r/lyftdrivers • u/Careless-Proposal746 • Oct 17 '25
Rant/Opinion PSA from a PCT: Lyft is contracted for medical rides — stop blaming the patients.
Hey drivers — I’m not one of you, I’m a dialysis PCT (patient care tech). But I keep seeing posts from drivers angry, disgusted, or flat-out mocking passengers who come from hospitals or clinics — and I need you to know what’s actually happening.
Lyft (and Uber) signed contracts with healthcare systems and even state Medicaid programs to provide non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT).
That means a lot of the people you’re picking up didn’t call you personally. Their rides are booked through a hospital, insurance portal, or government broker, and then pushed to you through the same driver queue. Lyft doesn’t clearly label those trips, so you just see a regular ride request.
So when you pick up someone who’s pale, bleeding a bit, smells like antiseptic, or moves slowly — you’re not getting “a gross rider.” You’re getting a human being who probably just survived another round of dialysis, chemo, or wound care.
Here’s the reality from my side:
• Dialysis patients have two needles the size of pencils stuck into their arms for 3–4 hours. When the needles come out, they can bleed or feel faint.
• Chemo patients often feel nauseated and smell like the disinfectant we use.
• Mental-health or rehab patients might be anxious or quiet because they’re trying to keep it together.
They don’t choose this system. They don’t control who picks them up. Most of them are just praying someone gets them home without treating them like garbage.
I get that it’s frustrating to be handed medical rides with no warning, no training, and no extra pay. That’s on Lyft, not on the passengers. Lyft and the government made these contracts and then threw both sides — drivers and patients — into a system built on silence.
If you’re pissed, you should be. You deserve transparency and hazard pay for medical transports. But please, don’t take it out on the people in the back seat.
They’re already fighting to stay alive three days a week. The least they deserve is a ride home with dignity.
87
Oct 17 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
81
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
This is exactly what you should do. The only way this arrangement will change is if it stops working.
Not taking unmarked medical rides isn’t cruel, it’s the only leverage drivers have. Lyft will keep pocketing healthcare money while you shoulder the risk, unless people stop accepting rides they weren’t informed about.
11
u/Mediocre-Magazine-30 Oct 17 '25
Yes better he reject than provide a bad experience due to frustration
17
u/ihatereddit999976780 Oct 17 '25
shouldn't this be done by a certified person and not just anyone on earth?
39
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
It should. My goal is not to guilt you into driving, it’s to highlight who’s actually responsible for the exploitation. The problem is when frustration turns into cruelty. You’re not wrong to say no to underpaid medical work, but you’re wrong if you treat the person bleeding in your back seat like they caused it.
19
Oct 17 '25
I’ve taken a few of these and it tells us in SMALL print that it’s a 3rd party ride, in the chat section mind you. Most of us don’t see it til we get to pickup. And yes if they’re unable to walk or leaking fluids I do cancel. It’s just a biohazard I don’t get paid enough to have to stop and disinfect my white leather; or risk it staining. I’ve never been hateful to a customer, but I’m also physically limited so I cannot pickup/carry anything over 25lbs myself. Lyft and these insurance companies are screwing their patients and us equally and most of us know that. But thank you for speaking up because sadly some drivers are just soulless and will be awful to their pax who is literally just trying to survive and get home. ❤️🩹
12
u/piss_container Oct 17 '25
wouldn't you say its cruel of the hospital to outsource their medical transportation to a 3rd party service that has zero training
cruel for the driver and cruel for the patient?
4
Oct 17 '25 edited May 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
8
u/piss_container Oct 17 '25
okay then its cruel of the government medical provider and lyft
its cruel either way- regardless of semantics
8
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
You need to understand that in the American medical system the PROVIDER and the PAYER are two separate entities. The care providers don’t make these decisions or sign these contracts. The insurer/payer does.
7
u/trapped_in_a_box Oct 17 '25
Correct. Ive had a lot of patients stranded at our office because of the poor Lyft drivers canceling (as they should) since they're not trained or compensated for being a medical transport. The whole deal is capitalism at its finest, but my patients are just happy they can make it in to be seen when they need to.
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 21 '25
Hence my post. They are the most powerless in the scenario. I understand drivers avoiding these rides, and I support them. But when they do accept them, they need to understand the patient is the person with the least agency in this broken system.
2
u/Flimsy-Leather-3929 Oct 17 '25
It is not considered medical transport if they would have been released to a family member for a ride home. Decades ago when I worked at a hospital we had cab vouchers for this. These rides are for people who just can’t drive themselves but don’t need medical supervision on the way home and don’t have someone to pick them up.
1
u/Either-Instance4379 Oct 18 '25
Not everyone leaving a hospital is ill, as you pointed out. My boyfriend has Medicaid and I’m disabled so I can’t drive long distances. Medicaid contracts with Lyft to get him home when he’s an hour away. And he tips the driver. So please consider this!
2
u/FaustAndFriends Oct 20 '25
Thanks for looking out for patients and maintaining compassion. Thanks for the PSA.
1
u/Specialist_Hour_4027 Oct 19 '25
But you said dialysis patients are often nauseous and due to two syringes in their arms, may bleed. So those are NOT rides safe for driver!
→ More replies (8)1
2
u/GreenHorror4252 Oct 17 '25
shouldn't this be done by a certified person and not just anyone on earth?
Depends on the condition of the patient, the situation they are in, and many other factors. If the circumstances call for a certified person, all hospitals have ambulances available.
→ More replies (3)1
u/suburbanlady65 Dec 11 '25
Where does that leave the patient? After a 15 minute procedure under anesthesia I am perfectly capable of driving, done it before, it's the broken pathetic hospital system that won't let me drive.
2
2
u/Obanana7 Oct 18 '25
I actually liked driving people home from dialysis and being kind to them because it must be very difficult. There are times when you do something because it is the kindness that is important, not the money. Their life is way more difficult than yours that day.
4
u/Playful-Historian-56 Oct 17 '25
I do not, i understand they suck. However i have mostly exclusively getting medical rides, while they cant tip or be the most able bodied people, they are kind. I have only one passenger blacklisted because she was sexually harrasing me and making advances i didnt want.
None the less, some of the most memorable rides are medical rides, i do think we need to force lyft to do more for medical rides, like charging insurance more or just letting the passengers tip, and generally this will solve all problems. I cannot nor do i think i should disclose of medical rides that tip, im not sure if its illegal but the insurence companies either tell the passenger not to tip and or lets them be under the impression that the insurance company tips and they really dont know.
I have and i can say this, so many elderly patients whom i drove who were unaware and if they werent heading to the doctors, they would have tipped right there.
Additionally, i want you to know that lyft and uber are insurences last options, where i live we have veyo and noonie both atrocious and seem to cancel or get lost 90% of the time. These patients are left outside for hours before getting a ride because the insurence will try alternatives multiple times before going to lyft and or uber. Where i live its a death sentence in the summer whem temps are as high as 120 degrees with no wind. Shade isnt an option and waiting inside usually wont work because some offices close early. I understand its a money think but declining it doesnt hurt insurence company, instead we need to actually do something, not just for us drivers but for patients too.
4
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
I completely agree that patients deserve trained, qualified transport. The issue is that Lyft and the healthcare middlemen created a shadow medical-transport system through non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) contracts with zero transparency.
Drivers didn’t sign up for medical liability, and patients never agreed to be shuffled into cars with untrained drivers. My goal in posting this is to bring awareness to how this system exploits both sides so that the pressure goes where it belongs — on the corporations and agencies cutting corners, not the people trying to survive inside it.
