Medicare Advantage health plan

Kaiser Medicare Transportation: Which Kaiser Regions Cover Rides and How to Get the Trips

Updated September 30, 20268 min read

Kaiser Permanente Medicare plans cover rides in only three regions in 2026: Colorado, Georgia, and the Mid-Atlantic (Washington, DC, Maryland, and northern Virginia). SafeRide Health books the rides in all three, and members may book as little as 2 hours before pickup. No individual Kaiser Medicare plan in California, Hawaii, Washington, or Oregon covers rides. Companies get Kaiser trips by joining SafeRide's network.

Kaiser Medicare rides exist only in Colorado, Georgia, and the Mid-Atlantic, and SafeRide books them in all three.
Members can book 2 hours before pickup, so Kaiser work rewards a company that keeps same-day room on the schedule.
Georgia plans also cover unlimited ordered wheelchair and stretcher van trips, with a $60 or $125 member copay.
Kaiser's Colorado dual eligible plans have no trip limit, with a 65-mile cap on each one-way ride.
Kaiser's 2026 Senior Advantage plans in California exclude every ride except a licensed ambulance.

Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage rides at a glance

Who books the ride: SafeRide Health, the "designated transportation provider" in Kaiser's 2026 evidence of coverage: 855-932-5414 in Georgia, 855-932-5413 in Colorado, 855-932-5412 in the Mid-Atlantic
Regions with rides in 2026: Colorado (14 of 14 plans sold to individuals), Georgia (10 of 10), and the Mid-Atlantic, meaning DC, Maryland, and Virginia (15 of 20)
Regions without plan rides: California (0 of 48 plans), Hawaii (0 of 6), and Washington and Oregon (0 of 21). Kaiser's employer group Medicare plans file no ride benefit either.
Booking notice: At least 2 hours before pickup in all three regions
Late cancellation: Less than 2 hours before pickup in Georgia, or 3 hours in Colorado and the Mid-Atlantic, and the ride comes off the member's yearly balance
Trip limits: Georgia 18 one-way trips a year (36 in its three D-SNPs), 50 miles each. Mid-Atlantic 24. Colorado 12 to 40, and unlimited in its three D-SNPs up to 65 miles each.
Georgia wheelchair and stretcher vans: Unlimited medically necessary one-way trips ordered by a network provider, with prior authorization. The member pays $60 a wheelchair van ride and $125 a stretcher or gurney van ride.
Vehicles: Taxis, rideshare, vans, and medical transport, as the transportation provider decides. All 39 Kaiser ride plans list vans and medical transport with CMS.
How to join: The NEMT provider signup form on SafeRide Health's website, then SafeRide's credentialing

Statewide rules in Colorado Statewide rules in Georgia Statewide rules in Maryland Statewide rules in Virginia Statewide rules in District of Columbia

Kaiser Permanente sells individual Medicare plans in eight states and Washington, DC, but for 2026 only three of its regions put rides in those plans: Colorado, Georgia, and the Mid-Atlantic. In each of them, the plan documents send members to “our designated transportation provider,” and the phone lines and online booking portals they give belong to SafeRide Health. So a company gets Kaiser Medicare trips in metro Atlanta, the Denver area and northern and southern Colorado, or the DC area by joining SafeRide’s network.

Where Kaiser Medicare plans cover rides in 2026

CMS’s 2026 plan benefit file, dated October 1, 2025, shows which Kaiser plans file a ride benefit. These counts cover the 119 Kaiser plan options sold to individuals.

Kaiser region	Plans	With rides	One-way trips a year	Ride line
Colorado	14	14	12 to 40, and unlimited in 3 D-SNPs	855-932-5413
Georgia	10	10	18, or 36 in 3 D-SNPs. Two plans cover only wheelchair and stretcher vans.	855-932-5414
Mid-Atlantic (DC, Maryland, Virginia)	20	15	24	855-932-5412
California	48	0	None	None
Hawaii	6	0	None	None
Washington and Oregon	21	0	None	None

Across the 34 Kaiser ride plans with a yearly limit, the median is 24 one-way trips, and the most common limits are 24 (15 plans) and 18 (9 plans). Every one of the 39 lists vans and medical transport with CMS, and 37 add taxis and rideshare. Kaiser’s employer group Medicare plans file no ride benefit in any region.

Georgia: 18 or 36 rides, plus wheelchair and stretcher vans

Kaiser’s Georgia plans serve metro Atlanta. Most cover Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, and Henry counties, plus the 30127, 30134, and 30141 ZIP codes of Paulding County. Senior Advantage Basic 2 and Dual Essential Plan 2 serve Barrow, Butts, Newton, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton counties instead, and the two Liberty plans cover both areas.

The regular benefit in the 2026 Georgia evidence of coverage reads the same way in plan after plan:

Trips. Up to 18 one-way trips a calendar year to and from a network provider, or 36 in the three dual eligible plans (Dual Essential Plan 1, Dual Essential Plan 2, and Dual Complete).
Distance. Each one-way trip is limited to 50 miles and must stay inside the service area.
Booking. Members schedule at least 2 hours before pickup, by calling 1-855-932-5414 (TTY 711), which answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Cancellation. A ride not canceled at least 2 hours before pickup is taken off the member’s yearly ride balance.
Vehicles. Taxis, rideshare, vans, and medical transport, “as determined by our transportation provider.”

