# Hernando County Paratransit: You Thrive Florida, TheBus ADA Rides, and the Trips Turned Away

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/hernando-county/ · Updated 2026-10-02

Hernando County paratransit is two services. You Thrive Florida, the nonprofit Transportation Disadvantaged coordinator through June 30, 2028, drives door-to-door trips inside the county on weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (352-799-1510). TheBus, the county transit system, runs ADA paratransit near its routes (352-754-4890). From July 2025 to June 2026, You Thrive turned away 820 trip requests, 304 of them for trips outside the county.

- You Thrive Florida, the coordinating board's pick in 1990, holds the coordinator role through June 30, 2028, after bids in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2023.
- You Thrive turned away 820 trip requests from July 2025 to June 2026, led by 304 trips outside the county and 229 on holidays or weekends.
- The Arc Nature Coast carried 50,851 of the system's 65,695 trips in FY 2025-26 under the county's only coordination contract.
- The coordinated system ran no stretcher trips in FY 2024-25 or FY 2025-26, and the 2026-27 rate model has no stretcher rate.
- Sunshine Health covers about 56% of Hernando's main Medicaid plan members, so Alivi is the broker to apply to first.

## Hernando County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Coordinator | Mid Florida Community Services, Inc., doing business as You Thrive Florida, recommended by the coordinating board in September 1990. Its agreement runs to June 30, 2028. |
| Service | Door to door inside Hernando County only, weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. under the service plan, ambulatory and wheelchair. No stretcher service. |
| Trips turned away | 820 from July 2025 to June 2026: 304 out of county, 229 holiday or weekend, 147 early or late, 129 same day, 11 stretcher |
| Coordination contract | The Arc Nature Coast of Spring Hill, which carried 50,851 of the system's 65,695 trips in FY 2025-26, mostly to day programs |
| Rates, 2026-27 | $21.21 per ambulatory trip and $36.36 per wheelchair trip, down from $23.39 and $40.10. No stretcher rate. |
| Contract insurance | At least $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, plus Rule 14-90 safety rules and drug and alcohol testing |
| ADA paratransit | TheBus, for certified riders within 3/4 mile of a route, Monday to Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., $2.50 a trip |
| Local permits | A county certificate only for advanced and basic life support and other state-licensed EMS providers, under Ordinance 2025-09 of August 12, 2025 |
| Medicaid | Region B. MTM Health serves members outside a plan. Sunshine Health had 15,044 of 27,083 main plan members on August 31, 2026. |
| Next board meeting | November 12, 2026 at 1:30 p.m., 1661 Blaise Drive, Brooksville. The private transportation seat is vacant. |

## Who arranges rides here

- [You Thrive Florida Paratransit](https://youthrivefl.org/program/transportation/): Coordinates the county's Transportation Disadvantaged rides and books door-to-door trips. (352) 799-1510
- [TheBus ADA Complementary Paratransit](https://www.hernandocounty.us/living-here/transit-thebus/transit-programs/ada-complementary-paratransit/): Certifies riders and books ADA trips within 3/4 mile of a bus route. (352) 754-4890
- [Hernando/Citrus Metropolitan Planning Organization](https://www.hernandocounty.us/building-development/metropolitan-planning-organization/mpo-planning-documents/transportation-disadvantaged-program/): Staffs the Hernando TD Local Coordinating Board and the coordinator bid. (352) 754-4082
- The Arc Nature Coast, Spring Hill: Carries its own clients under the county's one coordination contract.
- [MTM Health, Florida Medicaid rides](https://www.mtm-inc.net/floridaffs/): Arranges rides for Hernando Medicaid members who are not in a health plan. (844) 239-5974
- [Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged](https://www.fdot.gov/ctd/community-transportation-coordinators): Designates the county's coordinator and funds rides no other agency pays for.

Paratransit in Hernando County means two separate services. You Thrive Florida, the name Mid Florida Community Services, Inc. took on in 2024, is the county's coordinator for the state's Transportation Disadvantaged rides and drives door-to-door trips inside the county. TheBus, the county's own transit system, runs the ADA paratransit that federal law requires next to its routes. You Thrive carries no stretcher patients and no trips outside the county, and its own records count what that leaves undone.

