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Essential Transport Assistance
Airport rides, wheelchair or stretcher

Airport wheelchair and stretcher transportation in South Florida

Lift-equipped wheelchair vans and two-person stretcher crews at FLL, Palm Beach (PBI, now DJT), and MIA, plus the private terminals at Boca Raton, Opa-locka, and Signature Aviation. Door through door in both directions, from inside the home to check-in or from the terminal entrance to inside the front door. Local rides from $90, tolls included.

Scheduled service 7 days a week. Same day and short notice when availability allows.

  • 5.0 Google rating
  • Licensed & insured
  • Broward, Miami-Dade & Palm Beach
Essential Transport Assistance wheelchair-accessible minivan at the Palm Beach International Airport terminal curb with its rear ramp lowered
Arriving

How an airport pickup works, from the plane to the front door

1

Call with the flight

Give dispatch the airport, the airline, the flight number, the scheduled arrival time, whether the flight is international, how many bags are coming, and what mobility equipment is traveling. That is the whole list. It lets us send the right vehicle and plan the waiting time before we quote.

2

The airline brings your loved one through the terminal

Federal rules require the airline to provide wheelchair help from the plane to baggage claim and the curb at no charge. Ask for it when booking the ticket, and have your loved one or a companion remind the gate agent on the day. The airline's agent covers the inside of the airport, and the handoff to us happens at the exit.

3

Our driver meets them at the terminal entrance

The driver is at the terminal entrance or the baggage-claim exit, not the gate, with the ramp or lift ready. Suitcases go in the van, the wheelchair is secured at four points, and oxygen or a walker rides along.

4

Home, and inside the door

The ride ends inside the home, not at the curb or the lobby. The bags come in with your loved one. For a stretcher rider, the crew finishes bed to bed, into their own bed or the destination bed at a hospital or rehab center.

For the airline side, from requesting the wheelchair to confirming it, read our family guide to flying into South Florida with a wheelchair or stretcher.

Every airport ride includes

  • A lift-equipped wheelchair van, or a stretcher van with a two-person crew
  • A driver who meets arriving riders at the terminal entrance or baggage-claim exit
  • Help from inside the home through check-in, or from the terminal to inside the front door
  • Suitcases, walkers, and oxygen loaded and unloaded for you
  • Your loved one stays in their own wheelchair, secured at four points
  • A family member or caregiver riding along at no extra charge
Pricing

Airport rides from $90, quoted in full before you book

A local one-way airport ride starts at $90 for a rider who can walk to the van, $110 in a lift-equipped wheelchair van, and $220 on a stretcher with a two-person crew. We price by the mile with tolls included, so the distance from the front door to the terminal sets most of the price. A round trip, or a wait-and-return for a quick drop-off, is quoted together. You hear the full number on the phone before anything is booked.

Waiting is simple. The first 15 minutes at pickup are free, and after that it is billed in 15-minute blocks. International arrivals are different: passport control, bags, and customs take time, so we build up to an hour of waiting into the quote up front, instead of surprising you after the fact.

Night pickups, weekends, holidays, and stairs at the home add to the price, and each one is spelled out in the quote.

For the full picture, read our guide to what medical transportation costs in South Florida.

What the airport quote includes

  • Mileage and all tolls
  • Any night, weekend, holiday, or stairs charge, named before you book
  • A round trip or wait-and-return, quoted as one number
  • Waiting after the first 15 minutes, billed in 15-minute blocks
  • Up to an hour of waiting on an international arrival, built in
The airports we serve

Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Miami, and the private terminals

Wheelchair transportation to and from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

FLL is the closest major airport to our Coral Springs base. It has four terminals, baggage claim is on the lower Arrivals level, and ground transportation picks up at the curb just outside it. Your loved one's airline brings them from the plane to baggage claim, and our driver meets them at the terminal entrance there with the ramp or lift ready. International flights clear customs in Terminal 1 or Terminal 4. Give dispatch the airline and flight number, and we plan the meeting point around it.

From FLL we drive to Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Dania Beach, Plantation, Davie, Pembroke Pines, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs, and Weston. Boca Raton and Delray Beach families fly through FLL too, and that cross-county ride is quoted like any other.

Essential Transport Assistance wheelchair-accessible minivan with its rear ramp lowered at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport terminal curb
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, terminal curb

Wheelchair and stretcher pickups at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI, now DJT)

Palm Beach International Airport was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport in July 2026, and its flight code changed from PBI to DJT that August. The building did not change. It is still one terminal with baggage claim on Level 1, and that is where our driver meets your loved one, at the entrance by baggage claim. For seasonal residents this is often the first ride of the winter, and the same call can set up the whole season.

