# Lee County Transportation Disadvantaged Program: LeeTran and Its Coordination Contracts

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/lee-county/ · Updated 2026-09-30

The Lee County transportation disadvantaged program is run by LeeTran, the county transit department at 3401 Metro Parkway in Fort Myers, under a state agreement for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2031. LeeTran drives its own Passport vans and has no subcontracted operators. Agencies holding coordination contracts carried nearly nine in ten of its 303,729 trips in fiscal 2024-25.

- LeeTran is both the coordinator and the only public driver of TD trips in Lee County, and its draft 2026-27 plan says it has no subcontractors.
- Coordination contractors carried 272,696 of Lee's 303,729 TD trips in fiscal 2024-25, up from 81,155 the year before.
- LeeTran kept its TD rates at $44.70 per ambulatory trip and $76.63 per wheelchair trip for 2026-27.
- The quickest openings for a small company are the five coordination agencies, the Medicaid plan brokers, and the vacant industry alternate seat on the local board.

## Lee County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Coordinator | LeeTran (Lee County Transit), a department of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners, 3401 Metro Parkway, Fort Myers 33901 |
| Current term | July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2031 under state agreement TD2612. The Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged approved the designation on April 8, 2026. |
| Ride line | Passport at 239-533-0300. TD rides run 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, booked two days ahead (September 2026). |
| Network type | Sole source. LeeTran has no subcontracted operators, and four coordination contractors reported trips in fiscal 2024-25. |
| Trips in fiscal 2024-25 | 303,729, of which coordination contractors carried 272,696 and LeeTran carried 31,033 |
| Paid by Medicaid (AHCA) | 166,255 trips in fiscal 2024-25, every one on a coordination contractor vehicle |
| TD rates, 2026-27 | $44.70 per ambulatory trip and $76.63 per wheelchair trip, approved by the Local Coordinating Board on May 6, 2026 |
| Insurance | $200,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence under the 2026 to 2031 state agreement, for LeeTran and its coordination contractors |
| Medicaid region | Region F. Members outside a plan ride with MTM Health, which listed 27 Lee vehicles in its 2025 network. |
| State trip grant, 2026-27 | $1,137,379 plus a $126,375 local match in the draft allocation of June 2026 |

## Who arranges rides here

- [LeeTran Transportation Disadvantaged program](https://www.leegov.com/leetran/td-service): Runs the county's TD program as coordinator and signs its coordination contracts. (239) 533-0353
- [LeeTran Passport reservations](https://www.leegov.com/leetran/passport-(ada-service)/reservations): Books and cancels Passport and Transportation Disadvantaged rides. (239) 533-0300
- [Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization](https://leempo.com/transportation-disadvantaged-local-coordinating-board-lcb/): Staffs the Local Coordinating Board, which reviews LeeTran and approves its rates. (239) 244-2220
- [MTM Health, Florida fee-for-service](https://www.mtm-inc.net/floridaffs/): Books Medicaid rides for Lee County members who are not in a health plan (Region F). (844) 239-5974
- [Lee County Tax Collector](https://leetc.com/businesses/business-tax-guide-and-applications/): Issues the county business tax receipt, which expires every September 30. (239) 533-6000

LeeTran, the transit department of Lee County government, is the county's Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) coordinator, and it drives its own Passport vans. It buys no trips from private van companies. Most of the program's trips ride on other agencies' vehicles instead: in fiscal 2024-25, agencies holding coordination contracts with LeeTran carried 272,696 of Lee's 303,729 TD trips.

State law gives every Florida county one [community transportation coordinator](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/community-transportation-coordinator/) that provides or buys rides for residents whose age, disability, or income leaves them without a way to travel. Medicaid enrollment, the state van and driver rules, and the plan brokers are in the [Florida guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/).

## Who runs the transportation disadvantaged program in Lee County

The Lee County Board of County Commissioners holds the coordinator role, and LeeTran does the work from 3401 Metro Parkway in Fort Myers. Its last agreement ran from July 1, 2021 through fiscal 2025-26. The renewal took four votes:

| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Director of Transit sends BOCC Resolution 25-12-01 to the MPO | December 18, 2025 |
| Local Coordinating Board recommends LeeTran | March 4, 2026 |
| Lee County MPO board votes unanimously (Resolution 26-02) | March 20, 2026 |
| Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged approves, on a consent motion | April 8, 2026 |
| New agreement, contract TD2612 | July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2031 |

The Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization in Cape Coral staffs the Local Coordinating Board, which reviews LeeTran each year and approves its service plan and rates. The board meets at 10 a.m. at the Cape Coral Public Works Building, 815 Nicholas Parkway East. Its next meetings are November 4, 2026, then March 3, May 5, and June 2, 2027. Because the new agreement started July 1, LeeTran wrote a new service plan for fiscal 2026-27, and the draft went to the board on September 2, 2026.

One board seat belongs to the private for-profit transportation industry. A local operator's representative holds it, but the alternate seat was vacant at the May 6, 2026 meeting.