The second benefit: ordered wheelchair and stretcher vans

Georgia plans also cover unlimited one-way trips in a licensed stretcher or gurney van or a wheelchair van, for medically necessary trips to and from medical facilities in the service area. A network provider must order the trip, and the plan must approve it in advance. The member pays $60 per one-way wheelchair van ride and $125 per one-way stretcher or gurney van ride. See stretcher van for what that service involves.

This benefit sends members to Kaiser Member Services at 1-800-232-4404, not to the ride line. Ask Kaiser Georgia how these orders reach a transportation company, and who collects the member’s copay, before you plan around them.

Two Georgia plans carry only this van benefit. Senior Advantage Standard and Senior Advantage Liberty Giveback have no regular ride allowance: their 2026 evidence of coverage lists only the wheelchair and stretcher van trips. Kaiser’s Georgia dual eligible members also have Medicaid, and the Medicaid rides they qualify for run through the state’s Medicaid broker. See the Georgia guide and Verida in Georgia.

Colorado: rides in three areas, unlimited in the dual plans

Kaiser Colorado’s transportation flyer (April 2025, posted with its 2026 plan materials) covers rides to providers in the Denver metro area, northern Colorado, and southern Colorado. Trips must stay inside the member’s own area, and mileage limits may apply. Members call 1-855-932-5413, Monday through Sunday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., or book online at kpco.member.saferidehealth.com. The same line takes calls from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. to check a ride’s status, confirm next-day rides, schedule rideshare trips, and say a member is ready for pickup.

Rides must be scheduled at least 2 hours before pickup.
A ride canceled with less than 3 hours’ notice comes off the member’s yearly balance.
In CMS’s file, the Colorado ride plans sell in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer, Park, Pueblo, Teller, and Weld counties.

The trip limit depends on the plan:

2026 Kaiser Colorado plan	One-way trips a year
Senior Advantage Core DM	12
Senior Advantage Bronze DM, and the three Senior Advantage Choice PPO plans	18
Senior Advantage Core North and Core South	22
Senior Advantage Silver DM, Silver North, and Enhanced	26
Senior Advantage Gold	40
Dual Essential, Dual Complete, and Dual Complete Pueblo (D-SNPs)	Unlimited, each trip up to 65 miles one way

The two Denver-area dual plans serve Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Park counties, and Dual Complete Pueblo serves Pueblo County. Members of these plans also have Health First Colorado, and the Medicaid rides they qualify for are arranged separately; see the Colorado guide.

Mid-Atlantic: 24 rides in DC, Maryland, and Virginia

Kaiser’s 2026 Mid-Atlantic evidence of coverage gives 24 one-way trips a calendar year to and from a network provider to members of every High and Standard plan and the Value VA plans. The Value DC, Value 1 MD, and Value 2 MD plans have no ride benefit. In CMS’s file, Care Plus VA also allows 24, and the Liberty and Care Plus MD plans have none. The four Maryland dual eligible plans (Dual Complete Plan 1 and 2 and Dual Essential Plan 1 and 2) also allow 24.

Members book at 1-855-932-5412 (TTY 711), 24 hours a day, or online at kpmas.member.saferidehealth.com.
Rides must be scheduled at least 2 hours before pickup.
A ride not canceled at least 3 hours before pickup comes off the member’s balance.

The plans cover Washington, DC; Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties and Baltimore City in Maryland, with parts of Calvert, Charles, and Frederick; and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, and Stafford counties in Virginia, with the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park.

Trips inside the DC metro district need WMATC authority

Kaiser’s Mid-Atlantic area overlaps the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Commission’s district: DC, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, Arlington and Fairfax counties, Alexandria, Falls Church, and Dulles Airport. WMATC’s jurisdiction FAQ (September 22, 2016) says a for-hire trip needs a WMATC certificate when both ends sit in that district, such as Montgomery County to DC, Arlington to Prince George’s, or one point in Montgomery County to another. A trip that stays inside Virginia is exempt. See the Maryland and Washington, DC guides, and Montgomery County and Baltimore City for how Maryland’s Medicaid rides for dual members are bought county by county.

As of September 30, 2026, Modivcare’s Virginia facilities page lists a Kaiser Permanente line, 1-866-823-8349, while Kaiser’s own 2026 Mid-Atlantic Medicare documents give the SafeRide line. Ask which Kaiser members a listing covers, and get written confirmation, before you count on that work.

Why California Kaiser members have no plan rides

Kaiser’s 2026 Senior Advantage evidence of coverage for both Northern and Southern California lists this among the services not covered under any condition: transportation by car, taxi, bus, gurney van, wheelchair van, or any other means other than a licensed ambulance, “even if it is the only way to travel to a network provider.” None of Kaiser’s 48 California plan options, including its 17 Dual Complete dual eligible plans, files a ride benefit with CMS for 2026.