Florida's Transportation Disadvantaged program buys rides for residents who cannot drive or pay for one because of age, disability, or income, through one [community transportation coordinator](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/community-transportation-coordinator/) per county. The statewide rules, Medicaid enrollment, and vehicle standards are on the [Florida guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/).

## Who runs paratransit in Hernando County

### You Thrive Florida

In September 1990, the county's coordinating board recommended Trans Hernando, then a division of Mid Florida Community Services, as coordinator, and the state commission agreed. The Hernando/Citrus Metropolitan Planning Organization has been the state's planning agency for the county since 1993. Requests for proposals for the role were advertised in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2023, and Mid Florida has held it throughout. Its current agreement runs until June 30, 2028.

The service plan, last updated November 13, 2025, describes a shared-ride system with these limits:

- **Hours and area.** Weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with both ends of every trip inside Hernando County.
- **Riders.** Ambulatory and wheelchair riders only. Scooters and power chairs ride if the rider signs a waiver, up to 800 pounds with the rider and 30 by 48 inches. Geri chairs, transfer chairs, and riders on monitored oxygen cannot be carried.
- **Booking.** Call 352-799-1510, weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., by noon the business day before the trip, or by noon Friday for a Monday trip. Medical trips can be booked up to two weeks ahead.
- **At the door.** Drivers wait no more than three minutes, offer an arm but do not enter homes, and pick up no earlier than two hours before an appointment. Will-call returns are offered only for medical trips.

Residents who are disabled, low income, over 60, or children at risk under 16 qualify. Veterans and their spouses ride for $1.00 each way with proof of service.

### TheBus ADA paratransit

TheBus has run ADA paratransit since March 2005 for riders whose disability keeps them off the fixed-route bus and whose trips begin and end within 3/4 mile of a route. Under the service plan it runs Monday to Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., booked by 5:00 p.m. the business day before, for $2.50 a trip. Riders book at 352-754-4890, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Routes 10 and 11, launched May 4, 2026, widened that 3/4-mile zone, and Route 11 runs north to Sugarmill Woods in Citrus County.

## The trips You Thrive could not provide

You Thrive's quarterly system report for July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 counts 14,844 trips provided and 820 requests it could not fill, against none reported as unmet the year before. The share it could not provide rose from 2.85% of requests in July 2025 to 5.63% in May 2026. The reasons are a list of work for a private company:

| Reason the request was turned away | Requests, July 2025 to June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Trip outside Hernando County | 304 |
| Holiday or weekend | 229 |
| Appointment before 8:00 a.m. or after 3:00 p.m. | 147 |
| Same-day request | 129 |
| Stretcher | 11 |

You Thrive has tried to close the biggest gap with grants. On May 14, 2026, it told the coordinating board it wanted to run trips to the VA in Tampa and Port Richey and to medical offices in Pasco County. Its application for a state Innovative Service Development grant proposed weekday trips to Citrus, Hillsborough, and Pasco counties from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., an estimated 850 trips for 75 riders. Commission staff noted that a similar project for veterans had been tried before and questioned whether it could last. On June 11, 2026 the Commission tabled all of its 2026-27 innovation grant recommendations until its budget was final.

## Who carries the trips in Hernando County

The Arc Nature Coast, a Spring Hill nonprofit, holds the county's only coordination contract and carries its own clients, mostly to day programs. It carries far more trips than You Thrive itself:

| Hernando coordinated system | FY 2024-25 | FY 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| All trips | 60,977 | 65,695 |
| Trips by You Thrive Florida | 15,457 | 14,844 |
| Trips by The Arc Nature Coast | 45,520 | 50,851 |
| Wheelchair trips | 7,532 | 9,888 |
| Stretcher trips | 0 | 0 |
| Medical trips | 8,092 | 7,878 |
| Vehicles | 44 | 40 |

The FY 2025-26 figures come from the operating report You Thrive filed for July 2025 to June 2026, still under state review in September 2026. In that year the Arc's 50,851 trips included 45,258 to education, training, or day care, paid mostly by FDOT grants (35,087 trips) and the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (13,730). You Thrive ran 10 vehicles, all wheelchair accessible, with 6 drivers, and the Arc ran 30 vehicles, 7 of them accessible, with 40 drivers. In May 2026, citing an FDOT consultant's July 2025 review, MPO staff recommended that You Thrive collect quarterly reports from the Arc, and You Thrive agreed to tighten its monitoring of the contract.