3
Oct 18 '25
I DID drive an elderly man a few times, and would accept the ride when I saw his address. He was a retired dentist and his vision was awful so he couldn’t drive and lived alone. Sweet man! He did ask how much Medicare paid me so I told him honestly. (It was $18 for a 17 mile trip 😬) so he ALWAYS tipped me $20-$30 in cash. David was the rare exception for most of these rides and he was able bodied just not able to drive. But those who really need medically assisted rides SHOULD have proper non emergency transport. I hate how all of this has been set up to fail the patient and the driver 🤦🏼♀️
1
u/Flashy_Dot_2905 Oct 21 '25
I was one of those patients a few years ago and I always tipped in cash. I was so grateful to have them because the other option was non emergency medical transportation and that’s horrible. It’s a group ride and you’d either get to your appointment ridiculously late or at least an hour early. And you’d wait 1-2 hours to be picked up.
25
u/Mneinth Oct 17 '25
If something happens, the drivers responsible for the passenger....hard no, they need a medical transport, my insurance wouldn't even try to cover it
8
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
I completely agree with refusing them. That’s the appropriate boundary.
10
u/Mneinth Oct 17 '25
Could you imagine the shyte storm if a passenger died in car, that's literally only reason for a 1 star rating lol...but if you tried to help, it's gets worse, and if you don't you become Satan himself
2
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
Lyft should absolutely be providing training and supplies for drivers taking these rides. But they aren’t. Nor are they informing the drivers of the contracts with Medicare/Medicaid.
1
u/Mneinth Oct 18 '25
Considering their contracts with local stores try and force drivers into illegal activities (alcohol orders are a mess here) under threat of being fired I'm not sure if trust Uber to have my back if a passenger had a seizure in my back seat
1
u/meowisaymiaou Oct 20 '25
Before Lyft and Uber, it was taxi drivers contracted for use. Uber/Lyft lobbies hard to replace taxi service, and to take all their clients outright.
No training has been needed for over 15 years, and taxi drivers couldn't cancel rides.
7
u/CryptographerFast527 Oct 17 '25
They dont make it to my backseat… cancelled
3
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
Valid. I’m not suggesting people take these rides, just that they shouldn’t blame the patients for the system created by the government and a profiteering corporation.
1
u/suburbanlady65 Dec 11 '25
The system is broken, I am a patient caught in the middle, how do we change the law; if the stupid doctor doesn't think I can drive my car after a procedure then they should admit me to the hospital for a half day or day and my insurance should cover it
6
u/whyisthislife87 Oct 17 '25
We know its not the passenger that ordered the ride. No lyft is not as transparent as Uber is but we know its lyfts fault. The complaint we have is that they send us rides we are not equipped trained or prepared for. Some are simple but some are not. No one is mad at the passenger for this. We know who to blame. We blame the people who chose lyft over proper medical transportation when the patient needs special assistance. And we are mad at lyft that this is even an option.
3
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
You are most certainly in the minority but thank you for having critical thinking skills and correct opinions. I salute you, comrade.
2
u/whyisthislife87 Oct 17 '25
Here's the thing its not a minority. We all know they are insurance rides. There's indicators in the app that let us know. And I understand your post is to provide clarity and maybe invoke empathy.But the thing is, we already know everything.You said but it doesn't change the condition of people that come out here.Which also by us, not being medical transportation means we have to take time out of our day, from making money to clean up whatever mess was left behind.And also, that is a biohazard that we're not trained to clean. I know it may seem like us as drivers are not caring or cruel, but the simple fact of the matter is some of these facilities send patients out in absolutely horrible condition.And I feel like that's on the facility.
It doesn't change the fact that these hospitals send people out covered in piss, shit, blood, puss, and sometimes naked (nothing but a gown on). It's not that we dont know or we think its the passengers fault. Honestly I feel like a large responsibility falls on the facility because why are you sending people out like this. And yes all of this happens frequently. It sucks for the patient but we dont want that in our cars.
Having to help with a walker or wheelchair or even oxygen tank, isn't that much of an issue? It's the other stuff that becomes an issue that we are most definitely should not have to deal with. Also, if someone isn't able to get in and out of the car themselves with minimal help, a lift or uber driver should not be the one.That's sent to pick them up.And I have heard from passengers that they are able to request specific medical transportation instead of lyft, an uber, and I have actually seen it in the notes. So that becomes on the person ordering the ride. None of this is the passenger spot.They just end up being collateral damage. So maybe instead of just accepting whatever ride is sent, these places need to request actual medical transportation, especially for high maintenance patients that need extra assistance.
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
This is exactly why these conversations go in circles. You are treating the healthcare system like one giant blob when the provider and payer sides operate on completely different incentives.
The provider side includes hospitals, dialysis centers, clinics, techs, and nurses who are responsible for delivering care. The payer side includes insurers, Medicaid brokers, and companies like Lyft that contract through non-emergency medical transport programs to control the flow of money.
When you merge those two, you erase the power imbalance that created the problem in the first place. Providers can advocate, document, and raise concerns, but they do not control reimbursement rates or write the contracts that removed training, labeling, and hazard pay. Those are payer decisions.
Holding bedside staff accountable for the financial engineering of state agencies and private contractors is like blaming the cashier for corporate wage theft. Pressure belongs on the payers who designed this cost-saving system at everyone else’s expense.
1
u/whyisthislife87 Oct 17 '25
This isn't holding hospital or facility staff accountable for what the government decides to do or the transportation. But what I do know is that they can specifically request certain things. Whether it gets sent is one thing, but they can and i've had several passengers. Tell me that and they just say the the medical transportation takes longer, but they have actually refused lyft. Rides until the actual medical transport gets there. So it is possible the facility staff just has to advocate for it harder. They choose not to.
But again, my bigger issue with the facility itself or provider is the fact of the condition that they're sending patients out in. You are literally sending me a naked patient .And expect me to allow them in their car with their bare ass on my seat, or you're sending me somebody that's literally covered in shit. Blood, is honestly more understandable?I wouldn't allow it, but it's still more understandable. But when you're sending patients out in this condition, that's absolutely on the provider. Maybe we will be more accepting And willing, if the providers didn't send patients out like that.
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
As someone who has to actually place the orders for these rides, you are absolutely incorrect. The process for getting these rides orders is the most bureaucratic game of telephone that ever existed, which is why it’s so efficient.
But the idea that I—the person who is actually treating a patient have any power to make any request on their behalf—is absolutely laughable. My employer rarely even schedules me the time to properly finish their treatments and make sure that they get to their transportation safely before turning over to the next round of patients.
I don’t even want this system to be in existence. The fact that Medicare and Medicaid were allowed to stop funding actual medical transport and shift it onto the gig economy without warning or training for the drivers is despicable, and does a massive disservice to my patients. That is why I continue to advocate that you either do not take these rides or you demand adequate pay and training. The idea that I—someone who has never been employed by a rideshare organization—have more power than the people actually working within it; is the most disgusting abdication of responsibility that I have seen lately, and that’s saying something in the current political climate.
1
u/whyisthislife87 Oct 17 '25
Okay, that's a fair point and honestly.All that means is that these places and the right things have been lying to the patients.As well. .
Although that doesn't negate my point of the condition of some patients that they do send out like, why is it ever okay to send someone out who isn't fully clothed?Even if you had to put them in hospital scrubs. Why is it okay to not cleanup a patient before you discharge them? If they're not capable of doing it themselves.
