# How to Become a GATRA Transportation Provider in 2027

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/brokers/gatra/ · Updated 2026-09-29

To become a GATRA transportation provider, you need at least a year of medical transportation experience, registration and a certificate of good standing with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, and an office in or near GATRA's area. Email Inquiries@gatra.org with "application" in the subject to get the application. GATRA then offers PT-1 trips by lowest cost, fit, and vehicle availability.

- Since July 1, 2021, GATRA has brokered MassHealth and state agency rides in 65 Massachusetts towns: the southeast, Cape Cod, and the Islands.
- GATRA asks for at least one year of medical transportation experience and an office in or near its area before it sends you an application.
- In fiscal year 2025, GATRA held contracts with 75 providers and arranged 1,605,062 trips, including 848,204 MassHealth PT-1 rides.
- PT-1 trips go to the lowest-cost fitting company with a vehicle free, using the pickup fee and mileage rate each company submits every quarter.
- Every provider follows the state HST standards: $250,000/$500,000 auto liability, workers' comp, GPS in every vehicle, and yearly CORI checks.

GATRA, the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority, is a regional transit authority based in Taunton, Massachusetts. Besides its buses, it is one of the two brokers the state's Human Service Transportation (HST) Office uses to arrange rides for MassHealth members and for clients of five other state agencies. GATRA does not drive these riders. It subcontracts with privately owned transportation companies, which the state calls transportation providers or vendors. In fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025), the HST Office reports that GATRA held contracts with 75 of them, employing about 3,069 drivers and 41 monitors.

## Where GATRA arranges rides

Since July 1, 2021, two regional transit authorities have brokered HST rides for the whole state. GATRA's audited financial statements for fiscal year 2025 still describe its brokerage contract with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).

| HST service area | Broker | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Areas 1 and 2 | MART | Western, central, and northeastern Massachusetts, including metro Boston |
| Area 3 | GATRA | Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the Islands |

The state's Find your HST broker list assigns 65 of the 351 cities and towns to GATRA. They include Brockton, Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, Attleboro, Plymouth, Stoughton, and Easton, plus every Cape Cod town, the six towns on Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Gosnold. Before July 1, 2021, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority brokered the Cape and the Islands.

GATRA's HST area is not the same as its public transit area. Franklin, Wrentham, Bellingham, Medway, Norfolk, Duxbury, Marshfield, Pembroke, Scituate, and Hanover are GATRA transit communities but belong to MART for HST trips. Look up your garage town and the towns you want to serve on the state list. A company can contract with GATRA, MART, or both. For the rest of the state, see [how to become a MART transportation provider](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mart/).

GATRA brokers rides for MassHealth, the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Department of Public Health Early Intervention, MassAbility (formerly the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission), the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, and the Department of Mental Health (DMH). The work comes in two kinds:

| Kind of work | What it covers | GATRA trips, FY2025 | Average cost per trip, FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demand response | MassHealth PT-1 rides, as needed, to medical, dental, mental health, and substance use appointments | 848,204 | $50.06 |
| Program-based | Scheduled rides to day habilitation, DDS day and work programs, Early Intervention, and DMH clubhouses | 756,858 | $46.08 |

A MassHealth member can qualify for PT-1 rides when their coverage includes transportation (Standard, CommonHealth, or CarePlus). The member's MassHealth provider submits a PT-1 request online, and approval can take up to three business days. For a ride sooner than that, the medical provider can call the MassHealth Customer Service Center at 800-841-2900 for verbal approval. Once approved, the member is assigned to GATRA, which books the trip and gives it to a company.

The state also runs an enhanced wheelchair van service under its own standards (Appendix 7), in which each rider going to a medical appointment rides in a wheelchair the whole time. EOHHS defines these as wheelchair van trips that need door-to-door or door-through-door help. In fiscal year 2025, GATRA served 2,805 members in that service. EOHHS sets its own rate for these broker-arranged trips: $92.88 per trip including the first five miles, plus mileage at the broker contract rate. Starting July 1, 2025, each additional member on a shared ride is paid $46.44 with no added mileage (Administrative Bulletin 25-14). Ask GATRA what it pays you for these trips.

## Who can become a GATRA transportation provider

As of September 2026, GATRA's provider page lists four minimum requirements:

- **One year of medical transportation.** Your organization must have provided medical transportation for at least a year.
- **State registration.** Your organization must be registered with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
- **A certificate of good standing.** It comes from the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and GATRA says it proves good tax standing.
- **A local office.** You need an office or branch that operates in or near GATRA territory.

