Non-emergency medical transportation | Call 516-333-7483 |  A unique opportunity for new start-ups
Channel: Major Vehicle Exchange
Date: 06/05/2021

There is tremendous opportunity for people who aspire to start their own business in the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation sector. As the population ages, more and more people need these services to go shopping, visit friends, attend medical appointments etc. Elderly and disabled people are the target customers for this sector. The base rate for picking up and dropping off a wheelchair bound person can average more than $45 per hour on weekdays and $75 per hour on weekends. Similarly transporting a person on a stretcher can cost $100 to $200 per hour.

People in urban areas have a lot of options to choose from. However, it's the people in suburban and rural areas living away from treatment centers that need this kind of service the most. Seniors and people with disabilities either temporary or permanent are not able to travel in taxis, buses or railways. They need a special type of transportation to transport them as well as their medical equipment like stretchers, wheelchairs, walkers, portable oxygen supply etc. They neither have an emergency situation nor they are normal passengers. This gap is filled by Non-Emergency Medical Transportation service providers. Most of the time this service is provided by wheelchair lift equipped vans that are limited to transporting just wheelchair passengers in a single trip. However, many providers use shuttle buses that are equipped with wheelchair lifts and are being used for Non-Emergency Transportation.

Service providers can also create a smartphone or computer application for their business so customers all over the region can book a ride from the convenience of their home office or smartphone devices. Similar to the Uber application that is used for booking taxi rides, your business app could be used for booking Non-Emergency Medical Transportation rides. In the absence of a ride booking app, the company will often start with their mobile phone or call center to get in touch with seniors and disabled persons in their target location through word of mouth marketing. They can even contact doctors and paramedics service professionals to refer the business to their patients. This traditional way of marketing and the growth can still be quite successful for the company. Spending a few thousand dollars on an app could help facilitate the entire customer acquisition process. Moreover, it could make ride booking easy for customers who have already used the service previously.

The biggest restriction to entry in this lucrative field is the high cost of purchasing wheelchair lift equipped vehicles as the specialized additional equipment in the vehicle will cost $20,000 to $30,000 more than the normal van counterparts. But the good news is that the prices of these vehicles drop by almost 50% when used by a previous owner. They still have a long life in both miles and years if well maintained by the original and second owners that can be to the advantage of the next buyer which in this case will be new Non-Emergency Transportation service providers. The used bus and wheelchair van industry is saturated with poorly maintained pre-owned vehicles across the USA and after being on the road for years they need to be reconditioned before hitting the road once again for the new owners. However, many startup companies have no idea where to fix a second hand bus for sale or a used wheelchair van for sale. To make the buying process easier, a few dealerships have specialized in fully reconditioning these used vehicles from bumper to bumper to give them a new lease on life. They inspect, detail and repair all operating components in every vehicle before selling them to the next buyer. As a result the buyer gets the peace of mind and satisfaction that their used buses or van will not break down unexpectedly and incur catastrophic repair costs. All the new owner has to do is perform pre and post trip inspections and conduct routine maintenance at least every 6 months to make sure there are no surprises. The pre and post trip inspections will inform them of any upcoming repairs and the regular maintenance will keep the mechanical components including the drivetrain, wheelchair lift and air conditioning system and other moving parts in proper working condition.

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-average-cost-of-non-emergency-medical-transportation/answer/Charles-Kaufman-8