within 10 miles for adults 60 and older. Book at least 5 days and up to 3 weeks ahead. Call 727-573-9444, weekdays 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Source: Neighborly.)
• JFS Orlando RIDE Program (Orange and Seminole counties): two free round-trip rides a month within 10 miles for low-income seniors and adults with disabilities. Call 407-644-7593. (Source: Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando.)
• Senior Transport Services (Sarasota and Manatee counties): a membership ride service for people 60 and older or with a visual impairment that took over from the former ITNSuncoast. Call (888) 295-2376 to confirm current service and fees.

Your Area Agency on Aging knows which volunteer programs serve your area. Call the Elder Helpline at 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337).

Senior-Focused Rideshare

• GoGoGrandparent: lets you order an Uber or Lyft from any phone, with no smartphone or app, by calling 1-855-464-6872. It adds a concierge fee of $0.27 a minute from the start of the ride on top of the ride fare, and it has monthly membership plans. See current plans at GoGoGrandparent.com.
• Uber by phone: call 1-833-USE-UBER (1-833-873-8237) to request a ride in English or Spanish. You need a phone that can receive texts and a payment card on your Uber account. (Source: Uber.)
• Uber Health and Lyft Healthcare: these are booked for you by a doctor's office, hospital, health plan or ride broker, not by riders directly. Ask your clinic if it uses them. (Sources: Uber Health, Lyft Healthcare.)

About ITNAmerica: ITNAmerica currently lists no Florida affiliates. ITNSuncoast stopped service in 2021, so older lists that name it are out of date. (Source: ITNAmerica.)

Area Agency on Aging Transportation

Federal Older Americans Act money flows through Florida's 11 Area Agencies on Aging to local providers for people age 60 and older, and medical transportation is one of the services it can pay for. People in state programs such as Community Care for the Elderly, Home Care for the Elderly and the Alzheimer's Disease Initiative may also be able to get rides. What is available, and any wait list, depends on your county. (Sources: Florida Department of Elder Affairs, Elder Affairs transportation page.)

Assisted Living and Senior Community Shuttles

Many assisted living and independent living communities run a van for scheduled trips to doctors, stores and outings. Ask each community whether rides are included in the monthly fee or charged per trip, how far the van goes, and how much notice it needs. Compare communities in our guide to assisted living in Florida. Some in-home caregivers also drive clients to appointments; see our guide to home care for seniors.

Veterans Transportation

Veterans enrolled in VA health care can get rides to VA appointments, and to VA-approved community care, through the Veterans Transportation Service. Book online through VetRide or through the transportation contact at your VA medical center. Volunteer drivers with the DAV Transportation Network also give free rides to VA medical facilities; contact the DAV Hospital Service Coordinator at your nearest VA. (Sources: VA, DAV.)

How Much Does Elderly Transportation Cost in Florida?

Here is how the main options compare. Fares are from each program's official website as of September 2026 and can change.

What about Medicare? Original Medicare pays for ambulance rides only when traveling any other way could endanger your health. It does not pay for a car or van to routine doctor visits. (Source: Medicare.gov.) Some Medicare Advantage plans include rides to doctors as an extra benefit. Check your plan's Evidence of Coverage or call the plan. Learn more in our guide to Medicare options in Florida.

How to Qualify and Book a Ride

1. Write down the trip. Note the date, appointment time, pickup and drop-off addresses, and whether you need a wheelchair van, a walker, or someone to ride with you.
2. Start with Medicaid if you have it. Call your plan's transportation vendor (the number is on your member card or from your plan) at least 3 business days ahead. Not in a plan? Call the Medicaid Helpline at 1-877-254-1055.
3. No Medicaid? Call your county's transportation coordinator. Every Florida county has a Community Transportation Coordinator that runs the Transportation Disadvantaged program. Ask if you qualify and how to register.
4. Apply for paratransit if a disability keeps you off the bus. Ask your transit agency for an ADA paratransit application. Most take up to 21 days to decide, so apply before you need rides.
5. Ask about senior programs. Call the Elder Helpline at 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337). Your Area Agency on Aging can tell you about Older Americans Act rides and local volunteer drivers.
6. Confirm the ride. The day before, confirm the pickup time and window, the fare and how to pay, and the phone number to call if the ride is late.

Free vs. Low-Cost Options for Seniors on a Fixed Income

• Check Medicaid eligibility first. If you qualify, medical rides cost $1 or less. Florida SHINE counselors can check whether you qualify for Medicaid or other help paying Medicare costs: 1-800-96-ELDER.
• Get a reduced-fare bus ID. Most large Florida bus systems cut the fare to about $1 for riders 65 and older or with a Medicare card. In Miami-Dade, the Golden Passport makes transit free for residents 65 and older. (Source: Miami-Dade County.)
• Ask about the Transportation Disadvantaged program. It is designed for people who can't afford or can't arrange their own rides. In Broward, for example, income at or below 225% of the federal poverty level can qualify.
• Use free programs for specific needs. VA rides for veterans, and the American Cancer Society's Road To Recovery for cancer treatment.
• Call your Area Agency on Aging about Older Americans Act rides and volunteer drivers near you.

For more ways to stretch a fixed income, see our article on senior poverty in Florida and the programs that help.

Transportation for Dialysis, Chemo & Recurring Medical Appointments

Regular treatments mean a lot of trips. Set up a reliable plan before treatment starts.

• Dialysis: Florida Medicaid ride vendors cover dialysis trips. Original Medicare covers an ambulance to the nearest dialysis facility only when other transportation could endanger your health, and scheduled repeat trips need a doctor's written order. Some Medicare Advantage plans cover non-ambulance rides to dialysis. Talk with the social worker at your dialysis center. (Source: Medicare Coverage of Kidney Dialysis & Kidney Transplant Services.) Florida's kidney care network, Alliant ESRD Network 7, can also help with transportation questions: 1-877-936-9260.
• Cancer treatment: the American Cancer Society's Road To Recovery program gives free rides to cancer-related appointments with volunteer drivers, where available. Call 1-800-227-2345 well ahead of time, since setting up a ride can take several business days. (Source: American Cancer Society.)
• Standing orders: ask your paratransit or Medicaid ride provider whether you can set up recurring trips at the same time each week so you don't have to call every time.

Caregiver Tips for Arranging Rides

• Have a backup. Keep a second option, like a rideshare-by-phone number or a family member, for when a shared ride is late or canceled.
• Plan for the pickup window. Shared rides give a window, often an hour either way. Tell the doctor's office and schedule appointments with extra time.
• Plan the ride home. Book the return trip when you book the first leg, and ask what happens if the appointment runs late.
• If a ride doesn't show, call the provider's dispatch number, not the driver. For Medicaid rides, complain to the ride provider first and then the Medicaid Helpline at 1-877-254-1055.
• Keep a ride sheet by the phone with each service's number, your rider ID and the fare.
• Ask about an escort or attendant if your parent needs help getting in and out of the vehicle or has memory loss.

For more ideas on staying independent at home, see our home safety tips for aging in place.