The state standards add two more. You must hold every business license, permit, certificate, and registration that federal, state, or local law requires. Every vehicle you use must be owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by your company under a written agreement.

You do not enroll with MassHealth as a transportation provider for these rides. Bulletin 19 moved wheelchair van rides to the brokers on April 1, 2022, and sedan rides were already brokered. If you are starting from zero, spend your first year on private pay and facility work. See [how to get NEMT facility contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-get-nemt-facility-contracts/) and the [Massachusetts state guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/massachusetts/).

## How to apply to GATRA, step by step

1. **Check your towns.** Confirm on the state's Find your HST broker list that the towns you serve belong to GATRA.
2. **Get your certificate of good standing.** Request it from the Secretary of the Commonwealth before you ask for the application.
3. **Ask for the application.** Email Inquiries@gatra.org and type "application" in the subject line to get GATRA's Human Service Transportation Provider Application.
4. **Read the state standards.** Download the HST Transportation Provider Performance Standards from Mass.gov. They set the minimum rules for every HST subcontract, and the HST Office tells companies to read them and then ask the broker for its additional requirements.
5. **Build your file.** Have your insurance certificates, your workers' compensation certificate, a vehicle list, an employee list, and your ownership disclosures ready. The next table shows what each must contain.
6. **Prepare for inspections.** A broker inspector checks every vehicle before it carries riders, including vehicles you add later. GATRA's field inspectors also inspect vehicles in the field and run fleet inspections where providers garage them.
7. **Set up the trip tools.** As GATRA and MART described them in February 2022, vendors work in an online Vendor Portal, with a mobile app for accepting trips and a driver app with GPS. GATRA offered live support, step-by-step guides, and one-on-one help to vendors setting them up.

| Item | What the state standards require |
|---|---|
| Vehicle list | Make, model year, VIN, plate, and vehicle type for every primary and backup vehicle. Update it whenever anything changes |
| Employee list | Every driver, monitor, supervisor, dispatcher, and other employee on HST work. Update it whenever anything changes |
| CORI-certified employee | At least one employee certified to request CORI checks, plus a written CORI policy that meets state requirements |
| Ownership disclosures | Filed on the broker's form when you apply, when you sign, on request at requalification, and within 35 days of any change in ownership, under [42 CFR 455.104](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-455.104) to 455.106 and 1002.3 |
| Insurance certificates | Auto liability and workers' compensation, delivered before you carry any rider, with the broker named as additional insured |
| Your policies | Personnel, procedure, and equipment policies used on HST work go to the broker for approval |

Track the pieces with the [NEMT credentialing checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-credentialing-checklist/), and see [NEMT broker credentialing](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-broker-credentialing/) for how brokers review a file.

## What the state requires of every GATRA provider

The state's Transportation Provider Performance Standards set the minimum for every HST subcontract, whichever broker holds it. The HST Office revises them from time to time. The rules below come from the revision dated July 1, 2025. Mass.gov still posts the July 1, 2022 version, which differs in places, such as 3 years of driving experience instead of 1 and $1,500,000 instead of $1,000,000 for 9 to 15 seats. GATRA can add its own rules, so ask which version your subcontract uses when you apply.

### Insurance

| Coverage | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Auto liability, every vehicle | $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence bodily injury, plus $50,000 property damage |
| Program-based routes, 1 to 5 seats including the driver | The same as above |
| Program-based routes, 6 to 8 seats | $500,000 combined single limit |
| Program-based routes, 9 to 15 seats | $1,000,000 combined single limit |
| Program-based routes, 16 or more seats | $5,000,000 combined single limit |
| Workers' compensation | Every driver and monitor on HST work |

The broker is named as an additional insured, and the certificate of insurance goes to the broker before you carry any rider. See [NEMT insurance requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-insurance-requirements/).

