When an older adult in Virginia stops driving, the hard part isn't that rides don't exist, it's that there's no single senior transportation program in Virginia. Instead there are several separate systems, each with its own rules and its own front door. The state's aging network offers rides through the Older Americans Act, coordinated by Virginia's Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services through local Area Agencies on Aging. Public transit like Richmond's GRTC and Hampton Roads Transit must offer paratransit to riders whose disability keeps them off the bus. Virginia Medicaid covers medical rides. And a volunteer and private layer fills the gaps.,, Which door you knock on depends on who your parent is and where they're going, and one phone call to your local Area Agency on Aging sorts most of it out.

In This Guide

Why There's No Single Senior Transportation Program in Virginia

Families across Virginia go looking for "the senior transportation program" and can't find it, because it isn't one thing. What exists instead is a set of separate systems, each with its own rules, its own paperwork, and its own idea of who it's for. One is built around age, one around disability, one around who insures your parent's health care, and one around whoever in the community is willing to drive.

That sounds like a mess, and from the outside it is. But it resolves into a simple question you can answer trip by trip: who is the rider, and where are they going? A ride to dialysis for someone on Virginia Medicaid runs through a different door than a ride to the grocery store for a 72-year-old in Roanoke who just let their license lapse. The rest of this guide walks the menu one option at a time, adapted for Virginia, then lines the options up so you can match each to the trip in front of you.

Virginia's Aging Network: Older Americans Act Rides

Start here, because it's the widest door and the least known. The Older Americans Act requires that an adequate proportion of each area's Title III-B funding be spent on "access services," and transportation is named among them, right alongside outreach, information and assistance, and case management. That protection has one exception: the state must waive the requirement for a category in an area if the Area Agency on Aging shows that the services already furnished there are sufficient to meet the need and has held a timely public hearing on request. Where no waiver applies, that makes access services, rides among them, a funded part of the aging network rather than a discretionary extra.

In Virginia, that network has a specific shape. The Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) is the state agency for aging services, and it delivers Older Americans Act programs through a statewide network of local Area Agencies on Aging. DARS points families to that local agency as the starting point: "Your local AAA is the front door to aging services for older Virginians. Many AAAs provide meals, in-home services transportation, Medicare counseling, caregiver support and more" (DARS Aging Services). Transportation is one of the home- and community-based supports those agencies coordinate, described by DARS as "services and supports, such as meals, transportation and care for older Virginians" (DARS Home & Community Based Services).

Two features make this the first call.

  • No income test. Federal law bars denying an Older Americans Act service to an older adult because of their income or because they don't pay, and an Area Agency on Aging and its providers may not means test for a service for which voluntary contributions are accepted. Your parent may be invited to chip in voluntarily, but it's never required, and savings or other property can't be considered. A state may also choose to charge sliding-scale cost sharing, based solely on income and the cost of the service, for services outside a protected list that includes meals, information and assistance, case management, and legal assistance; transportation is not on that list. Even then, no one at or below the federal poverty line can be charged.
  • A low age bar. The Act defines an "older individual" as someone 60 or older, so the threshold is 60, not 65.

What the ride itself looks like is local, and it varies by region: it might be a senior-center van, a dial-a-ride service, a volunteer driver, mileage reimbursement, or a bus voucher, depending on your Area Agency on Aging. Because each local program has its own name and its own coverage area, the way to find it is to ask the agency directly rather than searching for a generic term. You can locate the Area Agency on Aging for any Virginia city or county through the DARS "Find Your Local Area Agency on Aging" tool. Our guide to finding and using your Area Agency on Aging covers that call in full.

