Medbridge Transport Founder on Why Ridesharing Services for Healthcare and Wheelchair Users Are Leaving a Large Underserved Group Behind

HOUSTON, January 26, 2021 (Newswire.com) - The lack of transportation to medical appointments is an issue 3.6 million Americans face every year. The announcement of ridesharing companies entering the healthcare and accessibility space was hailed by all as an overdue service that would benefit many. While the promise has been fulfilled for a portion of the population; many of those most in need of transportation still do not have the means to go to medical appointments. The reason for this is quite simple, ridesharing companies mostly transports easy ambulatory passengers, that is, passengers needing little or no assistance.

There are many companies built on the idea of using ridesharing services companies to provide service to Seniors by playing the role of concierge, however, most passengers needing some level of assistance are gambling when it comes to calling one. Looking at postings from ridesharing drivers on Reddit--most of the drivers try to avoid transporting seniors, in some cases passengers are denied transportation because they have a folding wheelchair that could be placed in the trunk. There are whole threads on the website Reddit about ridesharing drivers avoiding transporting seniors.

"It's a complete… nightmare for everyone"

"He was so fragile and old I was afraid he was going to fall getting in and out of my van"

"Yeah. Every […] ping gets back fast decline"

- from Rideshare drivers on Reddit

As we can clearly see, those drivers are not the right people to transport seniors and wheelchair users. In talking to some wheelchair transportation passengers, Medbridge Transport drivers have reported instances where:

1. A wheelchair passenger is dropped off in one place by a ridesharing company's Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) service, only to realize, after the fact, that the ridesharing service doesn't have drivers available for the return trip, leaving them stranded.
2. In another case, a passenger with a dialysis port was refused transportation because an uninformed driver didn't feel comfortable driving someone with a dialysis port in their arm.

In two-sided markets where a product gets better as you receive more providers and customers; ridesharing services are leaving a large portion of the population behind as the networks are lacking in transport services for those needing extra help. This may be due to lack of recruitment of qualified drivers or transportation partners.

Enters Medbridge Transport, a company that puts a strong focus on transporting seniors and wheelchair users by providing trained drivers and wheelchair accessible vehicles. The company also provides hospital discharge transportation services tailored to emergency rooms discharging patients late at night.

For more information about medical transportation and wheelchair transportation in Houston, TX please reach out to Medbridge Transport by visiting the website at medbridgetransport.com or by calling (713) 766-4447.

Source: Medbridge Transport