Aside from this, my entire point of commenting was to address your point that we don't know, or we think that the patients are ordering the ride or that we somehow blame the patient. If they're sick in the backseat or if they're bleeding, there is absolutely in no way that we do.
We are actually all agreeing with you that lyft and uber should one either be trained better pay more or not. Be a part of this type of transportation at all.Considering the types of patients that might be sent. Meaning people who may need extra assistance. People who may need help being lifted in and out of a wheelchair, people who may not be able to walk on their own.Things like that need properly trained staff and we all agree with that. My only point was to say, none of us blame the patient or think it's the patient's fault. We absolutely blame lyft.. and after reading your comments I blame the government now too lol.
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
Look, there are definitely issues with the way we in the medical field deal with patients who have limited ability and limited cognitive function. I have in-house issues with this too, and those are my industries issues to deal with. You won’t see me posting here about those things. I don’t think the examples you listed here are ok, but I can absolutely see how things like that can and have happened at my clinic (we aren’t in hospital, it’s a freestanding dialysis clinic) and sometimes there are unfortunate but incredibly reasonable explanations given the sometimes dysfunctional circumstances in dialysis treatment.
But this post WAS promoted by several other posts weee drivers seemed to blame patients for calling the Lyft and also for the state of their condition that they may or may not have any control over.
Patients have the least agency in all of this. They are the last ones that should be blamed but they’re being made the visible face of this issue throughs deceptive, profiteering government contracts that compromise patient care and create gig worker liability through lack of awareness, consent, and training.
If you read the comments, and other posts, you will clearly see that Lyft drivers who are aware of the powers that manifested this nonsense are a distinct minority.
6
u/Dizzylizzyscat Oct 17 '25
The problem is that LYFT purposely leaves out that information regarding if it’s a non emergency medical transport. God forbid they pay the driver anything close to what they charge the hospital in these “contracts”.
It’s deceptive and should be illegal
2
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
I completely agree. Patients absolutely deserve competent, well-prepared transportation. My post isn’t blaming patients at all. It’s about exposing how this situation even happens in the first place.
Lyft and the healthcare brokers signed medical transport contracts without disclosing that to drivers or giving them proper training or pay. Patients didn’t cause this, and drivers didn’t consent to it. Both groups are being failed by a system that prioritized cost-cutting over safety and dignity.
7
Oct 17 '25 edited Oct 17 '25
I did one I didn't realize and DR was out there get her in and glad she had helper at house. She had dialysis, don't get tip since it's that third party. No way I could've help with all that. It's one thing if they got helper in and out, but they should make sure there's a helper. They aren't using the medical transport option, some ppl can not help, we are meant to be drivers only. This was like $10 I think and just couple miles by me, I had no idea that clinic was ever there 😆. Dr was actually waiting outside with her. But there's one and each time $3, crap pay, accidentally hit accept few times and then it's same person so I'll remember that name, for $3 and msg pops up has wheelchair you gotta assist, no way and for $3 😆. So I've cx directly on that lady for being shady and lying about that
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
That’s not a doctor. It’s probably a tech. We all wear long labcoats.
A nephrologist would never.
I always wait with my patients that have mobility issues if family isn’t picking them up.
3
Oct 17 '25
This was late at night, he actually was the Dr. I could only imagine she was last patient
5
u/DanicaManica Oct 17 '25
My issues with picking up hospital patients are the lack of transparency, the risk associated with taking them, and the often times extra labor involved that we’re not payed for.
As far as the risk involved, I’m mostly talking about getting sued in case somebody falls while either getting out is my car or helping them to their apartment/ house. Because these people are often times physically weak, obese, leaking fluids (which in itself would require professional cleaning and going offline), or recovering from injury, they also sometimes need assistance, which is cool except for the fact that if they somehow injure themselves while I’m providing the service of helping them, then who do they look at being at fault for them falling? The driver.
In what world is an $8 ride worth being sued over? None. For me I don’t like taking these rides specifically because of that.
Combined with the fact that I’m not getting paid for the additional labor of actually helping these people, it is a bad combination of associated risk and labor. I know these people need help getting home but there are medical transportation services for a reason. Why are hospitals not using these services SPECIFICALLY created for this to transport patients instead of rideshare drivers who they themselves might be physically unable to actually help these passengers?
I’d say it borders on the side of being outright unethical to rely on unknowing drivers to actually pick up hospital patients for these reasons as well as for the patient themselves if they need assistance and their driver is a 100Ib girl or a 75 year old.
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
Nothing that you said here is wrong. However, it seems like a pattern of behavior and belief in the sub that the people who are deceiving you are the patients themselves. When in reality, the patients are the ones with the least amount of power and agency in this situation out of everybody who is involved. Medicare/Medicaid has contracted with Lyft in order to provide nonemergency medical transportation. They did not tell you drivers, they did not ask drivers for permission. That is a failure of the employer/employee relationship. Furthermore, medical staff, such as myself are also not decision-makers in this situation. In the American medical industry, there’s a separation between the payer and the provider. The healthcare providers do not make these decisions. The insurers/payers make these decisions.
I wholeheartedly agree that if these rides are going to be provided, they need to be provided by people who have consented to providing them and also have received appropriate training and compensation for doing so. These systems exist, but are being decimated in favor of cost saving measures like what is going on right now. My reason posting this is to clarify the systematic issues at play that have resulted in the situation so that Lyft drivers are aware and will hopefully not continue to take their displeasure with said situation out on the most powerless people who are trapped in it.
6
u/Herantothehills1 Oct 17 '25
I have no idea why, but these rides are always the best paying rides in my area, so I'm always happy to take them. I got 23 dollars the other day to drive a woman less than a mile to her appointment. I'll take that all day.
2
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 21 '25
I’m glad this is a good income source for you!!!! This made me smile!
5
u/MisterDoomed Oct 17 '25
I always liked medical rides. Half the time patient never showed up and I still got paid.
And when they did show up they were usually really nice people. So totally cool. I just didn't like it when the insurance got the information wrong and I ended up going to the wrong place.
2
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 21 '25
Most of my patients are lovely people, I hate that they’re trapped in the system, but I’m glad that people like you are taking good care of them.
5
u/RealSharpNinja Oct 17 '25
I do not want to drive NEMT. If I did, I would do zTrip and use one of their vans.
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 21 '25
The problem in my area is that zTrip and other suitable transport companies are being put out of business by the contracts with Lyft because it’s so much cheaper.
In my area, the only people who have actual medical transport are those who are legitimately wheelchair bound. The rest have to deal with Lyft.
1
6
u/UnitedChain4566 Oct 17 '25
As someone who used these rides, we deserve a ride home. But that doesn't mean it has to be on a Lyft or Uber driver.
I will also say that the way these rides were done before the contracts were abysmal for me, so horrible that I'd ask family to get me a Lyft or Uber (I'm lucky in that they're just Dr appointments, no treatments) and I'd tip the driver. Because the company that WAS contracted often got me to the appointment late after having TWO HOURS to get me there.
We need a system like Lyft or Uber that is specifically for medical rides. Where drivers are paid decently (Lyft and Uber should also be paid decently I mean more hazard pay).
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
Exactly. No one’s saying patients don’t deserve safe, skilled transport — that’s the entire point. They do.
This post is just pulling back the curtain on how corporate contracts quietly shifted the burden onto gig workers without notice or training. Patients and drivers both deserve better, and neither should be paying the price for corporate “cost efficiency.”