You Thrive's own fleet is aging. In 2026 it asked the state for two replacement cutaways, for a 2016 bus with 194,407 miles and a 2017 bus with 178,495, and Commission staff recommended funding one. The Commission tabled the vehicle grants on June 11 as well, and the recommendation came back for a vote on September 17, 2026.

## What You Thrive is paid

The state commission approved You Thrive's 2026-27 rate model, and the coordinating board followed on May 14, 2026. It sets $21.21 per ambulatory trip and $36.36 per wheelchair trip for the state's trip grant, down from $23.39 and $40.10 in the 2025-26 model. There is no stretcher rate. The model plans 15,166 trips averaging 12.0 miles, and without its grant subsidies it would price trips at $49.93 ambulatory and $85.59 wheelchair. The state's draft trip and equipment grant for Hernando in 2026-27, published in June 2026, is $448,142 plus a $49,793 local match.

## How a private company gets work here

The service plan says You Thrive always uses a request for proposals to hire a private for-profit operator, and carriers in the coordinated system must meet these terms:

1. **Insurance** of at least $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident.
2. **Safety rules** in section 341.061 of the Florida Statutes and Rule 14-90 of the Florida Administrative Code.
3. **Drug and alcohol testing** under the federal transit rules in 49 CFR Part 655, before hire and in a quarterly random pool. See [NEMT driver drug testing](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-drug-testing/).
4. **Driver files.** An FDLE criminal check, sexual predator and local checks, and E-Verify before hire; a three-year driving record with zero points, checked every year; and an FDOT physical before hire and every two years.
5. **First aid training** for every driver. CPR is not required, and the policy is to call 911 for anything beyond first aid.

No operator holds a contract today, so the openings sit in the 820 turned-away requests: out-of-county medical and VA trips, early and late appointments, weekends, and stretcher rides. See [long-distance medical transport](https://nemtguide.com/guides/long-distance-medical-transport/), [VA beneficiary travel](https://nemtguide.com/guides/va-beneficiary-travel/), and [stretcher van requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/stretcher-van-requirements/). The coordinator's agreement ends June 30, 2028, and how public ride bids are written and scored is in [government NEMT contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/government-nemt-contracts/).

## Permits in Hernando County

Hernando County licenses ambulances, not vans. Ordinance 2025-09, adopted August 12, 2025, moved the county's rules into chapter 15, article III of the code and requires a certificate of public convenience and necessity for advanced and basic life support transport and any other EMS provider licensed under chapter 401. Applications go to the County Attorney's Office, the board decides after a public hearing, and certificates last two years, with renewal filed at least 90 days before they expire. Insurance must name the county as an additional insured. Hernando County Fire Rescue is the county's primary EMS provider, and the article does not mention wheelchair or stretcher vans that offer no medical care.

## Medicaid rides in Hernando County

Section 409.966 of the Florida Statutes puts Hernando in Medicaid Region B. Under the state's NEMT waiver for July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027, [MTM Health](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/) arranges rides for Region B members with no health plan, at 1-844-239-5974. MTM's 2025 capacity table for Hernando lists 20 vehicles, 12 cabs and 8 lift vans, and no stretcher vehicle.

Plan members book with their plan's broker. Of the 27,083 Hernando residents in the main Medicaid plans on August 31, 2026:

- **[Sunshine Health](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/sunshine-health-florida/)** covered 15,044, with rides arranged by [Alivi](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/alivi/).
- **[Humana](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/humana-healthy-horizons-florida/)** covered 5,018, with rides arranged by [Modivcare](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/modivcare/), which also books for the 10 Hernando members of Aetna and Community Care Plan.
- **[UnitedHealthcare](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/unitedhealthcare-community-plan-florida/)** covered 4,895, with rides arranged by MTM Health since March 1, 2026.
- **[Simply Healthcare](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/simply-healthcare-florida/) and [Florida Community Care](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/florida-community-care/)** covered 2,115 between them, with rides arranged by [Ride2MD](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/ride2md/).

