Bariatric Transportation in Northern Virginia, DC & Maryland

What bariatric transportation is

Bariatric transportation is non-emergency medical transportation for riders over roughly 300 pounds. The trip itself is the same as any other: the crew comes to the door or the room, helps the rider out, drives them to the appointment, discharge or facility, and helps them in at the other end. What changes is the equipment and the planning.

Standard wheelchairs, cots and securement systems have weight ratings, and a rider above them is not safe on them, however careful the crew is. So a bariatric trip is assigned a reinforced chair or stretcher, a vehicle that can take it, and enough hands for the transfer. That is why it has to be booked as bariatric from the start. A standard vehicle that arrives for a bariatric rider cannot complete the trip, and the appointment is lost.

There are two levels, and they follow the same logic as our other services:

• Bariatric wheelchair. For riders who can sit upright for the whole trip. The rider travels in a reinforced wheelchair secured to the floor of the van. See wheelchair transportation for how the standard service works.
• Bariatric stretcher. For riders who cannot sit upright safely or are bedbound. The rider travels lying flat or reclined on a reinforced cot, bed to bed, with a two-person crew. See stretcher transportation.

There is no medical care on board, which is why a bariatric trip costs a fraction of an ambulance bill and can be scheduled like any other appointment. If the rider needs medical monitoring during the trip, that is an ambulance, not us.

Who needs bariatric transportation

Book bariatric when the rider weighs more than about 300 pounds, or is close to that line. In practice our bariatric riders are usually:

• Patients going home or on to rehab after a hospital stay, where the discharge team has flagged the rider’s weight.
• Dialysis patients on a standing schedule, three trips a week.
• Riders with limited mobility after surgery, a fall or a long illness, who need a reinforced chair or cot to travel safely.
• Residents of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities going to outside appointments, imaging or procedures.
• Riders moving between facilities, such as hospital to rehab or hospital to a nursing home, when the patient is stable.

If the rider is near the line, book bariatric. An over-specified vehicle completes the trip; an under-specified one does not. And if the rider’s weight has changed since their last trip, tell dispatch when you call so the right equipment is assigned.

How a bariatric trip works

1. You book. Online through the reservations page, by phone at (703) 304-7889, or by email at Reservations@hmtransport.com. Tell us the rider’s approximate weight, whether they can sit upright for the whole trip, the pickup location and room, the destination and appointment time, any oxygen, and the number of steps at the home.
2. We plan the trip. Dispatch assigns a reinforced chair or cot, a vehicle that can load it, and the crew the transfer needs. You get a confirmation call or text within two hours of booking, with the pickup time and the quoted price.
3. The crew comes to the door or the room. They check the route out of the home or unit, including doorways, turns and steps, before the transfer starts.
4. The transfer. Into the reinforced chair or onto the reinforced cot, then out to the vehicle and up the ramp, secured to the floor, rider belted.
5. The ride. Seated or lying flat or reclined, whichever the service level calls for.
6. Handoff at the other end. The crew brings the rider inside, transfers them into the bed, chair or exam table waiting for them, and hands them off to staff or family.

What bariatric transportation costs

Every trip is a pick-up fee plus mileage. The pick-up fee covers the vehicle, the reinforced equipment, the crew and the transfers at both ends; the mileage covers the distance. These are our 2026 private-pay rates for riders over 300 pounds.

What that looks like on a real trip. A ten-mile bariatric wheelchair discharge home is $130 plus $30 of mileage, so $160. A ten-mile bariatric wheelchair round trip to an appointment is $100 plus five extra miles at $3.00 on each leg, so $115 each way and $230 in total. A ten-mile bariatric stretcher discharge is $365 plus $40, so $405, and a ten-mile bariatric stretcher round trip is $345 each way, $690 in total.

On a typical five-to-twenty-five mile journey inside Northern Virginia, expect roughly $145 to $205 one way and $200 to $320 for a round trip by bariatric wheelchair, and roughly $385 to $465 one way and $650 to $810 for a round trip by bariatric stretcher.

