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Medical Transportation for the Holidays: 5 Things to Know

When arranging medical transportation for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's, keep these five things in mind.

Thinking about how to get mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa to your family gathering for the holidays? Not sure if you'll pick them up yourself, if they'll use a taxi service, or if you'll consult a medical transporation provider?

Here are five things to keep in mind when arranging holiday transportation for elderly relatives.

Traffic volume is higher

Thanksgiving and Christmas are among the busiest travel times of the year. If you've ever been to the airport the day before Thanksgiving, you know this. In addition to increased air travel, there are substantially more people on the roads than average; up to 95 million.

People are traveling long distances

During the Thanksgiving holiday period, the number of people traveling 50 miles or more increases by 54 percent, and 23 percent for Christmas/New Year's. This means that many travelers are far from home and may be unfamiliar with the roads they are on. As a result of this and other factors...

Accidents occur more frequently

There are significantly more traffic accidents during the holidays. In 2010, Thanksgiving was the deadliest travel day of the year. During the Christmas/New Year's period, almost 30,000 crashes with serious injuries occur annually.

Medical transportation prices are higher

Because it can be challenging to have enough staff to meet heavy demand, medical transportation providers usually increase prices for the holidays. At On Time, we pay our drivers double for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and many of the days immediately before and after.

Safety is paramount

Regardless of the mode of transport, safety is always the first concern. A trained professional will pick up your loved one, assist them if necessary out of bed, outside, and to the vehicle, and safely transport them to their destination. If requested, for an additional fee, the driver and attendant can also wait at the gathering and take your family member home, or a new driver can arrive when he or she is ready to go.

At On Time, as an extra safety measure, we have an advanced tracking system that enables us to see all of our vehicles on the road in real-time and exactly how fast they are travelling. View our 10 safety mantras to learn more about many of the precautions we take.

A few key things to remember:

• Try to book in advance if possible (more than 48 hours ahead is ideal)
• You can request a driver and an attendant
• You can request different types of vehicles (from sedans to fully equipped ambulances depending on need)
• The driver and attendant can wait outside in the vehicle during the visit
• Using a medical transport provider is safer and often more appropriate than private transportation or a taxi service
• Medicare almost always does NOT cover wheelchair van services
• In NJ, Medicaid trips must be booked through Logisticare

If you need to arrange transportation for a loved one traveling to or from New Jersey, you've come to the right place.

Click below to arrange a trip online, or give us a call to speak to a transportation expert 24/7 at (908) 298 9500.

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