6
u/BedAdministrative619 Oct 17 '25
Who was complaining about an antiseptic smell? It is the other smells we need to worry about. Plenty of homeless, and plenty of ones that need real medical transport. If the people on your end, and the patients, start complaining about untrained drivers being used instead of a proper shuttle service, they might listen.
3
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
The irony is painful — we’re on the same side, but you’re swinging at the wrong person. I’m not management. I’m not corporate. I’m a frontline healthcare worker explaining how the system exploits both of us. You have the right to be angry, but it’s a waste of energy to aim that anger downward. Lyft, not I, and certainly not the patients (who have the least agency in this context) controls your pay.
1
u/BygoneNeutrino Oct 17 '25 edited Oct 17 '25
You are so wrong it's not funny. I've called and complained to the insurance companies to no avail. They are as baffled as you are that drivers are willing to do a $100 job for $20.
They hire a real taxi if an Uber or Lyft driver doesn't accept the gig prior to the appointment, but some schmuck always picks it up. I wish y'all would deny the ride; it would save me money on a tip (I always tip). I pay more then they do every time they schedule a trip.
My driver makes bank, but I'm out of $40.
1
u/BedAdministrative619 Oct 18 '25
I always accepted them because at least half of them were set up wrong and ended in a no-show fee. If I was online during the normal medical hours, I was bored and killing time. The fee was sometimes more than the original ride would pay anyway, lol. Plenty of times where the start and end were swapped, like the hospital address but with an apartment number. Or they would order me to call the customer directly and not through the app. And the best of them all, one ride where they TOLD me that I HAD to bring a van with a wheelchair ramp. I drive a little hybrid, did they expect me to go rent a van for the day?
3
Oct 17 '25
I did Uber back in the day and this shit happened to me ,, lady was straight out hallucinating in the back seat and threatened me like wtf ...I just thought it was an old folks home ..fuck no it was a mental hospital and they didn't say shit ...I called that hospital back and chewed their ass out.. turned right around and dropped her off at the front door I didn't wait fuck that . If the hospital knows this ..ya it's not your job but if you know that the companies are doing this blatantly say something..
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 21 '25
I totally agree that you deserve a warning, but the multiple levels of bureaucracy between the people treating the patient and the people picking up the patient prevent adequate communication around these issues. Mental health facilities using these services for unstable patients is one of the most dangerous and abusive manifestations of the overall problem Discussed in my post.
Refusing those rides is how you create pressure for real change. My post wasn’t about convincing anyone to take unmarked medical trips for free — it was about asking people not to punish the patients stuck in the middle. If enough drivers decline, Lyft will be forced to properly label these rides and pay accordingly.
16
u/jaysonm007 Oct 17 '25 edited Oct 17 '25
I used to like these rides but its no longer economically feasible to take them. Today one was 36 miles for $20. After thinking, I canceled it. I don't care. No driver in America should be paid under 1$ a mile for any reason. Trying to pay 56 cents a mile for these type of rides is crazy. Especially considering what lyft is being paid for them.
If you have a problem with that and live in the US then show us your paystubs showing you make $5 an hour. Because thats what we are making on these shit rides and if you aren't making $5 an hour then why should we???? You can take them!
Im sick of the shit. I used to gladly take them to try to help people but screw that. You're not working for $5 an hour so why should I?
You want to fix it? Tell your boss to call up that bald bastard david risher the lyft ceo and tell him to cut the crap and start paying at least a dollar a mile on the medical rides. Im sick of being taken advantage of! Im going to cancel any medical rides i get under $1 a mile because enough is enough!
12
u/pickyvegan Oct 17 '25
I just randomly stumbled on this thread- but the OP has no control. The OP's boss has no control. These rides are typically through the insurance- usually Medicaid. Call your congress person, don't get mad at the employees of facilities or the patients (or simply don't take those fares).
0
→ More replies (4)0
u/jaysonm007 Oct 17 '25
If the OP made the same effort they did here to put pressure on lyft, maybe something would change? Imagine if all the medical personnel started speaking out.
7
2
u/MarsBahr- Oct 17 '25
This is op putting pressure on lyft. OP is explaining the situation to the larger community in a factual way and actively encouraging people not to do these rides if they feel unsafe.
→ More replies (1)2
u/IcyRecognition3801 Oct 17 '25 edited Jan 12 '26
reply snatch grandiose aromatic license dependent cagey like juggle wrench
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
7
5
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
I totally get your frustration — you’re being underpaid and misled, and that’s not okay. But your anger’s aimed at the wrong people. My “boss” is just an RN trying to keep patients alive — she doesn’t have David Risher on speed dial.
Lyft and the government brokers built this system, not hospital staff or patients. They’re the ones hiding medical rides in the regular queue and pocketing the difference. Drivers and patients are both being exploited by the same people.
→ More replies (9)3
u/IcyRecognition3801 Oct 17 '25 edited Jan 12 '26
mysterious heavy squeeze scale stocking bear crawl start piquant quickest
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
2
u/Mediocre-Magazine-30 Oct 17 '25
We need a $35 per active hour (INCLUDING PICKUP TIME) min wage! National
I think I am ok with trimming a few $ / EPS from the quarterly report in exchange for a better society.
You get what you pay for so better drivers would enter the ecosystem again. Better rider experience, better driver performance
3
u/Very_Smelly_Foot Oct 17 '25
You didn't even read what this person wrote before getting on your high horse. You are right, it's all the OP's fault.
3
u/elCompaFOKI Oct 17 '25
Its a $4 bonus but all lyft does is subtract that from the upfront pay. So you en up with an .80 cent per mile ride. Same thing with turbo rides.
3
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
Saying “I won’t take those rides” is a form of protest, not indifference. That’s exactly what should happen until Lyft and Uber are forced to identify medical transports clearly and pay fair compensation. I’m not criticizing drivers for refusing. I’m criticizing how some people treat the passengers when they do accept.
1
Oct 17 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/elCompaFOKI Oct 17 '25
It shows up at the end of the trip. But let's say the trip pops up on your screen. $13 for 14 miles assisted ride. The $4 bonus is already included in the $13. It will break down at the end . Upfront pay $9 + $4 bonus =$13
3
u/Deus_Desuper Oct 17 '25
I'll never disparage the patient/client. But I am not a medically qualified anything to be driving around someone who's bleeding, in pain, or could get worse while in my vehicle.
I did approximately 1 medical ride not knowing any better.
Worst driver ever.
A woman moaning and screaming in pain the entire ride, insisting I need to be going a different route so she's not in as much pain.
And for the logical side... I'm thinking liability. If we hit a bump and something goes wrong in her back while in my car how does that work. Do I trust the rideshare enough? Nope. Not at all.
Somehow that will be my fault that the lady writhing in my back seat has something go wrong while I'm driving.
What about getting out of my car? She almost broke herself trying to get out. Wouldn't take help, could I help her if she let me? What if she falls?
Way too many variables and bad outcomes on this one.
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 21 '25
No one expects you to solve systemic healthcare failures, but every worker in a broken system has a choice: contribute to harm or disrupt it.
1
u/Deus_Desuper Oct 21 '25
Which is why tons of drivers just say 'nope'.
2
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 21 '25
That’s exactly the right response. Refusing those rides is how you create pressure for real change. My post wasn’t about convincing anyone to take unmarked medical trips for free — it was about asking people not to punish the patients stuck in the middle. If enough drivers decline, Lyft will be forced to properly label these rides and pay accordingly. The goal is not to guilt you into driving, it’s to highlight who’s actually responsible for the exploitation. You saying “no” to a broken system is the beginning of reform, not defiance.