## What to do first in Hernando County

1. **Enroll with Florida Medicaid**, then apply to Alivi first, then Modivcare, MTM Health, and Ride2MD.
2. **Call You Thrive Florida at 352-799-1510.** Ask whether it refers or would contract the out-of-county, weekend, early, late, and stretcher trips it turns away.
3. **Offer out-of-county trips** to riders and clinics, priced for the VA in Tampa and Port Richey and the Pasco County medical offices that You Thrive named in May 2026.
4. **Ask the Hernando/Citrus MPO at 352-754-4082** about the coordinating board's vacant private transportation seat.
5. **Attend the coordinating board** on November 12, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. at the Hernando County Building Training Facility, 1661 Blaise Drive, Brooksville.
6. **Watch for the coordinator request for proposals** before the agreement ends June 30, 2028.

[Pasco County](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/pasco-county/) to the south also keeps its door-to-door trips in house, through GoPasco, and does not carry riders past its county line.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I sign up for Hernando County paratransit?

For You Thrive Florida, complete its short application online or call 352-799-1510. It needs a photo ID, and proof of income if you want a reduced fare. For TheBus ADA paratransit, which serves people whose disability keeps them off the bus, for trips that start and end within 3/4 mile of a route, request an application at 352-754-4444. ADA eligibility is recertified every three years.

### Does Hernando County paratransit go to Tampa or Pasco County?

No. You Thrive Florida carries trips only between points inside Hernando County, and it turned away 304 out-of-county requests from July 2025 to June 2026. In 2026 it asked the state for a grant to add trips to Citrus, Hillsborough, and Pasco counties, and the Commission tabled that round of grant decisions on June 11, 2026.

### Does You Thrive Florida carry stretcher or weekend trips?

No. It carries ambulatory and wheelchair riders on weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. From July 2025 to June 2026 it turned away 11 stretcher requests and 229 holiday or weekend requests. It also cannot carry riders who need monitored oxygen, geri chairs, or transfer chairs.

### Who books Medicaid rides in Hernando County?

A member with no health plan calls MTM Health at 1-844-239-5974, at least three business days ahead for a routine ride. A plan member books with the plan's broker: Alivi for Sunshine Health, Modivcare for Humana, MTM Health for UnitedHealthcare, and Ride2MD for Simply Healthcare and Florida Community Care.

### Do I need a county permit to run wheelchair vans in Hernando County?

Not from the county. Chapter 15, article III of the county code, rewritten by Ordinance 2025-09 on August 12, 2025, requires a certificate of public convenience and necessity only for advanced and basic life support services and other EMS providers licensed under chapter 401. You still need Florida Medicaid enrollment and broker credentials to carry Medicaid riders.

### How can my company get trips from You Thrive Florida?

Its service plan says it always uses a request for proposals to hire a private for-profit operator. An operator must carry at least $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident in liability coverage and follow the state safety rules and drug and alcohol testing laws. Ask You Thrive at 352-799-1510 whether it plans to buy trips for the requests it now turns away.

## Official resources

- [You Thrive Florida: Paratransit application and booking](https://youthrivefl.org/program/transportation/)
- [Hernando County TD Local Coordinating Board: agendas, minutes, and member list](https://www.hernandocounty.us/building-development/metropolitan-planning-organization/transportation-disadvantaged-local-coordinating-board/hernando-county-transportation-disadvantaged-local-coordinating-board/)
- [Hernando/Citrus MPO: Transportation Disadvantaged Program and service plans](https://www.hernandocounty.us/building-development/metropolitan-planning-organization/mpo-planning-documents/transportation-disadvantaged-program/)
- [TheBus: ADA Complementary Paratransit eligibility and booking](https://www.hernandocounty.us/living-here/transit-thebus/transit-programs/ada-complementary-paratransit/)
- [Florida CTD: Community Transportation Coordinators by county](https://www.fdot.gov/ctd/community-transportation-coordinators)