Add-ons, named up front. Stair team, $75 each way. After hours (before 7am or after 6pm), $30 wheelchair or $50 stretcher. Prescheduled wait time, $75 per hour wheelchair or $100 per hour stretcher. Oxygen, $35 per 2L tank. Additional stop, $20 wheelchair or $30 stretcher. Credit card processing, 3%.

Crossing into DC or Maryland does not change the rate. Trips of 50 miles or more use our long-distance rates. The full rate card and a trip estimator are on our rates page.

Who pays: Medicaid, Medicare, private pay and facilities

Medicaid. If the rider is a Virginia Medicaid member and the trip is to a covered medical service, the ride should cost them nothing, and it is not booked directly with 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.

Medicare. Original Medicare does not cover a bariatric wheelchair or stretcher van. It covers ambulance transport when an ambulance is medically necessary and documented. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a transportation benefit, usually a fixed number of trips per year, run through a broker; the brokers we work with are MTM Health and SafeRide Health. If your plan has the benefit, book through the plan and ask for H&M Transport by name.

Private pay. Families booking directly pay the published rates above. We quote the trip before you commit to it. Long-term care insurance sometimes reimburses medical transportation. Veterans may have VA travel benefits, but we are not a VA travel vendor, so veterans book with us as private pay.

Facilities. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and hospices book on contracted rates, with a three-hour maximum lead time for discharges. Details are on our facilities page.

Our bariatric vehicles, equipment and crews

Reinforced chairs and cots. Bariatric trips use reinforced wheelchairs and stretchers rated well above standard equipment, so the rider is never on a chair or cot working at the edge of its limit.

Vehicles built for bariatric trips. We use specialized vehicles with wider ramps and roomier interiors, so a bariatric chair or cot loads without a struggle and the crew has space to position and secure it properly. Chairs are strapped to the floor at four points and the rider wears a lap and shoulder belt; cots are locked in place for the ride.

Crew sized for the transfer. Every bariatric stretcher trip runs with at least two crew members. On wheelchair trips, dispatch adds a second crew member when the transfer or the route out of the home calls for it, and the stair team for stairways.

Training. Our crews are trained in passenger assistance, safe transfer technique and wheelchair securement, and our stretcher crews complete the NEMTAC Certified Stretcher Operator course. Every employee passes a criminal background check and drug screening, and driving records are monitored continuously.

Accreditation. H&M Transport was the first NEMT provider in Virginia to earn NEMTAC accreditation, which audits driver training, vehicle standards, securement procedure and complaint handling. More about our vehicles is on the fleet page.

Hospitals and discharges we handle

Bariatric discharges need the most notice of any trip we run, because the equipment has to be matched before the vehicle is sent. Our crews know the discharge lounges, loading entrances and elevator routes at each of these:

• Inova Fairfax Hospital
• Inova Alexandria Hospital
• Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
• Inova Loudoun Hospital
• Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
• UVA Health Prince William Medical Center
• Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center
• VHC Health, Arlington
• Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring
• Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center

For case managers and discharge planners, we commit to a three-hour maximum lead time and free cancellation more than two hours before pickup. Flag the rider’s weight on the request so the bariatric vehicle is assigned the first time. See hospital discharge transportation, our page for facilities, or the full list of hospitals we serve.

Where we drive

We run bariatric transportation across Northern Virginia, into Washington DC and through Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, under WMATC authority 3449 and Virginia DMV Certificate #524. Dispatch sits in Gainesville, and our crews are staged across the service area.

Bariatric transportation in Manassas · Bariatric transportation in Woodbridge · Bariatric transportation in Fairfax · Bariatric transportation in Alexandria · Bariatric transportation in Arlington · Bariatric transportation in Chantilly · Bariatric transportation in Springfield · Bariatric transportation in Ashburn · Bariatric transportation in Leesburg · Bariatric transportation in Haymarket · Bariatric transportation in Warrenton · Bariatric transportation in Culpeper · Bariatric transportation in Fredericksburg · Bariatric transportation in Winchester · Bariatric transportation in Silver Spring, MD

Not on the list? See the full service area or call dispatch; in Maryland we serve Montgomery and Prince George’s counties only.