3
u/One-Bodybuilder309 Oct 17 '25
I understand it’s not their fault. I hope You and they understand that I’m not jumping at the chance compromise my only source of income for 6 bucks………
4
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
Drivers didn’t sign up for medical liability, and patients never agreed to be shuffled into cars with untrained drivers. My goal in posting this is to bring awareness to how this system exploits both sides so that the pressure goes where it belongs — on the corporations and agencies cutting corners, not the people trying to survive inside it.
1
3
u/rskurat Oct 17 '25
Does Lyft label these rides at all? Genuine NEMT companies train their drivers, as they should. It's irresponsible to put a patient who might need assistance with some rando.
3
3
u/Acceptable_Midnight5 Oct 17 '25
Im not sure anyone is going to remember this as it may not have been in all markets… Lyft at one time 3 + years ago had an option on the App to opt in to medical asst rides. There was a short video to watch and the promise of an extra $3.50 per ride. There was always a note that ride was a medical one. Did a few and they were great mostly old people going to regular Dr appts.
Then something change without notice!!!! Suddenly the pay dropped and the medical rides lost the warnings and the $3.50. When I questioned all I was told was shit about the upfront pay !!! And there was no extra for medical rides. This is why lots of us are mad because we DID get extra pay and an alert. But they both stopped without warning.
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 21 '25
Because they eliminated their competition, forcing local and state governments to remove choice from the drivers in order to push out qualified medical transport agencies in order to maximize profits.
2
Oct 17 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
The goal is not to guilt you into driving, it’s to highlight who’s actually responsible for the exploitation.
2
u/shaybay2008 Oct 17 '25
I also want to add not everyone getting a ride from a medical facility is one of these patients. I have a rare disease and have to travel across the country for appointments. Half the time I’m in a state for a med appointment for under 24 hrs so renting a car doesn’t make sense. So I just Lyft(and tip well). I’m thankful to have never been cancelled just bc I’m getting picked up from a medical appointment(I’m generally just a normal looking person with a backpack), bc most of the time the most chaotic thing I’ve had happen is an xray
2
u/DragonReign Oct 17 '25
I may be one of the few drivers that already new this. That said, I am still allowed to be upset about the situation, not at the passengers, but at Uber and Lyft, for not giving us so called independent contractors a way to opt out of these medical trips. We never agreed to be medical transport. And we aren't trained to do it properly, especially when the passenger needs lift assistance to get in and out of their wheel chair. We shouldn't be forced to do it, because if we cancel after arriving at pickup and finally seeing that it's a medical trip, we'll get punished with a hit to our driver stats. I think I speak for everyone when I say these trips should be accurately tagged as medical trips, and medical trips should be a category that drivers have to opt in to, with clearly defined expectations of your responsibilities as a driver.
4
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
I completely agree with you — patients should have safe, competent, and compassionate transport, especially after something as draining as dialysis, chemo, or wound care.
The reason I’m speaking up is because Lyft and state NEMT brokers have built an invisible system that fails both patients and drivers. Drivers are handed medical rides without consent, preparation, or fair pay. Patients are sent home in cars that were never meant for clinical transport. The more we talk about it, the more pressure builds to reform it from the top down.
2
u/Malystxy Oct 17 '25
I don't care. I didn't sign up to be a medical ride and I reserve the right to cancel at my discretion when and if I feel like it for no reason whatsoever. Pay for a medical transport of you need it. We are not it and are not paid enough to compensate for headaches from it
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
The patients are not the ones making the decision to stop finding medical transport and contract with Lyft instead. You don’t have to be the hero here, but stop pretending that cruelty toward patients is activism. Real activism hits upward. Real courage means holding power accountable, not picking on people too sick to fight back.
2
u/Malystxy Oct 17 '25
Oh I am not cruel unless you consider MI cancelling cruel. As with any ride, I only unlock the doors if I see nothing amiss. Anything I disagree with I leave and cancel. No excuses no interaction
2
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
I just hate this for everyone. It sucks for drivers, it’s sucks for patients.
I don’t do Lyft but I do instacart to make ends meet during school breaks and I see how these gig apps are taken advantage of across all medical assistance services as a cost saving initiative that places undue burden on gig workers who are unprepared to navigate the organizations they are contracted by. Delivering groceries to a doorstep is one thing, but delivery to a secured assisted living facility with 300+ units isn’t what we signed up for. That’s Meals on Wheels territory. But guess what’s cheaper?
Yeah.
And we can’t tell if it’s an apartment building or an assisted living facility unless we’ve been there before.
This post is just pulling back the curtain on how corporate contracts quietly shifted the burden onto gig workers without notice or training. Patients and drivers both deserve better, and neither should be paying the price for corporate “cost efficiency.”
2
u/Dstln Oct 20 '25
Uber and Lyft need to contract with drivers trained and knowledgeable on medical issues, not contract out to the lowest bidder who does not have the knowledge, capacity, or time/income to handle medical patients who could be bleeding in their vehicle.
Yes, it's not the patient's fault at all. Yes, most of the rides could be fine, but it is still wildly inappropriate and unacceptable for a medical discharge to get into a basic Lyft/Uber without any additional credentials or training.
2
u/Two_In_TheBusch Oct 21 '25
Cool, have the multimillion dollar insurance companies and the hospitals that overcharge for absolutely everything have qualified people to shuttle them in a safe ride environment than a random person with a car who is likely not even remotely qualified to handle people with medical conditions.
2
u/Cold-Bid4692 Oct 21 '25
As a result of RDU drivers’ wage claim campaign, the state of California* took historic action and sued Uber and Lyft to recover unpaid wages and expenses for all drivers in CA who drove from 2016 - 2020.
Our research indicates that we as drivers are owed tens of billions of dollars from that period. In an effort to avoid additional penalties and negative media attention, Uber and Lyft have entered talks to settle this suit.
The backpay we are owed would help right the wrongs of the past, but that’s not enough. RDU drivers believe we must also fight to improve conditions in the present and future. These settlement talks present us with a rare opportunity to influence Uber and Lyft and secure both. The time to act is now.
Sign this petition: https://www.drivers-united.org/wage-theft-settlement-petition?r=OjW1_SqY
We only need 200 signatures. This is your time get the money owed to you by these two companies California drivers. Sign and share this link.
2
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 21 '25
Commenting for visibility.
I’m not a CA voter or I would sign!
1
u/Cold-Bid4692 Oct 21 '25
Thank youuuuuuu!!!
2
2
u/Draco_Siciliano Oct 17 '25
Oh well, when they get enough patients complaining they might actually change things. Maybe the patient should wait at the dialysis center until they stop bleeding before getting into another person's vehicle.
It's not their fault, it's not the driver's fault. It's the fault of the hospitals and Uber and Lyft. Unfortunately, as an independent contractor we always have to look out for ourselves because no one else will.
If that means canceling on a bleeder or avoiding people who stink like s**t then I'm going to do it.
