Senior Transportation in DC: Free and Low-Cost Rides (2026)

Senior transportation in DC comes from four different public agencies, and the right ride depends on who your parent is and where they need to go. The District's aging agency, the DC Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL), runs free medical rides for residents 60 and older with a certified medical condition, plus a subsidized ride card.1 Metro's MetroAccess paratransit serves riders whose disability keeps them off the bus or train, DC Medicaid pays for rides to medical appointments, and Metro sells a half-price fare card at 65.2,3,1 This guide lines them up so you can match each trip to the right door.

In This Guide

• Key Takeaways
• Why the District Has No Single Senior Transportation Program
• Start Here: DACL and the District's Aging Network
• MetroAccess: DC Paratransit When a Disability Keeps Your Parent Off Metro
• Transport DC: Taxi Trips for MetroAccess Riders Who Live in the District
• Medical Trips: How DC Medicaid Transportation Works
• Half-Price Metro at 65 and Other Everyday Options
• Which DC Senior Transportation Option Fits Which Trip
• How to Start: One Phone Call to DACL
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

Why the District Has No Single Senior Transportation Program

When a parent in Washington, DC stops driving, families usually go looking for "the" senior ride program and find a half-dozen instead. The District has several because four different public agencies each run a piece of senior transportation. DACL runs the aging network's rides. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) runs MetroAccess paratransit and the senior fare card. The DC Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF) runs DC Medicaid, which pays for medical rides. And the DC Department of For-Hire Vehicles (DFHV) runs Transport DC, a taxi program for MetroAccess riders.

The District also works differently from a state. In a state, you'd start by finding the county Area Agency on Aging. The District has none: DACL's State Plan on Aging says the District is a single planning and service area without Area Agencies on Aging, and DACL itself serves as both the State and Area Agency on Aging under the Older Americans Act.4 So there's one aging office for the whole city, and that simplifies the first call a great deal.

The way through is a simple question you can answer trip by trip: who is the rider, and where are they going? A ride to dialysis for a DC Medicaid member goes through a different door than a weekly grocery run for a 72-year-old in Ward 3 who just gave up the car. The sections below walk each door, then line them up side by side.

Start Here: DACL and the District's Aging Network

Start with DACL, because it's the widest door and it covers everyone 60 and older regardless of income for most of what it offers. DACL's Information & Referral/Assistance unit is its intake point for older adults, adults with disabilities, and caregivers, and it's reachable Monday through Friday, 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, at 202-724-5626. DACL lists "connecting to transportation, nutrition and socialization services" among what its case managers and social workers do.4 DACL's 2024-2027 State Plan describes the District's Older Americans Act transportation service as rides to life-sustaining medical appointments and to group social and recreational activities for District residents age 60 and older, and the eligibility DACL publishes for it is age and residence, with no income figure.4

Two DACL programs do most of the everyday work:

• Senior MedExpress. DACL's Senior MedExpress program provides eligible DC residents age 60 and older who have a certified medical condition with free round-trip transportation to essential medical appointments, such as chemotherapy or dialysis, and to health-related public benefits appointments for DDS, Medicaid (DHS ESA sites), or SNAP.1 If your parent has a standing treatment schedule, this is usually the first program to ask about.
• ConnectorCard. DACL's ConnectorCard Program is a cost-share program that gives qualified District residents age 60 and over a debit card they can use for ground transportation to the destination of their choice, and the subsidy on the card is set on a sliding fee scale.1 It's the more flexible of the two, useful for the trips a medical ride program won't cover, like church, a senior wellness center, or visiting a friend.

DACL doesn't publish a current ConnectorCard fee table on its Transportation page, so ask the I&RA line what your parent would contribute before signing up. DACL also says it can connect residents to curb-to-curb transportation for wheelchair users and to reduced fares on public transit, which are the next two sections.1

MetroAccess: DC Paratransit When a Disability Keeps Your Parent Off Metro

ADA paratransit is the option families most often don't realize is a legal right. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a public transit agency that runs local fixed bus or rail routes must also provide complementary paratransit to people whose disability keeps them from using the regular system, generally within three-fourths of a mile of a route, during the same days and hours the fixed routes run, and at a fare no higher than twice the comparable fixed-route fare.5

In the District, that service is MetroAccess, which WMATA describes as a door-to-door, shared-ride paratransit service for people who can't use Metro Rail or Metro Bus for a trip, running throughout the Washington region, including the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.2 Here's how it works for an older rider:

• Eligibility turns on disability, not age. WMATA's test is having a disability as defined by the ADA and being unable to use the Metro Bus and Metro Rail system some or all of the time as a result of it. Turning 80 doesn't qualify your parent on its own; being unable to walk to the bus stop because of a heart condition or dementia might.2
• Applying takes three steps. WMATA requires a written application certified by a health care professional, then an in-person interview and functional assessment, and Metro provides transportation to and from that interview.2
• Rides are booked ahead. MetroAccess trips must be booked in advance, online or by phone, and as of 2026 a MetroAccess trip costs twice the fare of the equivalent transit trip, up to $4.50.2
• A personal care attendant rides free. Federal ADA rules say a personal care attendant riding with an eligible passenger is not charged for complementary paratransit service such as MetroAccess, so the two-times fare cap applies only to your parent's own fare. That no-charge rule names a personal care attendant specifically, so ask MetroAccess what any other companion will pay before the trip.5 Separately, for regular Metro Rail and Metro Bus trips, WMATA says a MetroAccess ID lets the holder ride free with a personal care assistant or companion.2

If your parent's disability doesn't qualify for MetroAccess, WMATA says they may still qualify for a Reduced Fare SmarTrip Photo ID, which gives 50% off the regular Metro Bus and Metro Rail fare.2 To recertify MetroAccess eligibility, the DC Department of For-Hire Vehicles points riders to WMATA's Transit Accessibility Center at 202-962-2700.2

Transport DC: Taxi Trips for MetroAccess Riders Who Live in the District

Once your parent has a MetroAccess ID, a second District program opens up. Transport DC, run by the DC Department of For-Hire Vehicles, is a same-day taxi alternative to MetroAccess for DC residents registered with MetroAccess, with rides to and from any location within the District.2 Where MetroAccess is a shared van booked in advance, Transport DC is a taxi that comes for your parent alone.

