Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Childhood Cancer Lantern
Search Saved

Florida program

County rides when other transportation is unavailable

Florida’s Transportation Disadvantaged program arranges local rides for people who cannot reach services another way.

What it is

Florida’s Transportation Disadvantaged program arranges local rides for people who cannot reach services another way.

Age, income or disability can leave a family without a way to reach treatment. A county Community Transportation Coordinator checks whether this program fits. Fares and practical availability depend on the local service.

Eligibility rules
  • The program serves people unable to drive or access other transportation because of age, income or disability.
  • There is no uniform statewide income table. The coordinator for the county or service area applies local rules.
What you get
  • Scheduled rides through the county’s transportation service.
What the help covers
  • Local fares apply. A statewide directory covers all 67 counties, but a directory listing does not promise a same-day ride.
If you decide to apply
  1. Find your county’s Community Transportation Coordinator through the state directory.
  2. Ask about the fare, eligibility records and how far ahead treatment trips must be booked.
  3. Ask the hospital social worker for a letter explaining the treatment schedule and transportation problem.

Your county Community Transportation Coordinator · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • The coordinator reviews eligibility and schedules trips in advance. The treatment calendar helps explain recurring travel needs.
Good to know

Medicaid members have a separate plan ride benefit. The county program has its own rules and scheduling.

Other details
  • A Medicaid plan’s ride benefit includes its own escort and covered-trip rules. It is a separate route to check if your child has Medicaid.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Would the county ride service fit our situation, and what fares or scheduling limits would we face? Could you help us reach the coordinator and explain the treatment schedule?”

Why I’m asking: I want a practical way to reach appointments if other transportation does not work.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Call the coordinator for your county, enroll, and book rides ahead for the treatment calendar.

Your social worker

The social worker writes the letter on the treatment schedule and the reason the family has no transportation.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The county Community Transportation Coordinator under the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged.
Ask your social worker
“We do not have Medicaid rides and getting to the clinic is a problem. Can you help us enroll with our county's Transportation Disadvantaged coordinator and write the letter it needs?”

How to apply

First step: Find the Community Transportation Coordinator for your county on the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged site and call to enroll. Ask the oncology social worker for a letter on the treatment calendar.

  1. Find the coordinator for your county and ask what it needs to enroll a child with a serious illness.
  2. Ask the oncology social worker for a letter on the treatment calendar.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Find the coordinator for your county on the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged site and call

What to gather

  • Address and county
  • The treatment schedule
  • A letter on why the family has no transportation, if the coordinator asks

How long: Enrollment and booking times are set by the county coordinator.

What a yes looks like

An enrollment and standing rides for the treatment calendar.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Ask the reason (residency, availability or the local rule). Ask the hospital social worker about hospital ride funds and the Ronald McDonald House for lodging near the hospital.

Watch out

  • No statewide income limit; each county coordinator applies its own rules. Ask what it needs before assuming a yes or a no.
  • Book ahead. Coordinators run scheduled services, not same-day rides.
  • A child on Medicaid uses the plan's ride benefit instead; that one comes with an escort rule and, on the Children's Medical Services plan, meals on long trips.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 9, 2026.

What it is worth

Rides arranged by the county Community Transportation Coordinator for people who cannot drive and have no other way to get there, in all 67 counties.

Covers: Rides to medical appointments through the county coordinator · Local eligibility screening

What it costs the family: Set locally; some coordinators charge a small fare.

The eligibility facts, as published

Transportation disadvantaged
cannot drive and no access to other transportation because of age, income or a disability
Counties
all 67, through a designated coordinator for each county or service area
Income limit
no uniform statewide table (NOT FOUND); local rules apply

Expect friction on: County-by-county rules · Advance booking

The trap: No statewide income table exists: each county coordinator sets and applies its own rules and fares, and availability varies. Call the coordinator for your county and ask what it needs.

Where I read this

← Back to your options