Wheelchair Transportation in Bethesda, MD

What our wheelchair service includes in Bethesda

Every trip is door-through-door. The driver comes to the door of the home, the apartment or the facility room, helps the rider out, and at the other end takes them inside to the check-in desk or the dialysis chair rather than leaving them at the curb.

• The rider stays in the chair. The chair goes up a ramp on our minivans or a hydraulic lift on our full-size vans, is strapped to the floor at four points, and the rider wears a lap and shoulder belt. Nobody is lifted into a car seat.
• Your chair or ours. We secure manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs and scooters. If the rider does not own a suitable chair, we bring one at no extra cost.
• Trained, screened drivers. Drivers are trained in passenger assistance and wheelchair securement, and every employee passes a criminal background check and drug screening.
• A companion seat. A family member or caregiver can usually ride along; tell us when you book.
• Accredited. H&M Transport was the first NEMT provider in Virginia to earn NEMTAC accreditation, which audits driver training, securement procedure and vehicle standards.

Where we take wheelchair riders in Bethesda

Suburban Hospital on Old Georgetown Road is the community hospital for most of our Bethesda riders. Its garage does not validate parking, so a drop-off at the main entrance saves families the fee and the walk.

At the NIH Clinical Center, patients arriving by vehicle enter at the West Drive Patient Entrance off West Cedar Lane, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, where the vehicle is inspected and riders pass through screening; we allow time for it. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, across Rockville Pike, sits on a military installation with controlled gates and a Visitor Control Center at the North Gate, so tell us when you book and we plan the access ahead.

Sibley Memorial Hospital, just over the District line on Loughboro Road, is a short run from Bethesda and Chevy Chase. We also run a regular schedule for residents of Maplewood Park Place on Old Georgetown Road, Sunrise of Bethesda on Battery Lane, Brighton Gardens of Friendship Heights and Sunrise at Fox Hill.

Dialysis rides in Bethesda

We run standing dialysis schedules for Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Kensington riders, including to:

• Fresenius Kidney Care, 6420 Rockledge Dr, North Bethesda
• U.S. Renal Care Bethesda, 4701 Sangamore Rd
• Fresenius Kidney Care Wheaton, 10901 Georgia Ave
• DaVita Wheaton Dialysis, 11941 Georgia Ave

Tell us the center and chair times once and the three-day schedule stays on our books without rebooking. The same drivers tend to see the same riders, which matters most on the ride home after treatment.

Wheelchair transportation prices in Bethesda

Every trip is a pick-up fee plus mileage, and the rates are the same everywhere we drive. These are our 2026 private-pay rates.

A ten-mile round trip is $55 plus five extra miles at $3.00 on each leg, so $70 each way and $140 in total. The same ten miles one way, such as a discharge home, is $90 plus $30, so $120. The rates are the same on both sides of the state line, so a trip from Bethesda into DC or Northern Virginia is quoted on the same card.

Add-ons, named up front. Stair chair team, $75 each way, when the rider cannot manage steps. After hours (before 7am or after 6pm), $30. Prescheduled wait time, $75 per hour. Additional stop, $20. Oxygen, $35 per 2L tank. Credit card processing, 3%. We quote the trip before you book, and the full rate card is on our rates page.

Wheelchair van or MetroAccess and Call-n-Ride?

Montgomery County residents have strong public options. MetroAccess serves Bethesda for trips near Metro and bus routes; it requires an application and an in-person interview, trips are booked in advance with no same-day service, and rides are shared and curb-to-curb. The county’s Call-n-Ride program subsidizes taxi rides for lower-income older adults and adults with disabilities, and since June 2025 Ride On buses are free for everyone, with every bus wheelchair accessible, though it is fixed-route service rather than door-to-door. Downtown, the free Bethesda Circulator loops past the Metro and the main garages, but it is a fixed route.

A private wheelchair van covers what those services are not built for: a same-day ride or hospital discharge, help from inside the home to the check-in desk, an exact appointment time, a trip into DC or Virginia, or a rider who has not been certified.