ADA Paratransit in Virginia: GRTC CARE, HRT, and MetroAccess

This is the option families most often don't know is a legal right. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a public transit agency that runs a local fixed-route bus or rail system must also provide complementary paratransit, a separate ride service, to riders with disabilities who qualify under federal law. Three situations qualify: a disability that keeps the person from boarding, riding, or getting off an accessible vehicle without another person's help; needing a wheelchair lift or other boarding device when no accessible vehicle is running on the route at the time they need to travel; and a disability-related condition that keeps them from getting to or from the stop. The service has to be comparable to the fixed-route system it shadows, generally cover origins and destinations within three-quarters of a mile of a route, run during the same days and hours, and cost the eligible rider no more than twice the full fixed-route fare for a similar trip, while a personal care attendant riding along isn't charged at all and other companions pay the rider's fare. The agency can't keep a waiting list for the service or restrict rides by trip purpose. Those service standards can be modified: a transit agency granted an undue-financial-burden modification under the federal rules may lawfully fall short of the service-area, hours-and-days, or fare standards. Another limit is worth knowing before you start making calls: the requirement does not apply to commuter bus, commuter rail, or intercity rail systems, so a regional commuter train is not the agency to ask for a paratransit ride. The obligation sits with local transit, the city and county bus systems and the rapid-transit lines that run alongside them, which is exactly what the three Virginia programs below are.

In Virginia's three largest regions, that ride has a name:

  • Richmond region: GRTC CARE. The Greater Richmond Transit Company runs ADA paratransit under the name CARE. GRTC describes it as an "origin-to-destination" service that operates within its fixed-route coverage area, extending up to three-quarters of a mile from its fixed-route bus lines, and it sets eligibility by function, not age: "ADA Paratransit is available for people whose disability prevents them from independently using fixed-route bus service (some or all of the time). Eligibility is based on functional ability, not on a specific medical diagnosis, age, or type of disability" (GRTC CARE Paratransit). Eligible riders are issued an ADA Paratransit photo ID card to show the driver.
  • Hampton Roads: HRT Paratransit. Hampton Roads Transit provides ADA paratransit across the Hampton Roads region. To apply or recertify, HRT directs riders to its eligibility service, ADARIDE, by phone or online at adaride.com (HRT Paratransit).
  • Northern Virginia: MetroAccess. In the Washington metropolitan area, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) runs MetroAccess, which it describes as "a door-to-door shared-ride paratransit service" for riders who, because of a disability, can't use Metrorail or Metrobus for a trip (WMATA MetroAccess).

A few things hold true wherever you are in Virginia. Paratransit follows the local bus and rail map, so if your parent lives well outside a transit agency's service area, it may not reach them, and the aging-network or Medicaid options matter more. Eligibility turns on whether a disability keeps your parent from using the fixed-route system in one of the ways federal law lists, decided by the transit agency through its own application, often with a section a medical professional completes. And the fare stays close to the price of the bus, because federal rules generally cap it at no more than twice the regular fixed-route fare, unless the agency holds an undue-financial-burden modification. Outside these three regions, smaller city and county transit systems that run local fixed routes carry the same ADA paratransit obligation; ask your local transit provider for its ADA paratransit application, or ask your Area Agency on Aging what serves the county.

Medical Trips: Virginia Medicaid NEMT, and Why Medicare Usually Won't

When the trip is to a medical appointment, the rules change, and the single most useful thing to know is which program insures your parent.

Virginia Medicaid covers medical rides when your parent has no other way to get to a doctor appointment or other Medicaid service. The assurance of transportation is mandatory in every state's Medicaid program: a state must ensure necessary transportation for its beneficiaries to and from their providers, including non-emergency medical transportation where necessary for the beneficiary to receive covered services, though each state chooses the method it uses to deliver it. In Virginia, how the ride is arranged depends on how your parent gets their Medicaid, whether through a managed-care health plan or through fee-for-service Medicaid. For members in a managed-care plan, the state's Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) says, "If you are enrolled in a Managed Care Organization (MCO) plan and eligible for transportation, please contact your MCO plan for NEMT transportation arrangements." For members who are in fee-for-service Medicaid rather than a health plan, DMAS says the benefit "is managed and operated by our statewide contracted transportation broker, ModivCare," which takes reservations, assigns trips, and pays providers (Virginia Medicaid Transportation). For a managed-care member, the member ID card lists the phone number to call for transportation, and that is the number to call rather than ModivCare. Either way, rides to dialysis, chemotherapy, or regular doctor visits are a covered benefit for a Medicaid member who has no other way to get to them; this is a payer benefit, not an aging-network one. See our guide to Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation for how the benefit works in general.