A California Kaiser member who also has Medi-Cal gets rides through Medi-Cal; see the California guide. One without Medi-Cal has no plan ride at all, which makes that rider a private pay customer if you drive them.

Washington and Oregon are the same for Medicare members: no individual Kaiser plan there files a ride benefit. MTM Health lists “Kaiser Permanente (Washington)” among the plans whose members use its MTM Link app, so ask MTM which Kaiser members that covers.

What a Kaiser ride asks of your company

Short notice. With 2 hours’ notice allowed, Kaiser members may book a ride the same day. Keep a van open, and tell SafeRide what same-day capacity you have. See same-day NEMT trips.
Mile caps. Check the distance before you accept a long ride: 50 miles in Georgia and 65 miles in the Colorado dual plans.
Ride balance. Members can call the ride line to hear how many rides they have left. A member who has used the year’s rides gets no more plan rides until the next calendar year.
Vehicle choice. SafeRide picks the vehicle. If you run wheelchair vans, make sure SafeRide knows, because every Kaiser ride plan lists vans and medical transport.

How to get Kaiser trips

Check your counties. Match your service area to the county lists above. Outside them, SafeRide has no Kaiser Medicare work for you.
Apply to SafeRide. Its NEMT provider page has the signup form. Enter a real NPI and your EIN, list the counties you serve, and finish within 30 days, or the application starts over.
Pass credentialing. SafeRide wants $1 million general liability per occurrence, $2 million aggregate, $500,000 auto liability, and SafeRide as additional insured, plus checked drivers and vehicles. The full list is on the SafeRide Health page.
Ask about Kaiser volume. Tell your network vendor manager which Kaiser region you serve and that you can take 2-hour bookings. In Georgia, also ask Kaiser how its ordered wheelchair and stretcher van trips are assigned.
Get local authority first. In the DC area, hold WMATC authority before you take any trip with both ends in its district, unless the trip stays inside Virginia. For the Medicare paperwork that comes with plan trips, see Medicare Advantage transportation.

Who to call

For	Contact
Kaiser Georgia rides	1-855-932-5414 (TTY 711), 24 hours a day
Kaiser Georgia wheelchair and stretcher van benefit	Kaiser Member Services, 1-800-232-4404 (TTY 711)
Kaiser Colorado rides	1-855-932-5413, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, or kpco.member.saferidehealth.com
Kaiser Colorado Medicare customer service	1-800-476-2167 (TTY 711)
Kaiser Mid-Atlantic rides	1-855-932-5412 (TTY 711), 24 hours a day, or kpmas.member.saferidehealth.com
Kaiser Mid-Atlantic Member Services	1-888-777-5536 (TTY 711)
Joining SafeRide	team@saferidehealth.com or (855) 955-7433

Brokers that arrange Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage rides

SafeRide Health

Frequently asked questions

Does Kaiser Permanente Medicare cover transportation?

Only in three regions. For 2026, every individual Kaiser Medicare plan in Colorado and Georgia and 15 of 20 in the Mid-Atlantic file a ride benefit, though two Georgia plans cover only ordered wheelchair and stretcher vans. None of the 48 plans in California, 6 in Hawaii, or 21 in Washington and Oregon do. In the Mid-Atlantic, the Value DC, Value 1 MD, Value 2 MD, Liberty, and Care Plus MD plans have none either.

Who is Kaiser Permanente's transportation provider?

SafeRide Health. Kaiser's 2026 evidence of coverage documents send members to "our designated transportation provider," and the booking lines in them, 855-932-5414 in Georgia, 855-932-5413 in Colorado, and 855-932-5412 in the Mid-Atlantic, are the numbers on SafeRide's Kaiser member pages. Colorado and Mid-Atlantic members can also book online on SafeRide's Kaiser portals.

How far ahead do Kaiser members have to book a ride?

At least 2 hours before pickup, in every Kaiser region with rides. Georgia members must cancel at least 2 hours before pickup, and Colorado and Mid-Atlantic members at least 3 hours before, or the ride is taken off their yearly ride balance.

Does Kaiser cover wheelchair van or stretcher van rides?

In Georgia, yes, as a separate benefit. The 2026 Georgia plans cover unlimited one-way trips in a licensed wheelchair van or stretcher and gurney van when a network provider orders them and the plan approves them in advance. The member pays $60 per wheelchair van ride and $125 per stretcher ride. Elsewhere the ride line picks the vehicle, and every Kaiser ride plan lists vans and medical transport.

Why does Kaiser not cover rides in California?

The 2026 Senior Advantage evidence of coverage for Northern and Southern California lists transportation by car, taxi, bus, gurney van, wheelchair van, or anything other than a licensed ambulance as not covered under any condition, even when it is the only way to reach a network provider. Kaiser members who also have Medi-Cal get rides through Medi-Cal instead.

How do I become a Kaiser transportation provider?

Apply to SafeRide Health, which books Kaiser Medicare rides in Colorado, Georgia, and the Mid-Atlantic. Fill out the signup form on its NEMT provider page with your NPI, EIN, insurance limits, fleet, and the counties you serve, and finish it within 30 days. Then pass SafeRide's company, driver, and vehicle credentialing before your first ride.