Wheelchair Transportation in Arlington, VA

How a wheelchair ride works from an Arlington building

Most Arlington pickups start inside a building rather than at a driveway. The driver parks at the garage or loading entrance you gave us, checks in at the front desk and comes up to the apartment. The rider stays in their own chair the whole way: down in the elevator, out to the van, up a ramp on our minivans or a hydraulic lift on our full-size vans, then strapped to the floor at four points, with a lap and shoulder belt fastened before the van moves. No one has to transfer into a car seat.

Manual chairs, power chairs and scooters all ride secured. If the rider doesn’t have a chair that suits the trip, tell dispatch and we bring one at no extra cost. One family member or caregiver rides along free, and service animals are welcome on every vehicle.

At VHC Health or a hospital in DC, the driver takes the rider inside to the department’s check-in desk instead of stopping at the curb. Our drivers are CPR and first-aid certified, trained to secure manual and power wheelchairs, and pass a criminal background check and drug screening. They start the day across the region rather than at our Gainesville dispatch office, so the van that comes to an Arlington building has usually started nearby. H&M Transport was the first NEMT provider in Virginia to earn NEMTAC accreditation, which audits driver training, securement and vehicle standards.

Where we take wheelchair riders in Arlington

VHC Health, still widely called Virginia Hospital Center, on North George Mason Drive is the county’s hospital and a regular Arlington destination for us. Visitors are directed to the green garage in Zone C, closest to the hospital, and after hours the only way into the main hospital is through the emergency entrance, so late pickups and discharges need to be arranged with that in mind. VHC’s outpatient rehabilitation is on the first floor of the main hospital in Zone A. For the Outpatient Pavilion at 1851 N. George Mason Drive, the Purple Garage in Zone E is the one to name. Tell us the zone and the department and the driver will use the closest door.

Arlington riders also go regularly to Inova Alexandria Hospital on Seminary Road, to Inova Fairfax Hospital, and across the river to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, George Washington University Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital and Howard University Hospital. WMATC authority 3449 covers DC and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and Virginia DMV Certificate #524 covers Virginia, so a trip from Arlington to a DC hospital is quoted on the same rate card as a trip inside the county.

Rehab and skilled nursing are the other half of our Arlington work, including trips to and from Carlin Springs Health & Rehabilitation on South Carlin Springs Road, where riders often go home after a hospital stay.

Dialysis rides in Arlington

Arlington has more dialysis centers than people expect, which means most riders can be treated close to home. We drive wheelchair riders to:

• U.S. Renal Care Arlington County, 2445 Army Navy Dr (Anderson Building)
• DaVita Arlington Dialysis, 4805 1st St N
• DaVita Pentagon City Dialysis, 1785 S Hayes St
• DaVita Alexandria Dialysis on Duke Street and the Falls Church and Annandale centers for riders on the western side of the county

For three-day-a-week schedules we set up a standing order, so the ride is on our schedule without rebooking. In high-rise buildings, that also means the driver learns the loading dock, the elevator and the desk staff, and the pickup gets faster every week. If a session runs long, the ride home works as a will-call: a driver is there within 45 minutes of your call, and calling a little before the session ends gets one on the way sooner.

Wheelchair transportation prices in Arlington

Arlington trips are priced like every trip we run: a pick-up fee plus mileage, from our 2026 private-pay rate card, and crossing into DC doesn’t change the rate.

Because Arlington is compact, most in-county trips stay inside the included miles: a four-mile round trip is $55 each way, $110 in total. A longer run, say ten miles each way to a DC hospital, adds five miles at $3.00 to each leg, so $70 a leg and $140 for the round trip. One way, such as a discharge home from ten miles out, is $90 plus $30, or $120.

Add-ons are quoted before you book. Garden apartments and townhouses with steps at the door need a stair chair team, $75 each way. A pickup before 7am or after 6pm adds $30, a driver booked to wait is $75 an hour, an extra stop is $20, and oxygen is $35 per 2-liter tank if the rider isn’t bringing a portable unit. We take cash or card, with a 3% card processing fee, but not personal checks. Itemized receipts are available on request, and the full card is on our rates page.

Wheelchair van or STAR and MetroAccess?

Arlington residents have two public paratransit services. STAR, Arlington Transit’s paratransit service, serves residents whose disability keeps them off regular transit; anyone certified for MetroAccess is automatically certified for STAR. It is curb-to-curb, both ends of the trip must be near a transit route, trips are booked in advance with same-day service generally unavailable, and it runs from 5:30 a.m. to midnight. MetroAccess also serves Arlington, with an application and assessment, next-day or later booking and a 30-minute pickup window.