Original Medicare, by contrast, covers transportation narrowly. Part B covers ambulance transportation, and only in defined circumstances: when traveling in any other vehicle could endanger your health, and then only to the nearest appropriate medical facility that's able to give the care your parent needs. In some cases Medicare may pay for medically necessary, non-emergency ambulance transportation, but only with a written order from a doctor or other health care provider saying the ambulance is medically necessary; medicare.gov's example is someone with End-Stage Renal Disease who may need an ambulance to and from a dialysis facility. Even a covered trip isn't free: after the Part B deductible, your parent pays 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.

Repeated scheduled trips carry one more condition. Medicare.gov says a beneficiary may be affected by a Medicare demonstration program if they get scheduled, non-emergency ambulance transportation for 3 or more round trips in a 10-day period, or at least once a week for 3 weeks or more, from any ambulance company nationwide. The ambulance company may ask Medicare for prior authorization before the fourth round trip in a 30-day period, and if that request isn't approved and the trips continue, Medicare will deny the claim and the ambulance company may bill your parent for all charges. Either your parent or the ambulance company may request prior authorization.

If your parent has a Medicare Advantage plan rather than Original Medicare, check the plan: an Advantage plan may offer chronically ill enrollees transportation for non-medical needs, such as grocery shopping or banking, as a supplemental benefit, but these benefits are plan-specific and not guaranteed.

The Volunteer and Private Layer

Underneath the funded programs is a patchwork that often does the everyday work of getting an older adult to a hair appointment, a place of worship, or a friend's house.

  • Volunteer driver programs. Many Virginia communities run programs where screened volunteers drive older neighbors, sometimes coordinated by the Area Agency on Aging, a senior center, or a faith community. Availability and cost vary widely by area, so ask the Area Agency on Aging what operates locally.
  • Ride-share and concierge services. App-based ride services, and phone-based concierge services built for people who don't use smartphones, can fill in for spontaneous trips. These are private and paid out of pocket, and quality and coverage vary, but for a parent who can still transfer in and out of a car independently they can be the simplest option for an unplanned trip.
  • Senior centers and community shuttles. Some Virginia senior centers, retirement communities, and grocery or medical facilities run their own shuttles on set routes and days.

None of this layer is an entitlement, and it's the part that varies most from one town to the next, which is exactly why the Area Agency on Aging, whose job is to know the local map, is the efficient place to ask.

Which Virginia Senior Transportation Option Fits Which Trip

The menu resolves into a matching problem. Line the options up against who the rider is, what the trip is for, and what it costs, and the right door usually picks itself.

Option Best for Typical cost How to arrange
Aging-network (Older Americans Act) rides Any Virginian 60+, any local trip No means test; voluntary contribution, or income-based sliding-scale cost sharing if the state charges it Call the Area Agency on Aging via the Eldercare Locator
ADA complementary paratransit (GRTC CARE, HRT, MetroAccess) A rider whose disability prevents using fixed-route transit Generally no more than twice the regular fixed-route fare; a personal care attendant rides free Apply through the local public transit agency
Virginia Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation A Medicaid member with no other way to get to a medical appointment Covered benefit Your MCO health plan, at the number on the member ID card, or ModivCare for fee-for-service
Volunteer driver / community shuttle Everyday local trips, gaps the funded programs miss Free to low, varies locally Area Agency on Aging or a senior center
Ride-share or concierge service Spontaneous trips, a rider who transfers independently Private pay Book directly (app or phone)

Read it as a decision, not a ranking. A Medicaid member going to dialysis starts with their Medicaid plan's transportation benefit. A 68-year-old in Alexandria who just stopped driving and wants to keep getting to the grocery store and church starts with the Area Agency on Aging and, if a disability keeps them off the bus, a MetroAccess application. Most families end up using more than one, one for medical trips and another for everything else.