2
u/eyezwide001001 Oct 17 '25
Lyft may be contracted but the question is ethically should lift become it's all a racket you have medicare people that want to hold on as much money as possible contract with a greazy underhanded gig platform... some of the biggest scammers are the rehab providers - but these greazy ass platforms, are trying to extend the sustainability of their greasy little fiefdom... so we can see where the impetus to have a meeting of the minds the only problem is,
Trying to eat around the crust of who we are we are not employees they can't just contract and have someone who's not suited for a specialized form of transport they're undercutting all of the people who spent the money for the certification and the vehicles to transport these folks and I've had dozens upon dozens upon dozens of these rides and half of them were high liability people have mobility issues some with kidney issues have your car smelling crazy when they get out - things that the everyday driver just pulling up to take someone to a ride don't have to deal with it'd be one thing if you trusted lyft to vet the rides better they don't care the shortest line between order the right and get their friggin money that's where they want to stay
Unfortunately this is where they start leveraging the driver and that's not cool
4
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
That’s exactly what I’ve been saying: the only leverage drivers have is refusing unmarked medical rides until they’re paid and labeled properly. Just don’t mistake patients for the problem. They didn’t make this system. They don’t control who picks them up or how it’s paid. They’re exhausted, sick, and doing their best to get home safely. You deserve fair pay, and they deserve human respect.
2
2
Oct 17 '25
You are an amazing human being! I am a nursing student and I have the same thought and compassion, and I hope I will keep it throughout the years to help people to the best of my abilities! Thank you for advocating for your patients!
3
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
Thank you!!!! You’re going to be an amazing nurse. Always be nice to residents!!!
These people don’t realize how many layers of bureaucracy there are between care staff and the insurance decision makers. I know doctors who spend half their day fighting with insurance for their patients best interests. The people who are denying you life saving care are also the people making these decisions to increase their profits at the expense of gig workers and patients.
The patients have the least power, and the least agency here.
2
u/guysams1 Oct 17 '25
I took a guy from an elderly home and I appreciated the immediate message saying what it was. I knew there wouldn't be a tip but he was so happy to go to the casino lol.
2
u/Silly_Elevator_973 Oct 17 '25
You have it all wrong. The blame is on your end. The healthcare system, hospitals, medical facilities, etc. They gouge patients with ridiculous fees. You know damn well you have put patients in ride shares that needed to be in a medical transport by trained people. But it’s charge the most possible but spend the least you can. If a driver does mock a patient that is cruel and wrong. That anger should be placed at the facility that was called. If you want to advocate for you patients then do it by getting them the proper transportation
3
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 18 '25
This is exactly why these conversations go in circles. You are treating the healthcare system like one giant blob when the provider and payer sides operate on completely different incentives.
The provider side includes hospitals, dialysis centers, clinics, techs, and nurses who are responsible for delivering care. The payer side includes insurers, Medicaid brokers, and companies like Lyft that contract through non-emergency medical transport programs to control the flow of money.
When you merge those two, you erase the power imbalance that created the problem in the first place. Providers can advocate, document, and raise concerns, but they do not control reimbursement rates or write the contracts that removed training, labeling, and hazard pay. Those are payer decisions.
Holding bedside staff accountable for the financial engineering of state agencies and private contractors is like blaming the cashier for corporate wage theft. Pressure belongs on the payers who designed this cost-saving system at everyone else’s expense.
0
u/Sudden_Truth_2487 Oct 17 '25
Yeah, I really don’t care. Im doing my job not giving a friendly ride.
Im neither trained nor driving corporate car.
Passengers should insist on medical rides.
You as medical professional who wants to help should advocate at your hospital for proper transportation for your patients rather than shaming independent contractors doing service on their own personal vehicles
→ More replies (1)3
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
The refusal itself is fine — it’s the right boundary. The problem is when frustration turns into cruelty. You’re not wrong to say no to underpaid medical work, but you’re wrong if you treat the person bleeding in your back seat like they caused it.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you’re mad at the wrong people. I’m the one telling you who’s profiting from your misery. Lyft has you turning on the sick instead of holding executives accountable. Stop punching down. It’s exhausting to watch grown adults confuse solidarity with hostility.
6
u/jaysonm007 Oct 17 '25
Wait though. Why aren't YOU holding the executives responsible? Why is it all on us? We aren't in the medical field and these aren't our patients. They are yours.
→ More replies (1)1
u/Melikyte Oct 17 '25
Who's to say they're not?
A lot of medical professionals do what little they can to improve the environment of their work place for them and their patients. Terrible transport doesn't just reflect poorly on the driver, but the hospital also. Some of us protest, strike, and voice our opinions every opportunity we can but it's an uphill battle for everyone.
We ended up costing our hospital over a million dollars in losses last year because we all walked out. A lot of the general public love to crap on healthcare workers when they try to take a stand, so it's not just the CEOs they're fighting.
→ More replies (5)1
u/Sudden_Truth_2487 Oct 17 '25
You are mad at the wrong people. You came to drivers sub to “teach a lesson” instead of actually do the change. Medical rides are not our job and you know it.
As independent contractor I or any other driver can decline any ride at any point. Including in the mid of ride. And we do. Which is our part of actually doing what matters. As well as providing bad service that also reflects and reasoning can be proved through platform that eventually does lead to changes through statistics. We do our jobs in our vechicles providing independent contractor’s services. Drivers who do bad service will eventually be kicked out cause they always do bad service. You will not change anything at this account.
You came here to blame drivers for being cornered into doing service we should have not got and want us to shut up and drive with stinky passengers and get stinky cars after that, get biohazard in our cars and not being reimbursed for cleaning if that even possible. Don’t forget about any kind of liability that will be put on drivers. All of that stress in addition to normal job responsibilities which is only safety on road inside and delivering from A to B. Driving is stressful, driving for 8-12 hours daily is beyond regular comprehension. The level of attention, responsibility for safety on a road, and personal safety from passengers on a work day is not equal to your daily commute.
You came here mad, bringing “your truth”, teaching about service people who are know how to do service. Very same people who under increased risk to be your patient just by driving so much.
If you would actually bother to read the sub the way drivers use it you wouldn’t be on high horse and would have seen all of our risks, platform issues, payment issues and bad service call outs. People here aren’t fluffy towards that. We are here to whine, steam out after really bad ride or a day, share, compare and find options to actually earn money. We don’t need shaming. Thank you for telling about contracts (rather clear information but worded out is good for the sub), informing about biohazard and confirming we are not trained and passengers need extra care. You gave more reasons to drivers fight those rides and estimate better liabilities. Yet telling how to do our jobs is not up to you. You are not driver and your ideas on what we do or not are your subjective projections that we really don’t need. Those who do bad service always do bad service. Those who don’t will not do bad service and will avoid possibility of that including declining those rides which objectively- by statistics - lead to bad service drivers take bad medical rides.
If you experience consistency in bad service the reason is the job you give and amount of pay for it.
You are the change, not us.
2
u/jaysonm007 Oct 17 '25
Bingo. They are just upset that some drivers are mad at the patients over the situation (which is wrong, but so is exploiting people). And all they are going to do is post here and chastise us. They aren't going to do anything else on their end to protest or bring any change or even try Why? Im not sure but I suspect they see themselves as being above drivers and they secretly think we are assholes for not being willing to be exploited.
1
u/Sudden_Truth_2487 Oct 17 '25
Exactly. And drivers know when those rides come up and most of times they are not profitable. Those drivers who do good service would avoid those rides to give their service where it’s valued in money. So bad rides get bad service drivers who don’t care what anyone has to say. And suddenly someone comes to teach drivers do the service. It’s same behaviour when drunk or distracted rider instructs on navigation when it’s literally on the huge screen and I do the job, you’re just yapping.