Where we run wheelchair rides

For riders under 300 pounds who use a standard wheelchair, each city page has the local hospitals, dialysis centers and pickup details: Manassas · Gainesville · Stafford · Woodbridge · Lorton · Springfield · Fairfax · Chantilly · Reston · Tysons · Falls Church · Alexandria · Arlington · Ashburn · Sterling · Leesburg · Washington, DC · Silver Spring, MD · Bethesda, MD · Rockville, MD

Booking, notice and cancellations

• Same-day requests: call (703) 304-7889 and speak with dispatch to expedite.
• Notice: we need a minimum of three hours notice for same-day requests and discharges, and we cover most of them inside that window. Booking 24 hours ahead guarantees availability.
• Trip details: use the notes field to tell us the room or unit, the appointment type, how long it is expected to run if you need a return, and the number of steps at the home.
• Stairs: when a stairway needs the stair team, it adds $75 each way. Tell us the exact number of steps and whether the stairway turns.
• Weight: for riders over 300 lbs, select bariatric service.
• Changes and cancellations: please cancel or change more than two hours before pickup to avoid a fee, by phone, by email at Reservations@hmtransport.com, or in our mobile app.

Bariatric transportation FAQ

At what weight should I book bariatric transportation?

Book bariatric for riders over roughly 300 pounds. If the rider is near that line, book bariatric anyway. An over-specified vehicle completes the trip, while a standard vehicle that arrives for a bariatric rider cannot.

How much does bariatric transportation cost?

Bariatric wheelchair transport is $100 per leg on a round trip with five miles included on each leg, or $130 one way, plus $3.00 per mile. Bariatric stretcher transport is $325 per leg round trip or $365 one way, plus $4.00 per mile. A ten-mile bariatric wheelchair discharge is $160 and a ten-mile bariatric stretcher discharge is $405.

Why does bariatric transport cost more than a standard trip?

Because it uses different equipment and often more people. The reinforced chair or cot, a specialized vehicle with a wider ramp and more interior room, and the crew the transfer needs are all assigned to the trip before it leaves.

Do you offer bariatric stretcher transport?

Yes. For riders over 300 pounds who cannot sit upright safely, we run bed-to-bed bariatric stretcher trips on reinforced cots with at least two crew members.

Can the rider bring their own bariatric wheelchair?

In most cases, yes. Tell us the make and width of the chair when you book so we assign a vehicle and securement that fit it.

Can you handle stairs?

Often, yes. Tell us the exact number of steps and whether the stairway turns, so we can plan the transfer and assign the stair team. When stairs need the stair team, it adds $75 each way.

Does Virginia Medicaid cover bariatric transportation?

Yes, for covered medical trips, and the rider pays nothing. 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.

Does Medicare pay for bariatric transportation?

Original Medicare does not cover a bariatric wheelchair or stretcher van. It covers ambulance transport when an ambulance is medically necessary and documented. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a transportation benefit run through a broker; the brokers we work with are MTM Health and SafeRide Health. If your plan has the benefit, book through the plan and request H&M Transport by name.

How far ahead should I book?

As early as you can. Booking 24 hours ahead guarantees availability, and for same-day requests and discharges we need a minimum of three hours notice. Bariatric vehicles are a smaller share of any fleet, so the earlier you call, the more likely we can cover the exact time you want.

Can a family member ride along?

In most cases, yes. Tell us when you book so we assign a vehicle with the seat available.

Is bariatric transportation the same as an ambulance?

No. There is no medical care or monitoring on board, and we do not take anyone to an emergency room or move a patient between hospitals for a higher level of care. Those are ambulance trips. If this is a medical emergency, call 911.

Related services

Wheelchair transportation · Stretcher transportation · Ambulatory transport · Hospital discharge · Dialysis transportation · Long distance transport · All services