### Drivers and monitors

| Check | Standard |
|---|---|
| Age and license | At least 19, with a valid Massachusetts license (or one from a bordering state) for the vehicle type and at least 1 year of driving experience, including multi-passenger vehicles |
| Communication | Spoken English good enough to work with riders and facility staff |
| CORI and SORI | CORI before any contact with riders and every year after. SORI on file and repeated every year, and a positive result bars the person from HST trips |
| Driving history | A 7-year record from every state where the driver lived or was licensed, reviewed every year. No DUI, reckless driving, leaving the scene, driving without a license or insurance, or driving while suspended in 7 years |
| License monitoring | Your company enrolls in the free RMV Driver Verification System and gives the broker and HST view access |
| Drug and alcohol tests | Before any rider contact, on reasonable suspicion, and after an accident with riders aboard, by an off-site lab certified under the National Laboratory Certification Program. After an incident, the alcohol test is due within 8 hours and the drug test within 32 hours |
| Training | Before the first trip and every year: defensive driving, safety equipment and evacuation, accident reporting, seat belts and child seats, lift and wheelchair securement, disability awareness, sexual harassment, and HST rules including HIPAA and mandated reporting |

The driving, seat belt, securement, sensitivity, and harassment courses need an instructor certified by the Community Transportation Association of America, the University of Wisconsin, or a program the broker approves. Brokers check each wheelchair van driver's securement every six months, and a failed check means full retraining. See [wheelchair securement](https://nemtguide.com/guides/wheelchair-securement/) and NEMT driver drug testing.

### Vehicles

| Rule | Standard |
|---|---|
| Registration and inspection | Garaged and registered in Massachusetts or a bordering state, with a passed RMV inspection on file before first use |
| Age limit | Demand response: under 15 years from manufacture. Program-based: under 7 years for sedans and vans, under 9 years for lift vehicles and those with more than 15 seats. The broker can grant six-month waivers for up to two extra years |
| Markings | Your business name in letters at least 2 inches high on the right passenger door and on the rear |
| Rider ID card | In plain view: your name, the broker's name and complaint number, and how to complain to the HST Office |
| Safety gear | A seat belt for every occupant, a belt cutter, a gauged ABC fire extinguisher, a first aid kit with a biohazard bag, a flashlight, three reflective triangles, and wheel chocks except in sedans and minivans |
| Comfort | Working air conditioning and heat, and snow tires or the equivalent from November 15 to April 15 |
| Spare vehicle | At least one fully working spare, comparable to the vehicles in primary use |
| Communication | A cell phone or two-way radio in each vehicle, a staffed base whenever a vehicle is out, phones answered from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and whenever a vehicle is still in service, and a 24-hour answering system |
| GPS | Tracking that shares location and actual arrival times with the broker and EOHHS in real or near real time |
| Wheelchair vans | A lift with manual backup or a ramp, a roof raised at least 12 inches, side doors at least 54 inches high, and Q'Straint, AMF-Bruns, or Sure-Lok securement with four straps plus a lap and shoulder belt |

GATRA's member guide tells riders the company name belongs on the passenger side and the rear, that smoking is banned in every vehicle, and that a wheelchair should face forward and, in most cases, be secured in four places. The [vehicle inspection checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-vehicle-inspection-checklist/) covers the daily basics.

## How GATRA sends trips and sets prices

GATRA assigns each PT-1 trip on a low-cost, most appropriate basis and on vehicle availability. Members cannot choose their company. The State Auditor's audit of MassHealth transportation (May 8, 2025) describes how prices work:

- **Quarterly rates.** Every three months, each company submits its prices for the vehicle types it offers: a pickup fee and a mileage rate for each type.
- **Public after each quarter.** Rates are made public once each quarter's bidding period ends, so companies can adjust their next bids.
- **Standing orders.** A member with a standing order rides with the chosen company for three months, until new rates are set.
- **Other factors.** Brokers also weigh the member's history with a company and its customer satisfaction record. If the lowest-cost company cannot fit the schedule, the trip moves to the next lowest.
- **Accept or decline.** Each ride is offered through the brokers' transportation software. If you decline, it goes to another company.

Ask GATRA which pricing sheet and which vehicle types to fill in, and where to see the latest published rates.

In February 2022, GATRA and MART described the tools vendors use. The online Vendor Portal and its mobile app let you accept or reject trips and standing orders and assign them to drivers. The driver app carries same-day changes and tracks each trip by GPS. The HST Office now measures on-time performance on PT-1 trips from that GPS data. See NEMT GPS tracking.

Program-based routes are awarded by request for proposals. On June 27, 2023, GATRA and MART invited companies to bid on day habilitation, DDS, Early Intervention, and DMH clubhouse routes, and companies emailed RFP25@gatra.org, starting July 3, 2023, to receive GATRA's RFP. Program-based providers also sign a written affiliation agreement with each program covering weather calls, contacts, routing, incident reporting, and staff orientation. For DDS and day habilitation routes, the standards plan on a 90-minute routing window from the first pickup.

