How Much Does Stretcher Transportation Cost in Florida?

If your loved one can't sit up for the ride home from the hospital or to an appointment, a wheelchair van won't work, and a stretcher ride is the next step. It's also the service families know the least about, so the first question is usually the price. Here's what stretcher transportation costs in South Florida, what goes into that number, and how to keep it down.

The short answer

With Essential Transport Assistance, a local one-way stretcher ride starts at $220. Distance, a round trip, waiting time, stairs, and trips at night, on weekends, or on holidays can add to that. You hear the full price on the phone before anything is booked, with tolls included.

Stretcher transport costs more than other rides because it takes more: a vehicle built to carry a stretcher and a trained two-person crew instead of one driver. For comparison, our wheelchair rides start at $110 and ambulatory rides at $90. Our full guide to medical transportation costs covers all three levels.

Who needs a stretcher ride

A stretcher van is for someone who is stable but can't sit upright safely for the length of the trip. Families usually book one when a loved one is:

• Recovering from surgery and told to stay lying down
• Bedbound at home or in a nursing facility
• Too weak or in too much pain to sit through the drive
• Going home from the hospital or rehab and can't sit in a wheelchair yet

If your loved one can sit up safely for the whole ride, a wheelchair ride may be enough, and it costs less. The discharge planner, the doctor, or our dispatch team can help you decide.

What's included in the price

• A trained two-person crew, from the bed at pickup to the bed at the destination
• Help moving your loved one from bed to stretcher and back again at the other end
• A vehicle built for a stretcher, with the stretcher secured for the whole ride
• A family member riding along at no extra charge
• A full price before you book, with mileage and tolls included

What changes the price

• Distance. We price by the mile, so a ride across a county line, like a Miami hospital to a home in Coral Springs, costs more than a short local trip.
• One way or round trip. A round trip is quoted together for the best value, rather than as two separate bookings.
• Waiting. The first 15 minutes at pickup are free. After that, waiting is billed in 15-minute increments. Hospital discharges are where most waiting happens.
• Stairs. Carrying a stretcher up or down stairs, like a second-floor condo with no elevator, adds to the price.
• Nights, weekends, and holidays. These add to the price too, and we include them in your quote up front.

Stretcher van or ambulance?

A stretcher van and an ambulance can look alike from the outside, but they're built for different needs and billed very differently. A non-emergency ambulance carries medical staff and equipment to treat the patient during the ride, for care that has to be watched or adjusted on the way. That level of care makes an ambulance bill far higher.

If your loved one is stable and needs no medical care on the way, a stretcher van is usually the right fit and the better value. If they need care during the ride, book an ambulance. Our guide to NEMT vs. ambulance explains the difference in more detail.

Will insurance pay for it?

Sometimes, but coverage varies a lot from plan to plan. Original Medicare generally pays only for ambulance rides, not stretcher van rides. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a set number of rides each year, and Florida Medicaid rides are usually scheduled through the member's plan. Call the number on your loved one's card and ask whether stretcher transportation is covered and how to book it. Our guide on whether Medicare or Medicaid covers medical transportation in Florida has the full breakdown.

How to keep the cost down

• Ask the nurse for a realistic discharge time before you book, so the crew isn't waiting on paperwork.
• Book the ride home when you book the ride there, so it's quoted as one round trip.
• Give the exact pickup and drop-off addresses, including the floor and whether there's an elevator.
• Book a weekday daytime ride when you can, since nights, weekends, and holidays cost more.
• Don't worry about plans changing. We never charge a cancellation or no-show fee.

Get a stretcher quote

Essential Transport Assistance is a family-owned company based in Coral Springs, serving Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties. Call 954.477.7340 and a real person answers, 24 hours a day. Tell us the pickup and destination addresses, the date and time, and whether there are stairs, and you'll hear the full price before anything is booked. You can also request a ride online.