Medical transportation for seniors on Long Island

Transportation challenges seniors face

Long Island's suburban layout makes transportation harder for seniors than it is in dense urban areas. Here are the realities that drive so many Long Island families to seek dedicated medical transportation:

• No longer driving. Most Long Island seniors drove for decades. When vision, reaction time, or medication effects make driving unsafe, the practical infrastructure to replace it simply isn't there — Long Island's bus network was designed for commuters, not for patients with early morning appointment times or limited mobility.
• Family members who work or live far away. Adult children who would gladly help often live 45 minutes to two hours away, work full-time jobs, or have caregiving responsibilities of their own. Expecting family to drive to a parent's home, take them to an appointment, wait, and drive them back isn't sustainable for recurring appointments.
• Public transit not feasible. Dialysis, chemotherapy, and post-procedure recovery make waiting at a bus stop in winter or navigating a transfer genuinely unsafe. LIRR service doesn't reach most medical campuses. Paratransit (NICE Able-Ride in Nassau, SCAT in Suffolk) needs an approved application and advance booking, which makes it impractical for many seniors' medical trips.
• Rideshare drivers who rush. App-based rideshare works fine for passengers who can get in quickly, navigate a seatbelt, and tell the driver their destination. For a 78-year-old using a walker, who moves slowly, may be unsteady, and needs help with the door, rideshare is not just uncomfortable — it can be genuinely dangerous. Rideshare drivers have no training in patient assistance, no obligation to help, and a financial incentive to move on quickly.

How DachiPlus serves senior passengers

We have built our service around what senior passengers actually need — and around what their families need to feel confident that their parent or loved one is in good hands.

• No-rush boarding. Our drivers come to the door. They do not wait at the curb and watch from the car. They help the passenger to the vehicle, assist with the door, and make sure they are safely seated before driving. There is no pressure to move faster than is safe.
• Mobility device handling. Walkers, canes, and folding manual wheelchairs are handled and loaded by the driver. Passengers don't need to manage their own mobility device.
• Familiar drivers for recurring appointments. For seniors with recurring appointments — dialysis, chemotherapy, weekly physical therapy — we assign consistent drivers when possible. Familiarity reduces anxiety, particularly for passengers with early-stage dementia or cognitive changes.
• Communication with family caregivers. We work with family members and care coordinators, not just the passenger. If an adult child in New Jersey wants to set up and manage their parent's transportation, we make that easy. We can send trip confirmations and coordinate schedule changes through whoever is managing the care logistics.
• Door-through-door on both ends. At the destination, the driver helps the passenger inside the facility entrance before leaving. On the return, the driver meets them at the exit — not at the parking lot curb.

Medicaid transportation for seniors

New York Medicaid covers medical transportation for eligible seniors at no cost to the patient. The service is arranged through MAS (Medical Answering Services), the state-contracted broker that manages Medicaid NEMT across Long Island.

To book a Medicaid ride for a senior:

1. Call MAS at 1-844-666-6270 at least 72 hours before the appointment.
2. Have ready: the senior's Medicaid CIN (client identification number), the appointment date and time, the provider's name and address, the pickup address, and any mobility device or assistance needs (walker, wheelchair, oxygen).
3. Ask for DachiPlus by name. MAS first decides the right type of transportation for the trip, then considers your choice of provider among the companies enrolled for that type.
4. For recurring appointments (dialysis, chemo, PT), ask the dialysis center or doctor's office to request a standing order through MAS and to list DachiPlus as the preferred transportation provider, so you don't have to call before every trip. Only the medical provider's office can enter a standing order, and it lasts up to six months.

See our complete MAS Medicaid transportation guide for the full step-by-step process, what to say on the call, and how to handle problems.

Medicare Advantage transportation benefits

Many Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans include a transportation benefit — typically 24 to 60 one-way trips per year to medical appointments, at no out-of-pocket cost to the member. This benefit is separate from Medicaid and does not require Medicaid eligibility.

To use your Medicare Advantage transportation benefit:

• Call the customer service number on the back of your Medicare Advantage card and ask whether your plan includes a transportation benefit and how many trips are available.
• Ask which transportation providers are covered in your network on Long Island.
• If DachiPlus is in-network for your plan, you book through us directly. We verify your eligibility and bill the plan.

Call us at (516) 754-7777 and we can help verify your Medicare Advantage transportation benefits. See also our Medicare Advantage transportation guide.

Town and county senior ride programs

Many Long Island towns run their own rides for residents 60 and over. 11 of the 15 town and city governments in Nassau and Suffolk publish a program that covers medical appointments, usually inside the town line, on weekdays and with a few days' notice. Our Long Island senior transportation directory lists each one with who qualifies, how far ahead to book, the cost and the number to call, all checked on official town and county websites. When the appointment is in another town, in the afternoon or at short notice, a private medical ride is often the simpler choice.

Booking for a parent or family member

Many of the calls we receive are from adult children or care coordinators arranging transportation for a parent or resident — not from the patient themselves. This is completely normal and we've built our process to support it.

You can set up, manage, and modify your family member's transportation without them being on the call. What you'll need:

• Their name and pickup address
• Their Medicaid CIN (if using Medicaid) or payment method
• Their mobility device or assistance needs
• The appointment details: date, time, facility name and address
• A contact number to reach you on the day of the trip if needed

For Medicaid bookings, you'll be doing the setup through MAS and then requesting DachiPlus as the provider. For private pay, call us at (516) 754-7777 and we'll handle the rest.

Assisted living and adult day care pickup

DachiPlus regularly serves residents of assisted living facilities, memory care communities, and adult day care programs across Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Facility-level pickup coordination is something we handle directly with the facility's transportation coordinator or social worker — residents don't need to manage the logistics themselves.

For assisted living facilities arranging recurring transportation for multiple residents, we can set up a recurring schedule and bill Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, or the facility directly depending on your arrangement. For residents on Medicaid, the standing order itself is requested through MAS by the resident's medical provider, who can list DachiPlus as the preferred transportation provider. Contact us at (516) 754-7777 to discuss facility-level accounts.

Adult day care programs that need consistent morning pickup and afternoon return transportation for their participants — contact us about a program-level transport arrangement.