Two different services
ADA accessible transportation moves passengers who use wheelchairs, scooters, walkers or canes in vehicles equipped with ramps, lifts and securement systems. The passenger travels seated or in their mobility device, and the driver provides safe boarding and securement.
Ambulance and emergency medical transportation moves patients who require clinical care or monitoring during the journey, with trained medical personnel and medical equipment on board. RideConnect does not provide ambulance or emergency medical transportation.
Which one does your trip need?
If the passenger needs clinical care, monitoring or stretcher transport during the trip, it is a medical transport and should be arranged through a licensed medical transport or ambulance provider.
If the passenger simply needs a vehicle they can board and travel in safely with their mobility device, that is accessible passenger transportation — appointments, discharges to home, day programs, therapy sessions, outings, work, school and travel.
Why organizations mix them up
The confusion usually comes from the destination rather than the passenger. A trip to a hospital sounds medical, but a resident travelling to an outpatient appointment in their own wheelchair typically needs accessible passenger transportation, not an ambulance.
Sorting this out early saves time and money. It also means your passenger is not waiting for a vehicle that was never the right fit.