Signature Aviation runs private terminals on the same field, including one with customs and immigration on site. With Signature's permission the crew meets the aircraft on the ramp, so a stretcher rider never crosses a terminal. From this airport we drive to West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Wellington, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Boca Raton.

Essential Transport Assistance stretcher ready at the open door of a private jet at Signature Aviation, Palm Beach International Airport
Signature Aviation private terminal, Palm Beach International Airport

Wheelchair van and stretcher pickups at Miami International Airport

International arrivals at Miami call for a different plan, and the arrival process is why. Coming from abroad, your loved one clears passport control, collects bags, then passes through customs before reaching the public side of the terminal. Baggage claim and ground transportation are on Level 1, and that is where your loved one is met, at the terminal entrance. Tell dispatch the airline and flight, and up to an hour of waiting goes into the plan.

From MIA we drive to Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Aventura, Doral, Kendall, Hialeah, and North Miami. We also drive north into Broward and Palm Beach, so an Aventura or Boca Raton family flying into Miami gets one quote for the whole ride. Departing riders get help from inside the home to the check-in curb.

Essential Transport Assistance wheelchair-accessible minivan with its lift lowered at the Miami International Airport departures curb
Miami International Airport, departures curb

Wheelchair van and stretcher crew at Boca Raton Airport (BCT), met on the ramp

Boca Raton Airport has no airline service, so riders land on private, charter, or medical flights and come through a private terminal rather than a public one. There is no public access to the ramp, and planeside pickup is arranged through the terminal. Give dispatch the operator, the terminal, and the expected arrival time, and we coordinate ramp access and timing. With that permission the van or stretcher crew waits at the aircraft, and your loved one goes from the cabin door to the vehicle in a few steps.

Boca Raton, Highland Beach, Delray Beach, and Deerfield Beach are minutes away, and the ride can continue to a hospital or rehab center anywhere in Palm Beach or Broward.

Essential Transport Assistance wheelchair-accessible minivan with its rear ramp lowered beside a private jet at Boca Raton Airport
Planeside at Boca Raton Airport

Planeside stretcher and wheelchair transfers at Opa-locka Executive Airport (OPF)

Opa-locka Executive handles private and medical flights into Miami-Dade, not airline passengers, and sits a short drive from Miami Gardens, Aventura, and North Miami. Flights come through a private terminal, and ramp access runs through that terminal. If your loved one is arriving on a private or medical flight into Miami-Dade, ask the operator whether they are landing here. With the terminal's permission our two-person crew rolls the stretcher up to the aircraft and transfers your loved one on the ramp. The ride then continues bed to bed to the home or hospital, with oxygen and equipment riding along. Wheelchair riders stay in their own chair from the ramp to the front door.

From OPF we also serve Miramar, Hialeah, and the rest of Miami-Dade and south Broward.

Essential Transport Assistance wheelchair-accessible minivan on the ramp beside a private jet at Opa-locka Executive Airport in Miami-Dade
On the ramp at Opa-locka Executive Airport, Miami-Dade
Departing

Flying out: the ride to the airport

Departures work the same way in reverse. The driver comes inside the home, helps your loved one to the van, loads the bags, and at the airport brings them through the terminal entrance to check-in, where the airline's wheelchair help takes over. Tell the counter agent that assistance was requested so it gets dispatched.

A red-eye or a very early pickup can carry a night charge, and if it does, it is in the quote, not a surprise. We do not promise a drive time, because I-95 and the Turnpike do not either. Pick a pickup time that leaves breathing room at the terminal, and the van will be at the door for it.

In the air

When the flight itself needs a nurse or paramedic

A rider who has to lie flat for the whole trip flies on a private or medical aircraft, and we meet that aircraft on the ramp at Signature Aviation, Boca Raton, or Opa-locka. A rider who is well enough for an airline seat but needs a medical professional beside them for the trip has another option. Commercial Medical Escorts, founded by ETA co-founder Blake Yturralde, has provided flight nurses and paramedics who travel with patients on commercial airlines since 2006, bedside to bedside.