Pickup tips for Bethesda homes and buildings

• Apartment and condo buildings downtown and in Friendship Heights usually have a front circle or a garage entrance. Give us the entrance and the unit number and we meet the rider there.
• Older houses in Chevy Chase and Kensington often have steps up from the walk. Tell us the count; a stair chair team is routine when we know ahead.
• Senior campuses such as Maplewood Park Place and Fox Hill have more than one entrance. Tell us the building and the pickup point.
• NIH and Walter Reed both screen vehicles at the gate. Tell us the destination when you book and we build the time in.

Who pays for a wheelchair ride in Bethesda

Maryland and DC Medicaid. H&M Transport is not a Medicaid provider in Maryland, so we cannot take Medicaid-covered rides in Montgomery or Prince George’s counties. In Montgomery County, Medicaid transportation is arranged through the county Department of Transportation’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program; start there or with the number on the member’s ID card. In Washington DC, the only Medicaid plan we serve is UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of the District of Columbia, through SafeRide Health. In Montgomery, Prince George’s and DC alike, if your health plan’s ride benefit is administered by SafeRide Health, book through the plan and request H&M Transport by name.

Medicare. Original Medicare does not cover a wheelchair van. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a limited transportation benefit, usually a set number of trips a year; if yours does, book through the plan and ask for H&M Transport by name.

Private pay and facilities. Families booking directly pay the published rates above, and the quote is what you pay. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and senior communities book on contracted rates; see our facilities page.

Booking, notice and cancellations

• Same-day requests: call (703) 304-7889 and speak with dispatch.
• Notice: we need a minimum of three hours notice for same-day requests and discharges. Booking 24 hours ahead guarantees availability.
• Trip details: use the notes field for the entrance, the building or unit number, the appointment type, how long it should run, and the number of steps at the home.
• Stairs: when a rider in a wheelchair has to go up or down steps, we send a stair chair team, which adds $75 each way.
• Weight: for riders over 300 lbs, select bariatric service.
• Changes and cancellations: cancel or change at least two hours before pickup to avoid a fee, by phone, by email at Reservations@hmtransport.com, or in our mobile app.

Wheelchair transportation in Bethesda: common questions

How much does wheelchair transportation cost in Bethesda?

A round trip is $55 per leg with five miles included each way, plus $3.00 per additional mile. A one-way trip is $90 plus $3.00 per mile. The same rates apply in Maryland, DC and Virginia.

Can you take wheelchair riders to NIH and Walter Reed?

Yes. At NIH, patient vehicles use the West Drive Patient Entrance off West Cedar Lane and are inspected. Walter Reed is on a military installation, so tell us when you book and we plan the gate access in advance.

Does Maryland Medicaid pay for wheelchair rides?

H&M Transport is not a Medicaid provider in Maryland. In Montgomery County, Medicaid transportation is arranged through the county Department of Transportation’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program. If your health plan’s ride benefit is administered by SafeRide Health, book through the plan and request H&M Transport by name.

Can you take a Bethesda rider into DC or Virginia?

Yes. We hold WMATC authority 3449, which covers trips between Montgomery County, the District and Northern Virginia.

Can the rider stay in their own wheelchair?

Yes. We secure manual and power wheelchairs and scooters with a four-point strap system. If the rider does not have a suitable chair, we bring one.

Can we set up rides to dialysis three times a week?

Yes. A standing order keeps the schedule on our books without rebooking each week.

What a wheelchair van is not

This is non-emergency transportation. There is no medical care or monitoring on board, we do not take anyone to an emergency room, and we do not move patients between hospitals for a higher level of care. Those are ambulance trips. If this is a medical emergency, call 911. If the rider cannot sit upright for the length of the trip, book stretcher transportation instead.

More from H&M Transport near Bethesda

Bethesda: all medical transportation · Wheelchair transportation across the DC region · Wheelchair transportation in Rockville · Wheelchair transportation in Silver Spring · Wheelchair transportation in Washington DC · Dialysis transportation