The RIDE, Uber, medical transport, or a caregiver who drives?
Four ways to get an older adult to an appointment in Greater Boston and MetroWest. They cost wildly different amounts and suit completely different situations — and one of them does not serve five of the towns we cover.
If someone can manage a shared ride alone and lives in the MBTA's service area, The RIDE is by far the cheapest option at $3.35 a trip — book one to five days ahead. A rideshare is quicker but leaves them at the kerb. Medical transport is for people who cannot transfer into a car. A caregiver who drives costs the most and is the only one that helps inside the house and stays at the appointment.
The four options side by side
| Option | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| The RIDE (MBTA paratransit) — shared, door-to-door, booked 1–5 days ahead | $3.35 one way $5.60 premium |
| Uber / Lyft — on demand, kerb to kerb, driver stays in the car | varies by distance and demand |
| Medical transport — wheelchair van or ambulance, for people who cannot transfer into a car | varies; may be covered for eligible patients |
| Westmark — a caregiver drives, door through door, stays at the appointment | $45 flat local $35 + $2.50/mile regional |
| Our first hour of wait time at an appointment is included in the trip price; after that it is $30 an hour. There is no hourly minimum on transportation. | |
The RIDE: cheapest, if you qualify and if it comes to you
The RIDE is the MBTA's paratransit service for people whose disability prevents them using the bus or subway. At $3.35 a one-way ADA trip — $1.70 for seniors and income-eligible riders — nothing else comes close on price.
The conditions are the catch:
- You must apply and be found eligible through the MBTA's Mobility Center. It is not a service you can simply book.
- Trips are booked one to five days ahead, and not after 5pm for the next day. It does not work for a same-day appointment.
- It is a shared ride with a pick-up window, not a fixed time, so journeys take longer than a direct trip.
- A premium fare of $5.60 applies when a trip starts or ends more than three-quarters of a mile from bus or subway service — which is much of suburban MetroWest.
- It is door-to-door, not door-through-door. The driver does not come inside to help someone get ready.
And it does not serve every town we do. Of the twelve towns Westmark covers, The RIDE serves Boston, Quincy, Woburn, Winchester, Burlington and Reading, and part of Billerica. It does not serve Framingham, Hopkinton, Holliston, Hudson or Bellingham. If you are in MetroWest, The RIDE is often not an option at any price.
Uber and Lyft: fast, and fine until it isn't
For an older adult who walks steadily, manages a phone and needs to get somewhere today, a rideshare is quick and usually cheap. The limits show up on the days that matter.
- The driver stays in the car. Nobody helps with the front steps, the door, or a walker.
- Nobody waits. A return trip is a fresh booking, in the cold, possibly after an exhausting appointment.
- Drivers are not trained in dementia, mobility or anything else — and a cancelled ride leaves someone standing outside.
- No one reports back to the family about how the appointment went.
Medical transport: when a car is not possible
Wheelchair vans and ambulances exist for people who cannot transfer into a standard vehicle, need a stretcher, or need clinical monitoring on the way. If that describes your situation, the other three options on this page are not suitable, and this is what you need.
MassHealth members may be able to have non-emergency medical transport arranged through their provider; ask the practice or the health plan how it works in your case.
A caregiver who drives: the expensive one that does the rest
Our transportation is door through door: the caregiver comes inside, helps your parent get ready, gets them out of the house and into the car, stays at the appointment, and sees them back indoors afterwards. A local trip is $45 flat; regional trips are $35 plus $2.50 a mile. The first hour of waiting is included.
It costs many times a RIDE fare. What it buys is the part that goes wrong for frail people: the steps, the door, the waiting room, the "what did the doctor actually say", and the trip home.
Which one, in practice
- Steady on their feet, plans ahead, lives in the service area → The RIDE. Cheapest by a wide margin.
- Independent, needs a lift today → a rideshare.
- Cannot transfer into a car, or needs monitoring → medical transport.
- Unsteady, confused, recovering, or anxious about the appointment → a caregiver. Also the answer when the family lives far away and needs to know how it went.
- In Framingham, Hopkinton, Holliston, Hudson or Bellingham → The RIDE is not available, so the real choice is a rideshare, a caregiver, or family.
Plenty of families mix them: The RIDE for routine appointments, a caregiver for the ones that matter — first oncology visit, the day after a procedure, anything where someone should be listening.
Common questions
How much does The RIDE cost?
$3.35 for a one-way ADA trip, or $1.70 for seniors and income-eligible riders. Premium trips are $5.60 ($2.80 reduced), which apply when a trip begins or ends more than three-quarters of a mile from bus or subway service, among other conditions.
Does The RIDE serve MetroWest?
Not much of it. Its service area includes Boston, Quincy, Woburn, Winchester, Burlington and Reading, and part of Billerica, but not Framingham, Hopkinton, Holliston, Hudson or Bellingham.
Can I book The RIDE for the same day?
No. Trips are booked one to five days in advance, and not after 5pm for travel the next day. For same-day needs you are looking at a rideshare, a caregiver, or family.
Is Westmark transportation medical transport?
No. We provide non-medical transportation for people who can transfer into a standard vehicle with help from the driver. No stretchers, no wheelchair van, no clinical monitoring.
Can the caregiver wait during the appointment?
Yes — that is the point of it. The first hour of wait time is included in the trip price, and after that it is $30 an hour. The caregiver stays with your parent rather than dropping them off.
Is there a minimum for transportation?
No. Unlike our home care visits, transportation has no hourly minimum and is quoted per trip: $45 flat locally, or $35 plus $2.50 a mile for regional journeys.
Need someone at the appointment, not just a lift?
Tell us where and when, and we will quote the trip. If The RIDE would serve you better, we will say so — it is a fraction of the price and we would rather you knew.
Sources
The RIDE fares, booking window, premium fare conditions and service area are from the MBTA: RIDE fares and The RIDE, checked September 2026. Fares and service areas change — check the MBTA before relying on them. Rideshare pricing varies by distance, time and demand, so no figure is quoted here. Westmark rates are our published rates as of September 2026.