How to Start: One Phone Call

For everything except the Medicaid medical benefit, the same first call does the sorting. The national entry point for finding the Area Agency on Aging that serves your parent's address is the Eldercare Locator, reachable by phone at 1-800-677-1116 and online at eldercare.acl.gov. Look it up by the address where your parent lives in Virginia, not where you live, because the agency is defined by their location. You can also find their local agency directly through the DARS Area Agency on Aging locator.

When you reach the agency, name the actual trips: "My father is 74, lives in Henrico County, no longer drives, and needs to get to a cardiologist twice a month and to the grocery store weekly." A specific request gets a specific answer, which local programs exist, whether he'd qualify for paratransit, and what each one costs. If your parent is on Virginia Medicaid, also contact their Medicaid health plan, or ModivCare if they're in fee-for-service Medicaid, for medical rides, since that benefit runs on a separate track.

Frequently Asked Questions

What transportation is available for seniors who don't drive in Virginia?

There are four main layers: rides funded through the Older Americans Act and coordinated by your Area Agency on Aging through the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (open to anyone 60 or older, with no income test),, ADA complementary paratransit that Virginia transit agencies such as GRTC CARE, Hampton Roads Transit, and MetroAccess must provide to riders with disabilities who qualify, Virginia Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation for medical trips if your parent is on Medicaid and has no other way to get to the appointment,, and a volunteer and private layer of community shuttles, volunteer drivers, and ride-share services. Start by calling the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.

Does Medicare pay for rides to the doctor in Virginia?

Generally no, other than by ambulance. Under Original Medicare, Part B covers ambulance transportation only in defined circumstances: when traveling in any other vehicle could endanger your health, and only to the nearest appropriate medical facility. A non-emergency ambulance trip needs a written order from a doctor or other health care provider saying it is medically necessary, and a covered trip costs 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible. A Medicare Advantage plan may offer chronically ill enrollees transportation for non-medical needs as a supplemental benefit, but these benefits are plan-specific and not guaranteed, so if your parent has an Advantage plan, check its specific coverage. For a Virginia Medicaid member who has no other way to get to the appointment, medical rides are a covered Medicaid benefit instead, arranged through the member's health plan at the transportation number on their member ID card or, for fee-for-service, through ModivCare.,

How does an older adult qualify for paratransit in Virginia?

Paratransit eligibility is based on disability, not age. A rider qualifies if a disability keeps them from boarding, riding, or getting off an accessible vehicle without another person's help, if they need a lift or boarding device when no accessible vehicle is running on their route, or if a disability-related condition keeps them from getting to or from the stop; the local transit agency decides this through its own application, which often includes a section a medical professional completes. In Richmond, for example, GRTC sets eligibility "on functional ability, not on a specific medical diagnosis, age, or type of disability" (GRTC CARE). Being older doesn't automatically qualify someone. A qualifying rider generally pays a fare no higher than twice the regular fixed-route fare, unless the agency holds an undue-financial-burden modification, and a personal care attendant riding along isn't charged.

Is there a cost for aging-network transportation in Virginia?

Older Americans Act services carry no income test to qualify, and no service can be denied because of a person's income or because they don't pay. Your parent may be invited to make a voluntary contribution, which is never required. A state may also choose to charge sliding-scale cost sharing for transportation, based solely on income and the cost of the service, but it can't charge anyone at or below the federal poverty line or consider savings or other property. What each local Virginia program asks for, if anything, varies by Area Agency on Aging, so ask when you call.

Learn More

CaregiverSenior Transportation: How to Get Around When You No Longer DriveSenior transportation options when an older adult stops driving: aging-network rides, ADA paratransit, Medicaid medical rides, and how to pick the right one. CaregiverWhen Should an Older Adult Stop Driving?There's no one recommended age to stop driving. The warning signs it may be time, how to have the conversation, dementia and driving, and staying mobile after. CaregiverArea Agencies on Aging: How to Find and Use YoursYour parent's Area Agency on Aging may not go by that name. How to find it by address, what it can do, and why there's no income test to get help. MedicaidMedicaid Non-Emergency Medical TransportationHow Georgia Medicaid covers non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT): the statewide broker Verida, the 3-day booking rule, eligible trips, and denials.

Find personalized help arranging transportation for an older adult in Virginia who no longer drives 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.

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