## Trip rules GATRA members are told to expect

GATRA's Know Before You Go page tells members what drivers must do, and the state standards add more. Your drivers should know both.

| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Arriving early | Never more than 15 minutes before the scheduled pickup, and drivers cannot leave before the scheduled time |
| Waiting | At least 10 minutes after the scheduled pickup before leaving without the rider. The driver calls your dispatcher and waits for instructions |
| Running late | GATRA tells members up to 15 minutes late is allowed for traffic, and to report anything longer. If you cannot arrive on time, tell GATRA and try to reach the rider |
| [No-show](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/no-show/) | The rider did not cancel at least 1 hour before pickup. Report it to GATRA. You cannot suspend a rider yourself |
| [Will-call](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/will-call-trip/) returns | GATRA tells members the wait may be 60 minutes or longer |
| Shared rides | Extra stops should add no more than 45 minutes to the trip, and you are expected to look for ride shares |
| Stops and routes | Only the approved address, and no unscheduled stops for pharmacies, gas, coffee, or stores |
| Phones | No headphones, and no calls or texts, hands-free included, while the vehicle is moving |
| Level of service | Curb or door, as the PT-1 authorizes. The driver stays in or near the vehicle and does not go into buildings while riders are aboard |
| Rider identity | Ask the rider to state their name before boarding |
| Stranded riders | Never. Once you accept a trip, you complete it unless it was properly canceled for weather |
| Backups | A backup vehicle in service within 30 minutes of the broker's request, or the broker sends another company at your expense |
| Bad weather | Your call, made at least two hours before the trip when possible. Tell the rider, the program, and the broker |
| Critical incidents | Phone the broker, and the facility if there is one, while it is happening. A voicemail does not count. A written report follows within 24 hours |

See NEMT multiloading for running shared rides within the time limits.

## Billing, trip records, and audits

The state standards require you to bill the broker monthly, within 30 days of the service, with supporting records. Each invoice rests on a daily trip sheet signed by the driver. It lists each one-way trip with a box for transported, canceled, or no-show, plus the driver's name, the plate, the date, the rider's name, and the pickup and drop-off places and times. The [NEMT trip log template](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-trip-log-template/) has those fields, and [how to bill NEMT brokers](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-bill-nemt-brokers/) covers the rest.

You look only to GATRA for payment. The standards bar providers from seeking payment from, or suing, the Commonwealth, EOHHS, the HST Office, or any agency for HST trips, even if the broker fails to pay. The state's HST task force report (December 1, 2022) listed CMS policies that prohibit paying for no-show rides as a budget issue to study. Ask GATRA for its invoicing schedule and no-show terms before you sign.

Records matter because trips get audited. The State Auditor's May 2025 audit of payments from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023 tested a sample of ride claims. It found MassHealth paid for rides on days with no qualifying medical service, estimating at least $1,669,323 overpaid, and paid for rides that were not properly documented. It recommended that brokers keep documentation for every ride. The State Auditor's report says transportation companies keep the documentation that confirms each ride took place.

## How GATRA measures providers

The HST Office's report for fiscal year 2025 shows what GATRA tracks:

| Measure | GATRA, FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Contracted transportation providers | 75 |
| Drivers and monitors | About 3,069 drivers and 41 monitors |
| Total trips | 1,605,062 |
| On-time performance, GPS-measured | 95.66% (the broker contract requires more than 90%) |
| Unfulfilled demand-response requests (vendor no-shows and incomplete returns) | 0.024% |
| Complaints | 0.69 per 1,000 trips |
| Fines assessed to vendors | $243,625 |

Brokers resolve complaints with fines, warnings, retraining, and less work. Type A violations are management shortfalls that do not put riders or finances at immediate risk. Type B violations may affect rider health and safety or the financial integrity of the program. The standards add a separate Wheelchair Securement Corrective Action Schedule for securement problems, and the HST Office's Vision Zero goal is zero findings of improper securement. See [NEMT broker penalties](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-broker-penalties/).

## Selling or changing your company

HST subcontracts do not transfer without the HST Office's prior approval. You must file new ownership disclosures within 35 days of any change in ownership, and the broker can end your subcontract or remove staff based on what the disclosures show. The HST Office can also require the broker to end a subcontract for cause when a provider breaches a material term. Plan any sale around those approvals. See [how to sell a NEMT business](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-sell-a-nemt-business/).

