Georgia Medicaid Transportation Guide (2026)

Metro Atlanta is split across two broker regions, and each has its own reservation line. This is the most common reason a caller cannot get through: they dialed the other region’s number.

If your county is not listed above, you are outside the two metro regions we drive in; ask the clinic’s social worker for the reservation line that covers your county.

Three things have to be true at the same time. The third one is where most confusion happens, because it is a household test rather than a preference.

• You are an active Georgia Medicaid member.
• You have no other means of transportation available — no working vehicle in the household, nobody able to drive you, and no usable public transit route for your condition.
• The trip is to or from a service covered by Georgia Medicaid.

A member who has a working car and a family member able to drive is expected to use it. A member with no vehicle in the household, or one who cannot safely ride the bus because of their condition, is the person this benefit was written for.

1. 1. Call at least 3 business days ahead

   Routine trips need 3 business days of notice, and business days do not count weekends or state holidays. A Monday appointment realistically means calling the previous Tuesday or Wednesday. You can book as far as 30 business days ahead, so there is no advantage to waiting.

2. 2. Use the number for the county you live in

   Metro Atlanta is split across two broker regions. The table above shows which number belongs to your county — dialing the other region wastes the call.

3. 3. Have these five things in front of you

   The member's Medicaid ID number and date of birth, the pickup address, the full name and address of the clinic or provider, the appointment date and time, and the mobility equipment the member uses (cane, walker, wheelchair, or a stretcher).

4. 4. Say plainly what level of vehicle is needed

   If the member cannot climb into a sedan, say so on the call. If the member travels in a wheelchair, say whether it folds. If the member cannot sit upright, say that. The vehicle assigned is based on what you describe on this call.

5. 5. Book the standing schedule, not one trip at a time

   For dialysis and other recurring treatment, ask for a standing order that covers the whole treatment schedule rather than calling three times a week. Fewer calls means fewer chances for a trip to go missing.

6. 6. Write down the confirmation

   Take the trip or confirmation number and the quoted pickup window. If anything goes wrong later, that number is what gets a driver re-dispatched instead of a new reservation started from scratch.

• The ride costs you nothing. There is no copay, no mileage charge and no fee for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.
• You may bring an escort when the member needs assistance — a parent or guardian for a child, or an attendant for an adult who cannot travel alone. Tell the broker when you book so the seat is reserved.
• You can ask for the level of vehicle your condition actually requires, including a wheelchair-accessible vehicle or stretcher transport.
• You can file a complaint with the broker about a specific trip, and you can raise it with the Georgia Department of Community Health if it is not resolved.
• A reservation that was accepted for a covered service should not be cancelled because a driver is unavailable — ask for the ride-assistance line and ask them to re-dispatch.

• A child who is a Medicaid member travels with a parent, guardian or a responsible adult authorised by the parent.
• An adult member who cannot safely travel alone may bring one attendant. Say so when you book so the vehicle assigned has the seat.
• An escort rides at no charge on the member’s covered trip; the escort is not separately billed.
• The escort is a companion, not a caregiver supplied by the transportation program. The driver is not a nurse and does not provide clinical care en route.

Trips do occasionally go wrong, in every transportation program that exists. What matters is knowing the order of operations, because the free route is also the fastest route: only the broker can re-dispatch a driver on a trip that is already authorised.

1. 1. Call the broker first, on the number for your county

   Ask for ride assistance and say the words "my scheduled ride has not arrived." Have the member's Medicaid ID, the trip date and the pickup time ready. This is the only route that can re-dispatch a driver on a trip that is already authorised, and it costs nothing.

2. 2. Ask them to log it as a late or missed trip

   Ask for a reference or complaint number before you hang up. A logged trip is what supports a re-dispatch today and what supports the record if it happens again.

3. 3. Call the clinic and tell them what is happening

   Dialysis units and infusion suites routinely hold or move a chair when they know a transportation problem is in progress. They cannot help if the first they hear of it is when the patient does not appear.

4. 4. If the treatment cannot wait, decide about a paid ride

   A private-pay ride is a real option and it is not free. The section below shows exactly what it costs and how quickly we can be there, so you can make that decision with a number in front of you instead of a guess.

We keep a separate, shorter page for someone reading this at 5 AM with a chair time coming: your Medicaid ride didn’t show up.

Heart2Heart does not bill Medicaid. We are not a Medicaid transportation provider, and we are not contracted with Verida. Apart from BLS ambulance dialysis transport (billed to Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare and Aetna), our trips are private pay. If you qualify for the Medicaid benefit, use it — it costs you nothing and we would rather tell you that than sell you something you do not need.

People pay us for a ride in three situations, and they are worth naming plainly:

• The appointment is inside the 3-business-day notice window and cannot be moved.
• The member does not meet the “no other means of transportation” test, or is not a Medicaid member at all.
• The family wants to choose the vehicle, the crew and the pickup time, and is willing to pay for that control.

Our published rates: wheelchair van $180 base plus $9.60 per mile, stretcher van $420 base plus $13.20 per mile, BLS ambulance $450 base plus $15 per mile, minimum charge $100.