Both are good value for routine trips that can be planned. A private wheelchair van is the better fit for a same-day ride or a hospital discharge, for help inside the building rather than at the curb, for an exact appointment time, for a trip whose other end is far from a bus route, or for a rider who is not certified. Many families use STAR for some trips and us for others.

Pickup tips for Arlington buildings

• Tell us the entrance. Most apartment towers in Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, Ballston and Pentagon City have a garage or loading entrance better suited to a van than the front door on a busy street. Give us the entrance, the garage clearance if you know it, and the unit number.
• Front desk and elevators. If the building has a concierge or a service elevator that must be reserved, let us know so the driver checks in rather than waits.
• Garden apartments and townhouses along Columbia Pike and in the older neighborhoods often have steps at the entry. A wheelchair does not go down steps without a stair chair and two crew, so tell us the count when you book.
• Timing. Rush-hour traffic on I-66, Route 50 and the bridges into DC is predictable. We build it into the pickup time rather than hoping it will be light.

Who pays for a wheelchair ride in Arlington

Virginia Medicaid. A covered medical trip for an Arlington resident on Virginia Medicaid should cost the rider nothing, and it isn’t booked with us directly. Call the transportation number on your Medicaid ID card; the brokers we work with are MTM Health and SafeRide Health. Request H&M Transport specifically when you book your ride. Leave several business days for a routine appointment; our Virginia Medicaid transportation guide walks through the steps.

Medicare. Original Medicare doesn’t pay for a wheelchair van. If an Arlington rider has a Medicare Advantage plan whose ride benefit runs through MTM Health or SafeRide Health, book through the plan and ask for H&M Transport by name.

Private pay and facilities. Families pay the published rates above, and the quote is the price. Hospital discharge planners and Arlington’s rehab and senior living staff can book on contracted rates through a facility account; see our facilities page.

Notice, booking notes and cancellations

Same-day rides and hospital discharges need at least three hours’ notice, and a booking made a day ahead is guaranteed. For anything same-day, call dispatch at (703) 304-7889. Every booking is confirmed by call or text within two hours.

In the booking notes, give the driver what an Arlington pickup needs: the garage or loading entrance, the building and unit, the appointment and roughly how long it runs, and the number of steps if there are any. Riders over 300 lbs book bariatric service.

To change or cancel, reach us more than two hours before pickup and there’s no charge; a later cancellation or a no-show is a $50 flat fee. Call, email Reservations@hmtransport.com or use our mobile app.

Wheelchair transportation in Arlington: common questions

What does a wheelchair ride to VHC Health cost from an Arlington address?

Most trips inside the county are short. When VHC Health is five miles or less from the pickup each way, a round trip is $55 per leg, $110 in total. A one-way ride, such as a discharge home, is $90 plus $3.00 a mile.

Can you take an Arlington rider to a hospital in DC?

Yes. WMATC authority 3449 covers trips into DC and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and Virginia DMV Certificate #524 covers Virginia, so crossing the river doesn’t change the rate.

Is this the same as STAR?

No. STAR is Arlington County’s curb-to-curb paratransit service and requires certification. We are a private wheelchair van service: no certification, same-day rides with three hours notice, and help from the door of the apartment to the check-in desk.

Can you pick up at VHC Health after hours?

Yes. After hours the main hospital is entered through the emergency entrance, so tell us the unit and we will coordinate the pickup point with the floor.

Can you get a wheelchair rider out of a high-rise?

Yes, that is most of our Arlington work. Tell us the loading or garage entrance and whether the building needs notice, and the driver comes up to the unit.

Can a family member ride along?

Yes. One family member or caregiver rides free; tell us when you book so the seat is held.

Does Virginia Medicaid cover a wheelchair ride from Arlington?

For a covered medical trip, yes, and the rider pays nothing; the plan arranges the ride rather than us. Call the transportation number on your Medicaid ID card; the brokers we work with are MTM Health and SafeRide Health. Request H&M Transport specifically when you book your ride.

What if an appointment in DC runs long?

Book the ride home as a will-call. Once you call, a driver is with you within 45 minutes; if you can call a little before the appointment wraps up, we can route one early and the wait is shorter.

When to book something else

A wheelchair van carries a rider to scheduled care and home again; there is no medical care or monitoring on board. We don’t take anyone to an emergency room, and we don’t move a patient from VHC Health to another hospital for a higher level of care; that is an ambulance trip. In an emergency, call 911. If a rider becomes unwell, the driver stops safely and calls 911. If the rider can’t sit upright for the length of the trip, book stretcher transportation instead.

More from H&M Transport near Arlington

All medical transportation in Arlington · Wheelchair transportation across Northern Virginia · wheelchair transportation in Alexandria · wheelchair transportation in Fairfax · Rides to VHC Health · Dialysis transportation · Hospital discharge