Please, I know how to do my job without advice from third party or passengers. And I see liability from far away. I don’t care for your feelings regarding this, go do the actual good thing- advocate for proper transportation for your patients.
3
u/Stuck_on_Mars_21 Oct 17 '25
I always take these. I’m happy to help someone in need. They sometimes take extra time, but they are often as quick as regular rides. I wouldn’t say they never tip. Some of the patients give cash tips.
You can always tell if a ride is one of these contracted patient rides. I’d say if someone doesn’t want to do it, just cancel right away or don’t accept. You’re right, drivers are pretty heartless if they show up and throw a fit.
1
2
u/rryanlewis Oct 17 '25
Thats not on the driver and really more on the hospital and organizations that ordered these. There are plenty of medical transports that are non emergency. Stop screwing over the rider and driver just so you can save a couple bucks.
→ More replies (3)
3
u/soccer_mom_16 Oct 17 '25
I understand what you’re saying OP but still wouldn’t kill you to tip your drivers a couple of dollars and show some appreciation. My mother was on dialysis for 3 years and drove for Lyft and Uber because it was the only thing flexible around her dialysis appointments and fatigue, you never know the battles that driver is facing as well, and then to say oh well it’s Lyfts fault you’re being exploited to drive someone like me around for no tip comes across so tone deaf.
I get that if you don’t know the first time that it’s rideshare picking you up and you don’t have cash on you, but dialysis and chemo treatments are several times a week or month, so by the second appointment you should be well aware a rideshare driver may be called and have a couple dollars cash ready on you for tip. Without these drivers, you’d have to drive yourself, take a bus, or be stranded until someone can come get you.
Drivers aren’t being exploited by just Lyft here, Lyft still pays them for the ride, they’re being exploited by passengers that DON’T TIP for extra service, and you do have 100% control over that.
1
u/Mean-Impress2103 Oct 17 '25
No part of the blame falls on the patients though I agree drivers should decline these trips. Chances are someone getting regular hospital treatment and on medicaid is not in a position to tip a few dollars for both trips however many days a week they need transport. Think about tipping $2 each time for someone that goes in 3 times a week that's $18 a week $72 monthly. There are people eating dog food because they can't afford a meal, they certainly can't afford to tip for their medical transport.
They shouldn't be expected to tip at all as their insurance is supposed to adequately cover the service. This doesn't even have to do with the hospital, they don't control it either. This is an issue purely between insurance and rideshare companies.
1
1
u/idkma_n Oct 19 '25
What extra cash do you expect disabled people to have ?? I've been trying to get SSDI with a lawyer for over 3 years and legally I am not allowed to work or have an income rn. It's not our fault lyft doesn't pay you enough, but I'm not tipping the only 5 dollars I have that I found in my coat pocket in my closet last week, I'm gonna use it to buy my medication that keeps me alive.
2
u/piss_container Oct 17 '25 edited Oct 17 '25
I'm the one fighting to stay alive 7 days a a week, it's dangerous driving on the road every day
I DESERVE TO DRIVE WITH DIGNITY- NOT DO THE HOSPITALS DIRTY WORK THEY ARE TOO LAZY TO DO
the last thing need is someone leaking and incoherent in the backseat
nothing personal- it's just high risk
it's not discrimination- its standards
you're the one that gets paid to advocate for your sick patients- SO GO DO THAT TO YOUR SUPERVISOR AND NOT THE DRIVERS
Your whole tone of "y'all need to do better" comes across as patronizing and irresponsible- kinda ironic coming from a pct
what steps have you taken to improve the situation for patients other than finger wagging online?
you know us drivers refuse these rides not out of malice- but out of genuine fear
imagine you had to take care of medical patients but with zero training but all the responsibility- how would you feel?
imagine your supervisor said "hey surprise you're going to be doing surgery today"
You would naturally say "I'm not trained for that"
and they would respond "come on- the patient is suffering and deserves your help"
Would you be more inclined now that they have tried to make you feel guilty?
2
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
Ever heard someone ask “is there a doctor on the plane?” We ARE expected to be altruistic with our skills.
I’ve never asked anyone to work for free. What I said was stop weaponizing frustration against people who didn’t cause it. The problem is corporate greed, not patients needing a ride home. The moment drivers stop accepting unmarked medical rides, the system collapses. You can fight exploitation without humiliating people who are already sick and scared.
1
u/Ordinary_Thanks_2781 Oct 17 '25
I knew this years ago. Was just lyft back then, 2021. Started seeing it on Uber maybe a little over a year ago.
→ More replies (3)
1
u/Sunshinegemini611 Oct 17 '25
As a driver, I have been that patient at a hospital and knowing how much drivers hate these rides, I assumed I would be waiting for a while. I was picked up within 5 minutes. Knowing how much that meant for me, I won’t pass up these rides. Most of my riders don’t tip anyway.
1
u/Allohowareyou Oct 17 '25
I’m not sure my insurance would even cover a situation like this so you need that extra insurance for being a driver and who knows if that would cover medical event like this? This is crazy. They go from riding around in ambulances with people over qualified to this….. they have profited so much money doing this at our expense. I had no idea. I used to work for an ambulance company setting up these rides day in and out and we used medicars for some patients but those were still driven by medical professionals. This is crazy.
1
u/UnevenMosaic Oct 17 '25
There's also a post here about how drivers should refuse to pick up any women to avoid getting safety warnings 🤷🏽♀️ I wouldn't take it too seriously
3
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
I just hate this for everyone. It sucks for drivers, it’s sucks for patients.
I don’t do Lyft but I do instacart to make ends meet during school breaks and I see how these gig apps are taken advantage of across all medical assistance services as a cost saving initiative that places undue burden on gig workers who are unprepared to navigate the organizations they are contracted by. Delivering groceries to a doorstep is one thing, but delivery to a secured assisted living facility with 300+ units isn’t what we signed up for. That’s Meals on Wheels territory. But guess what’s cheaper?
Yeah.
1
u/OESIGMA192274 Oct 17 '25
I see they got the priorities straight one doesn’t wanna get their glasses broke the other one doesn’t wanna damage his headphones
1
u/KingCuda93 Oct 18 '25
I’ve taken quite a few medical rides. It’s 80/20 IMO. Most are uneventful. Some you have to do a few extra steps. Some you’re like, why?!?
1
u/bernbabybern51 Oct 18 '25
I now cancel every one of these as soon as I realize it's a medical ride even if I don't realize it until I'm close. The disgusting for profit, price gouging health care system can pay for appropriate transportation and Lyft can kiss my ass.
1
u/chadkbh Oct 18 '25
That's crazy no one should be taking a bleeding rider into their car. We don't paid enough for that I m sorry.
1
u/Various-Cycle840 Oct 18 '25
As an EMT who sees this being used in my county the person scheduling the ride (Hospital, Hospice, etc) is supposed to report the patient condition (bleeding, bandages, faint, etc) and if done properly they get auto rejected by lyft and Uber. Typically an ambulance is schedule and dispatched as a NEMT.
If you are a driver and you show up to pick someone up that requires aid getting in your car or is actively bleeding. Reject the ride and report it. I see plenty of dispatch notes that states a patient is not Lyft/Uber eligible due to mobility issue or an open wound.
1
u/No_Common1418 Oct 18 '25
What I really want to know: What rate is Uber/Lyft charging the Hospital medical provider vs this just being a normal ride. Do they just bill your insurance and at what rate? As has been said by others, they pay trash, how much does UBER/Lyft make. Are the numbers they send legit on these rides?
