This is an excellent question that more people should ask of their non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) providers. Although some customers may feel odd or embarrassed to ask such a thing, when you are paying for a service you are certainly entitled to ask the questions that will give you a comfort level with using that service. Unfortunately, not all NEMT providers adhere to the same level of cleanliness that you might expect. We have had passengers board our vans for the first time and remark on how clean they are, clearly expecting something a little different. Some passengers comment on how unkempt the vehicles are from other companies – poorly maintained, never vacuumed, dirt accumulating on the floors and seats, and in the most extreme cases, even roaches crawling around. One recent passenger remarked that a vehicle he rode in earlier in the day should be taken out of commission immediately, as the air conditioning was not working (an absolutely necessity when dealing with the oppressive south Florida heat) and the road condition of the van was so poor that it felt unsafe. Although Broward and Miami-Dade Counties have specific requirements that must be met for NEMT vehicles and do conduct at least annual inspections, it seems that some vehicles are still kept operational despite the legal requirements.
At RideStat, we like to treat our customers the way we would want to be treated ourselves, and that includes having a welcoming and functioning interior cabin to greet our passengers. We do our best to keep our vehicles clean even during the day when we are handling transports one after the other. After each transport has concluded, all safety belts, seating areas, and other surface areas that a passenger may have come in contact with are cleaned with a disinfectant wipe. The interior cabin is tidied up and cleared of any debris or dirt, so that the next passenger(s) may travel in a comfortable and clean vehicle. Our passengers are often already in a vulnerable state, and they deserve to be able to ride in a dignified manner that demonstrates the respect that they deserve.