Wheelchair Transportation in Washington, DC

What our wheelchair service includes in Washington

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 DC

The Irving Street campus in Northwest is our busiest destination in the District. MedStar Washington Hospital Center at 110 Irving Street NW has valet at the main entrance on weekdays and a 24-hour garage, and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, next door at 102 Irving Street, is where many of our riders go for outpatient therapy.

We also drive riders to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital on Reservoir Road, where patient drop-off is at street level in front of the Verstandig Pavilion; to George Washington University Hospital at 900 23rd Street NW; to Sibley Memorial Hospital on Loughboro Road, with patient valet at the Building B circle on weekdays; to Howard University Hospital on Georgia Avenue; and to Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health in Ward 8, which opened in April 2025 and replaced United Medical Center.

Senior communities are a steady part of the schedule too, including Knollwood on Oregon Avenue, Ingleside at Rock Creek on Military Road and Forest Hills of DC on Connecticut Avenue.

Dialysis rides in DC

DC riders are treated at centers in every quadrant, and we run standing schedules to them, including:

• Fresenius (BMA) Dupont Circle, 11 Dupont Circle NW
• Fresenius (BMA) Columbia Heights, 106 Irving St NW
• DaVita Brentwood Dialysis, 1231 Brentwood Rd NE
• Capitol Dialysis, 140 Q St NE
• DaVita Lee Street Dialysis, 5155 Lee St NE
• RAI Potomac Dialysis, 1918 14th St SE
• DaVita GWU Southeast Dialysis, 3857-A Pennsylvania Ave SE

A standing order keeps the three-day schedule on our books without rebooking, and the same drivers tend to see the same riders. That consistency matters most on the ride home, when a rider coming off treatment may be tired and slower on the transfer.

Wheelchair transportation prices in Washington

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. A round trip from Capitol Hill to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, about four miles each way, stays inside the included miles: $55 per leg, or $110 in total.

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 Transport DC?

DC residents have public options, and for some trips they are the right choice. MetroAccess, Metro’s ADA paratransit service, requires an application and a functional assessment, is booked in advance with no same-day trips, and runs shared, curb-to-curb rides. DC residents registered with MetroAccess can also use Transport DC, a same-day, on-demand service for trips within the District at a flat fare, with a monthly trip limit that does not count dialysis rides.

The DC Department of Aging and Community Living runs Senior MedExpress, free rides for residents 60 and over with a certified medical condition to essential appointments such as dialysis and chemotherapy; Medicaid members are not eligible, and it requires registration.

A private wheelchair van covers what those programs are not built for: help from inside the home to the check-in desk, an exact appointment time rather than a window, a trip into Virginia or Maryland, a hospital discharge, or a rider who is not registered with any program.

Pickup tips for DC homes and buildings

• Rowhouses often have steps up from the sidewalk to the front door. Tell us the count and whether there is a railing; a stair chair team is routine when we know ahead.
• Apartment buildings may have a side, rear or garage entrance that suits a van better than the front door on a busy street. Give us the entrance, the unit number and anything the front desk needs.
• Hospital campuses such as Irving Street and Georgetown have several entrances. Tell us the building and the clinic, and the driver stops at the right door.
• Rush hour on the bridges and the main avenues is predictable. We build it into the pickup time.

Who pays for a wheelchair ride in Washington

DC Medicaid. In Washington DC, the only Medicaid plan we serve is UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of the District of Columbia, through SafeRide Health: members book through the plan and request H&M Transport by name. Members of other DC Medicaid plans arrange their rides through the transportation number on their ID card. H&M Transport is not a Medicaid provider in Maryland. In DC, Montgomery and Prince George’s 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 Washington: common questions

How much does wheelchair transportation cost in DC?

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 DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Does DC Medicaid cover wheelchair rides with H&M Transport?

Only for members of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of the District of Columbia, through SafeRide Health: book through the plan and request H&M Transport by name. Members of other DC Medicaid plans use the transportation number on their ID card. If any health plan’s ride benefit is administered by SafeRide Health, you can book through the plan and ask for us.

Can you take a DC rider to an appointment in Virginia or Maryland?

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

How is this different from MetroAccess?

MetroAccess requires certification and advance booking and runs shared, curb-to-curb rides. We need no certification, take same-day rides with three hours notice, and help the rider from inside the home to the appointment.

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 Washington

Washington DC: all medical transportation · Stretcher transportation in Washington DC · Wheelchair transportation across the DC region · Wheelchair transportation in Silver Spring · Wheelchair transportation in Arlington · Dialysis transportation