ETA handles the ground on this end: the ride to the terminal for the flight out, or the pickup when the escort and your loved one land. Give dispatch the flight details the same way, and we plan the meeting point and the ride home.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“We are an adult couple coming from a long trip, arriving at Miami International Airport… We called Essential Transport Assistance (ETA), to see if they were able to assist us with all our suitcases and take us home in Boca Raton.... Well! It was the best decision we made! They were very professional asking questions of our needs, they were on time, didn’t let any of us touch any suitcases, they handled them all. We sat very comfortable in their professional van, and the ride to Boca was smooth and without any issues. When we arrived, the driver, again, didn’t let us touch the suitcases, he took all of them to our apartment and placed them on top of the suitcase racks for us. What a professional team! We know now who to call for assistance and they will be highly recommended!”
Mayda Zayas-Bazan · Google reviewSee all our Google reviews
Good to know

Common questions

How much does wheelchair transportation to the airport cost in South Florida?

Local one-way airport rides start at $90 for an ambulatory rider, $110 in a lift-equipped wheelchair van, and $220 on a stretcher with a two-person crew. The price is by the mile with tolls included, and dispatch quotes the full amount on the phone before you book. Waiting beyond the first free 15 minutes, nights, weekends, holidays, and stairs add to it, and an international arrival has up to an hour of waiting built in. Round trips and wait-and-return rides are quoted together.

Where does the driver meet an arriving rider?

At the terminal entrance or the baggage-claim exit, where the airline's wheelchair agent brings your loved one. The gate is on the secure side of the airport, and the airline is responsible for wheelchair help from the plane to baggage claim at no charge. Our driver takes over at the exit with the ramp or lift ready.

What happens if the flight is delayed or lands early?

We plan the pickup from the flight number and scheduled arrival time you give dispatch, and dispatch answers 24 hours a day. If the airline posts a delay or an early landing, call 954.477.7340 and we move the pickup with it. Once the driver is at the airport, the first 15 minutes of waiting are free and the rest is billed in 15-minute blocks. An international arrival already has up to an hour planned, so a slow customs line is not a surprise charge.

Does Uber or Lyft have wheelchair accessible vehicles at Fort Lauderdale or Miami airport?

Not that we can find: as of October 2026, neither Uber WAV nor Lyft's Wheelchair rides, the ramp-equipped vehicles where the rider stays in the chair, list a Florida city. Uber's own Fort Lauderdale page shows no accessible option, and for Miami, Lyft points riders to local companies. A standard rideshare driver may stow a folding chair in the trunk, but there is no ramp, no securement, and no one whose job is the transfer. A lift-equipped van with four-point securement and a driver who handles the ramp, the straps, and the suitcases is the safer choice at the airport.

Can a wheelchair van or stretcher crew meet a private jet at Boca Raton Airport, Opa-locka, or Signature Aviation?

Yes, with the terminal's permission, since these flights land at a private terminal and the ramp is closed to the public. Give dispatch the operator, the terminal, and the expected arrival time, and we arrange access through the terminal. The wheelchair van or the two-person stretcher crew meets the aircraft on the ramp, and a stretcher ride continues bed to bed to the home or hospital. We have done this at Signature Aviation at the Palm Beach airport, Boca Raton Airport, and Opa-locka Executive.

Do you help with suitcases, and can a family member ride along?

Yes to both. The driver loads and unloads the bags and brings them inside at home, and a family member or caregiver rides along at no extra charge. One of our Google reviews, from Mayda Zayas-Bazan, describes a Miami International arrival to Boca Raton where the driver handled every suitcase, from the terminal to the apartment. Tell dispatch how many bags and how many people so we send the right vehicle.

Can you handle a power wheelchair, a scooter, or oxygen on an airport ride?

Yes. Tell dispatch the type of chair or scooter when you book so we plan the lift, the securement, and the space. Your loved one rides in their own chair with four-point securement, and oxygen and other mobility equipment ride along. Your loved one's own chair comes off the plane with them and rolls straight onto our lift.

Can you drive from Boca Raton to Fort Lauderdale airport, or from Aventura to Miami airport?

Yes. Crossing a county line changes nothing about how we book or price a ride, since every trip is quoted by the mile with tolls included and confirmed before you book. Boca Raton and Delray Beach families often fly through FLL, and Aventura and Hallandale Beach riders use both FLL and MIA. We serve all of Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade from our base in Coral Springs.

More answers on our full FAQ page, or call us at 954.477.7340.

Airport rides from the cities around FLL, PBI, MIA, and Boca

We cover all of Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties, including these communities. Every city page lists the hospitals and medical facilities we serve there.

Book the airport ride

Call dispatch with the flight and the address. You hear the full price, with tolls and any extras, before you book.

Call 954.477.7340Book a ride