What to know before the first ride:

• Cost and limit. DFHV's 2025 Transport DC Customer Guide says each ride costs $7.00 each way, and DFHV's program page allows up to ten one-way trips (five round trips) a month to any destination within the District of Columbia.2
• Dialysis doesn't count. DFHV says Transport DC dialysis trips do not count toward the ten-trip monthly limit.2
• Booking. Transport DC riders book by calling 1-844-322-7732, and DFHV says Transport DC trips are same-day and on demand, except for wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) reservations.2
• Timing and upkeep. A new MetroAccess rider can start using Transport DC after the 5th of the month following MetroAccess enrollment, and a rider whose MetroAccess ID expires is no longer eligible for Transport DC until they recertify.2
• Companions. DFHV says companions may ride along with a Transport DC participant at no additional charge but can't take trips without the enrolled rider.2

Older program listings you may find online describe different Transport DC prices and rules. DFHV administers the program, so its page and customer guide are the ones to trust.

Medical Trips: How DC Medicaid Transportation Works

When the trip is to a doctor, the single most useful thing to know is whether your parent has DC Medicaid. DC Medicaid, run by DHCF, provides free transportation to medical appointments, and a District guide adds that the rider must live in the District, have DC Medicaid, have no other way to get to the appointment, and be going to a provider enrolled in DC Medicaid.3

How your parent books depends on how they get their DC Medicaid:

• Fee-for-service ("straight") DC Medicaid. DHCF's 2025 Medicaid Fee-for-Service Member Handbook says to call the Transportation Broker at 1 (866) 796-0601, which a District guide identifies as Medical Transportation Management (MTM), and to call at least 3 days before the appointment, not counting Saturday and Sunday. For urgent visits, DHCF's 2025 DC Medicaid Fee-for-Service Member Handbook says members can call the transportation broker the day before the appointment.3
• A DC Medicaid managed care plan. The District's guide tells people enrolled in a DC Medicaid managed care program to call their insurer to request transportation. Use the member services number on your parent's plan card.3

The ride itself matches your parent's needs. DHCF's handbook says DC Medicaid transportation can be a bus, Metro, Lyft, Uber, taxi, transportation van, wheelchair van, or ambulance, depending on the member's medical needs.3 When you call, have your parent's Medicaid ID number, the pickup address, and the doctor's name, address, and phone number ready.

If your parent has Medicare but not DC Medicaid, the rules are different and much narrower; our national senior transportation guide explains what Medicare will and won't pay for. If you're not sure whether your parent could qualify for DC Medicaid, start with how to apply for DC Medicaid.

Half-Price Metro at 65 and Other Everyday Options

Plenty of older District residents still ride Metro, and it gets cheaper at 65. WMATA says anyone 65 or older can get a Senior SmarTrip card that gives a 50% discount on Metro, charged automatically each time the card is tapped, and the $2 new-card fee doesn't apply to it.1 WMATA issues the Senior SmarTrip card for riders 65 and older in person at 655 Virginia Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024, to a rider who brings a government-issued photo ID showing their birthdate, and a qualifying rider gets the Senior SmarTrip card right away.1 DACL lists Metro's reduced fares for seniors among the transportation resources it points District residents to.1

Beyond the public programs, families fill gaps with ride-share apps, taxis, and rides from neighbors, faith communities, and senior centers. Ride-share trips and informal rides are mostly paid out of pocket or depend on volunteers, and they work best for a parent who can still get in and out of a car without help. DACL's ConnectorCard can soften the cost of some of those trips for a resident 60 or older, since the card pays for ground transportation to the destination of the rider's choice.1

Which DC Senior Transportation Option Fits Which Trip

Lined up against who the rider is and what the trip is for, the right door usually picks itself.

A DC Medicaid member with dialysis three times a week starts with the Medicaid broker or the managed care plan, and may also qualify for DACL's Senior MedExpress.3,1 A 70-year-old in Ward 4 who just stopped driving and still walks well starts with a WMATA Senior SmarTrip card and a call to DACL about ConnectorCard.1 A parent whose Parkinson's makes the bus impossible applies for MetroAccess, and once approved can add DFHV's Transport DC for same-day taxi trips.2 Most families end up using two of these, one for medical trips and one for everything else.

How to Start: One Phone Call to DACL

For everything except DC Medicaid rides and the Metro fare card, one call does the sorting: DACL's Information & Referral/Assistance line at 202-724-5626, during the weekday hours listed above, or email askthedirector.dacl@dc.gov. DACL's intake serves adults 60 and older, adults with disabilities ages 18 to 59, and their caregivers, so you can call on your parent's behalf.4

When you call, describe the actual trips rather than asking about "transportation" in general: "My mother is 78, lives in Ward 5, stopped driving last month, goes to dialysis Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and wants to get to church on Sundays." A specific request gets a specific answer about Senior MedExpress, ConnectorCard, and whether a MetroAccess application makes sense. If your parent is on DC Medicaid, book medical rides separately through the fee-for-service broker or the managed care plan, since that benefit runs on its own track.3

Learn More

Find personalized help arranging rides for an older adult in the District of Columbia at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.