Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn is expanding its GoRide Health nonemergency medical transportation business nationwide, starting with Ohio. The company plans to deliver thousands of rides per day in six cities by the end of the year.
GoRide Health now is operating in Toledo, and service will expand to Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus this year. Later this year, the business plans to begin offering its services in major cities in Florida, beginning in Miami, and will expand to other states including North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, and California in 2020.
The startup service has been offered in southeast Michigan for more than a year.
“GoRide Health is gaining momentum because it is a reliable, human-centered service for people whose very lives depend on making their medical appointments,” says Minyang Jiang, CEO of GoRide Health. “Despite a critical and growing need across our country, most patients are unable to find reliable transportation and drivers who understand their needs. GoRide Health can fill that gap.”
In addition to expanding to managed care organizations nationwide, GoRide Health is expanding service to assist city transit agencies. The first will be the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (RTA) in Ohio. Through its Connect Paratransit and On-Demand programs, GoRide Health will service residents in Dayton, Montgomery County, and western Greene County who are unable to access other transportation options or need first- and last-mile solutions for existing fixed-route transportation.
“Our partnership with GoRide is a great example of RTA’s ability to coordinate and connect the community with a highly qualified provider to increase mobility access for the citizens of this region,” says Brandon Policicchio, chief customer and business development officer at the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority. “What makes the partnership noteworthy is GoRide’s commitment and support of RTA’s goal to coordinate all the region’s mobility services so that through one call, or one tap of the app made to RTA, every citizen will get the ride they need.”
GoRide’s transportation offers service that is especially useful for those in wheelchairs or who have other special needs. All drivers are HIPAA compliant and trained to safely assist passengers. GoRide uses Ford’s routing technology to automatically dispatch and pool rides while achieving a 95-percent on-time rate through the first quarter of 2018 with average wait times of 10-20 minutes. GoRide also uses data analytics to help payers identify where transportation gaps may exist so organizations can better target where services are most needed.