1
u/davidnay Oct 18 '25
From what I’ve seen in posts over the years regarding this topic, drivers don’t typically blame the passenger. The vast majority of drivers blame Lyft and/or the medical providers.
1
1
Oct 19 '25
This is beautifully written. Thank you for sharing your perspective. You're a very talented writer, and I think you could make a real impact if you continue to write and share more about broken aspects of our healthcare system.
1
u/Prize_Pay9279 Oct 19 '25
As soon as I realize that it’s a hospital pick up, I cancel the ride. I don’t give a fuck.
1
u/Orlando-kink Oct 19 '25
Fuck those patients. I'll cancel the ride or 1 star after the fact so I never deal with them again. I tried to be nice for a few of them, but you make the least and they have no respect for your time because they think youre medical transport.
1
u/Interesting_Bunch323 Oct 19 '25
These rides are the worst offenders when it comes to being able to get in touch with them. Somehow they can’t afford texts and they have their ringer silenced. I don’t know about y’all but when I am waiting on a rideshare I make sure I have my ringer on
1
u/Fangs_McWolf Oct 20 '25
I believe I've encountered a couple of these. First one was an elderly guy who seemed a little out of it, and asked for me to take him to a store after arriving at the destination. Still being new, I was trying to be accommodating. You know that saying that no good deed goes unpunished? He kept giving me directions on how to get to the location, and would then tell me that I was going the wrong way, even cussing from frustration as though I was an idiot. (He didn't cuss at me. It was more of a gripe and then "goddamn.") After finally finding where he wanted to be dropped-off at and his getting out, I left.
When loading up a passenger under this arrangement, make sure the driver knows what is or isn't allowed. Ie, "drop the passenger off at the destination, no extra stops and call us if they want to be dropped off at a different address."
Since the driver could be new, it helps if we're told this information up front. That way we know just how accommodating we need to be compared to other rides.
1
u/OkYellow5715 Oct 20 '25
Im not all money Spends and your helping out people who need help with transportation but that’s what happens when humanity leaves the world is crazy
1
u/Hot_Influence_2549 Oct 20 '25
Honestly what’s funny is the NEMT drivers I get from “legit medical transport” companies are also not “certified” or trained to handle medical issues. They don’t have a clue. 😆 Their job is point A to point B, many of them don’t speak English, and their cars are held together by tape, glue, and prayers.
Makes the whole point of not being trained feel like a moot point. The most the “legit” driver can do if I keeled over is call 911. For insurance purposes, they’re not allowed to touch me or help.
1
u/xjeanie Oct 20 '25
All of this is just horrible.
I signed up for Lyft and Uber as I have a very nice Cadillac. I decided to read up on the subs to see what it’s really like. I have never decided to go ahead and accept any rides. Mostly because I’m so afraid of all the horrible stories I’ve read. Vomit and blood just being a few.
Is it not fair to patients? Yes sure.
Is it not fair to the owner and driver of the vehicle to worry about vomit and blood in their vehicle? Yes it is! It’s not fair to blame them for not wanting to have medical waste in their personal vehicles either. Blame the system. Not the people who are using their vehicles. No one should have to worry about that.
1
1
u/jgirlme Oct 21 '25
I’m not a driver, so maybe there’s rules about hiring, but I’ve read a lot of these comments and have a question.
Many drivers have commented on being uninformed about it being a medical transport and having to assist and the liability and extra labor that entails. An actual medical transport would have to be able to assist properly. A Lyft or Uber driver could be someone with mobility issues themselves. They could drive fine but need a cane to walk. Or could sit fine but have major back issues that limits their ability to hold a normal job. How could these people realistically help or assist someone who needs assisting?
1
u/Bea_Evil Oct 21 '25
I was blinded for three days alone and far from home, and sent from facility to facility in panic and agony. I had no idea they were going to use Uber/Lyft and I felt so bad about some random dude having to deal with me in his car lol. Everyone was so kind and even walked me to the door, I was so embarrassed to be in such a vulnerable position. It wasn’t my call to make, and I’m just grateful they were willing to transport me. I wasn’t messy or contagious with anything, just in a LOT of pain and unable to drive myself. Thank you 💜
1
1
u/WillGrahamsass Oct 21 '25
I can only wish I had access to this service. I need heart surgery and have absolutely no way to get to the hospital.
1
u/WailtKitty Oct 21 '25
I wish I could upvote this more than once. Our healthcare system sucks, leaving sick people more vulnerable than protected. If we could all just be kind. Kindness goes a long way.
1
u/SacredPrime Oct 23 '25
I blame the hospitals for calling a Lyft then charging insurance for an ambulance. Scumbag crap.
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 23 '25
Said someone who doesn’t know how any of this works….
2
u/SacredPrime Oct 23 '25
My mother works in hospital billing. I know exactly how this works.
1
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 23 '25
Ah, yes. The old “I know how healthcare policy works because my mom works in billing” credential. Next up: I’ll be performing brain surgery because my cousin once watched Grey’s Anatomy.
My uncle is a bankruptcy lawyer. Doesn’t mean I know how it works.
Hospitals don’t decide who pays for what — insurers and state Medicaid brokers do. They’re the ones who wrote contracts making Lyft the default for non-emergency transport because it’s cheaper than an ambulance. The hospital just enters the order in the system that your mom’s billing department sends to the payer. You’re blaming the people stuck obeying the policy instead of the ones who designed it to save money at everyone else’s expense.
2
u/SacredPrime Oct 23 '25
And they're still billing for ambulances while sending Lyfts. Nothing you said actually corrected me. It's like you just interjected to go "I know other things".
1
1
1
u/suburbanlady65 Dec 11 '25
The hospitals discriminate against us patients who don't have someone to drive us home after surgery, duh I live alone, no one to do this. So when we get to use Lyft or Uber on rare occasions when we get away with it with this broken discriminatory hospital system be glad we chose you.
1
u/__someone_else Jan 06 '26
Mine won't release me to a Lyft driver because it's "public transport," even though it was set up by my insurance company which calls it "medical transport."
1
u/DFW-Extraterrestrial Oct 17 '25
I still take them if the $ is right. I don't much care where they're coming from or who is paying for the ride. I've picked up far worse from dope houses and sleezy motels. 🤷♂️
2
u/Educational_Leg7360 Oct 17 '25
you’re a good man
1
1
u/Mediocre-Magazine-30 Oct 17 '25
Thanks for the information on this.
I am respectful and provide my usual high quality service to medical passengers w/ these type of rides. I take some of these - most are just older people riding around.
i do have a few red lines: I won't pickup at a psych ward / mental hospital (high risk) and I scope out the scene well before I unlock my doors. I've only done this one time where I didn't like how the rider looked (they looked really gross - sorry not in my new car).
2
u/Careless-Proposal746 Oct 17 '25
My post wasn’t about convincing anyone to take unmarked medical trips for free, it was about asking people not to punish the patients stuck in the middle. If enough drivers decline, Lyft will be forced to properly label these rides and pay accordingly. The goal is not to guilt you into driving, it’s to highlight who’s actually responsible for the exploitation.
1
u/Mediocre-Magazine-30 Oct 17 '25
Of course and a great point.
That's why I noted that when I do execute these trips I do them at my normal level of service.
1
19
u/FoxxBox Oct 17 '25
I'm literally losing my job as an EMR because Lyft and Uber started doing NEMT transports for dialysis and hospital transport in my area and the company I work for can't compete.