## Who to call at GATRA

| For | Contact |
|---|---|
| Provider applications | Inquiries@gatra.org, with "application" in the subject line |
| GATRA administrative offices | 10 Oak Street, Taunton, MA 02780. 508-823-8828 or 800-483-2500 |
| MassHealth PT-1 booking and member complaints | 800-431-1713 |
| MassHealth Customer Service Center (PT-1 verbal approval for medical providers) | 800-841-2900 |
| State HST Office | 617-847-3427, HSTinfo@mass.gov, 100 Hancock Street, 8th Floor, Quincy, MA 02171 |
| HST complaints and incidents | HSTcomplaintincident@mass.gov |

Before you email GATRA, have your certificate of good standing, insurance quotes at the state limits, your driver and vehicle lists, and proof of a year of medical transportation ready. Decide which towns and vehicle types you will price, because PT-1 trips are offered on the rates you submit each quarter.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need to enroll with MassHealth to drive for GATRA?

Not as a MassHealth transportation provider. MassHealth Transportation Bulletin 19 (November 2021) says that from April 1, 2022, MassHealth no longer enrolls or pays wheelchair van companies directly for nonemergency rides. Sedan rides for ambulatory members already ran through the brokers. You contract with GATRA, MART, or both, and GATRA pays you. The state standards bar you from billing the Commonwealth for these trips.

### Can a brand-new company become a GATRA provider?

No. As of September 2026, GATRA's provider page asks for at least one year of experience providing medical transportation, registration with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, a certificate of good standing, and an office or branch in or near GATRA territory. Build that first year with private pay riders and facility contracts, then apply.

### Which towns does GATRA cover for MassHealth rides?

The state's HST broker list assigns 65 of the 351 Massachusetts cities and towns to GATRA, including Brockton, Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, Attleboro, Plymouth, every Cape Cod town, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. GATRA's public transit area is different. Towns such as Franklin, Wrentham, Duxbury, Marshfield, and Scituate are GATRA transit communities but belong to MART for HST rides.

### How does GATRA decide which provider gets a trip?

GATRA assigns each trip on a low-cost, most appropriate basis and on vehicle availability, and members cannot pick their company. The State Auditor's May 2025 audit says companies submit a pickup fee and a mileage rate for each vehicle type every three months. A standing order stays with the chosen company for three months, until new rates are set.

### What insurance does GATRA require?

The state HST standards, in the July 1, 2025 revision, set auto liability of at least $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence, plus $50,000 property damage, on every vehicle. Program-based vehicles with 6 or more seats need a $500,000 to $5,000,000 combined single limit by seat count. Workers' compensation must cover every driver and monitor, and the broker is named as an additional insured.

### Can I work for both GATRA and MART?

Yes. MassHealth Bulletin 19 tells wheelchair van companies to contract with MART or GATRA or both. Each broker runs its own application, contract, and trip offers, and each town belongs to one broker, so the trips you get from each depend on where your riders start.

### What happens if the rider is not there?

GATRA tells members that drivers must wait at least 10 minutes after the scheduled pickup time before leaving without them. Under the state standards, the driver calls your dispatcher and waits for instructions. A no-show is a rider who did not cancel at least one hour before pickup, and you report it to GATRA. Ask GATRA how its subcontract treats no-shows before you sign.

## Official resources

- [GATRA: Becoming a transportation provider (minimum requirements)](https://www.gatra.org/becoming-a-provider/)
- [GATRA: Know Before You Go (what members are told to expect)](https://www.gatra.org/know-before-you-go/)
- [GATRA: MassHealth and PT-1 Trips FAQ](https://www.gatra.org/masshealth-pt-1-trips-faq/)
- [Mass.gov: Providing rides through the HST Brokerage](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/providing-rides-through-the-hst-brokerage)
- [Mass.gov: Find your HST broker by town](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-your-hst-broker)
- [Mass.gov: HST Transportation Provider Performance Standards](https://www.mass.gov/doc/hst-transportation-provider-performance-standards/download)
- [Mass.gov: Annual HST and Brokerage Performance Report FY2025](https://www.mass.gov/doc/hst-annual-broker-performance-report-fy2025/download)
- [Mass.gov: Human Service Transportation Office](https://www.mass.gov/orgs/human-service-transportation-office)