### What a rider needs

As of September 2026, LeeTran's TD page and the draft 2026-27 plan set these rules:

- **Income.** Household income at or below 225% of the federal poverty guidelines, shown with a tax return, two pay stubs, or a benefit letter. The 2025 plan used 200%.
- **Location.** The trip must start or end outside the three quarter mile corridor around a bus route. Inside it, ADA paratransit applies.
- **Booking.** Two days ahead, for rides from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. Riders may have to be ready 120 minutes before pickup, and no guests ride along.
- **Cost.** A $3.00 co-pay each way. Cancellations come at least two hours before pickup.

When money runs short, kidney dialysis, cancer treatment, and mental health care come first.

## Who carries Lee County's trips

The state's fiscal 2024-25 operating report calls Lee a sole source system: LeeTran drives, four coordination contractors carry their own clients, and no private operator holds a contract. The draft 2026-27 plan puts it plainly: LeeTran does not have subcontractors.

| Fiscal 2024-25 | LeeTran | Coordination contractors | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips | 31,033 | 272,696 | 303,729 |
| Trips for older adults | 11,010 | 266,524 | 277,534 |
| Medical trips | 7,509 | 121,461 | 128,970 |
| Trips paid by AHCA | 0 | 166,255 | 166,255 |
| Vehicles | 60 | 79 | 139 |

Contractor trips rose from 81,155 in fiscal 2023-24, which nearly tripled Lee's total from 102,409. The Medicaid agency paid for more of them than any other source, and the state trip grant paid for 16,740. The report counts only 890 separate riders for the year, an average of 341 trips each, so most of this volume is the same riders traveling again and again.

LeeTran's own fiscal 2025-26 Passport report, given to the board on September 2, 2026, counts 18,442 demand response trips: 14,950 ambulatory and 3,492 wheelchair. It ran 87.89% on time against an 85% goal and logged 18 complaints. LeeTran also issued 2,678 TD bus passes to riders who can use the bus instead.

The five agencies with coordination agreements, as the 2025 plan and the draft 2026-27 plan list them:

| Agency | Office | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Sally J. Pimentel Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center | 1860 Boy Scout Drive, Fort Myers | 239-461-0334 |
| Dr. Piper Center for Social Services | 2607 Dr. Ella Piper Way, Fort Myers | 239-332-5346 |
| Hope Hospice and Community Services | 9470 Health Park Circle | 239-483-4673 |
| Lighthouse of Southwest Florida | 35 W. Mariana Avenue, North Fort Myers | 239-997-7797 |
| Sunrise Community of Southwest Florida | 9040 Sunset Drive, Miami | 786-314-6097 |

## What LeeTran pays and requires

A coordination contract is not a bid for LeeTran's trips. Under Rule 41-2 and the Lee plan, LeeTran signs one with an agency that already gets government money for its clients' rides and can carry them more effectively and efficiently than LeeTran, judged across the whole system. The contract then sets reporting, insurance, safety, shared use of vehicles, and cost sharing. [Government NEMT contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/government-nemt-contracts/) explains how this kind of work differs from broker trips.

### Trip rates for 2026-27

| LeeTran TD rate, fiscal 2026-27 | Ambulatory | Wheelchair |
|---|---|---|
| Per trip | $44.70 | $76.63 |
| Per passenger mile | $4.57 | $7.84 |
| Per trip, with no subsidy counted | $61.86 | $106.05 |

In a letter of April 20, 2026, LeeTran asked to keep its approved trip rates with no increase. State staff cleared the rate model on April 29, and the Local Coordinating Board approved it on May 6, 2026. The model plans for 20,337 trips, 12,470 of them ambulatory and 7,867 wheelchair. These rates are what the state trip grant pays LeeTran, not a price list for outside carriers.

### Insurance and local standards

The state agreement for 2026 to 2031 requires $200,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence for every TD trip, and LeeTran must make sure its coordination contractors carry the same. Coverage above $1 million per occurrence needs the Commission's and the board's approval before it can count in rates. The Lee plan says LeeTran itself carries $1 million under county rules, though it still quotes older limits of $100,000 and $200,000 for subcontractors. Price your policy to the agreement's figure or higher. See [NEMT insurance requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-insurance-requirements/).

- **On time.** The 2025 plan set 85% of completed trips. The draft 2026-27 plan sets 80%, counting the drop-off and the return pickup as separate trips.
- **Crashes.** No more than 1.2 per 100,000 miles. The whole Lee system reported 4.94 in fiscal 2024-25.
- **Road calls.** At least 10,000 miles between breakdowns, system wide. Lee reported 10,227.
- **Complaints.** Under 1% of trips.
- **Drivers.** A favorable FDLE background check under the Department of Children and Families' policies. The plan notes that transit operators no longer need CPR certification and puts a first aid kit on every vehicle.
- **Wheelchairs.** Drivers may not take a wheelchair up or down steps. Only ramps are used.

## Medicaid rides in Lee County

Lee sits in Medicaid Region F under section 409.966 of the Florida Statutes. The state's NEMT waiver for July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027 gives Region F members outside a plan to [MTM Health](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/), whose 2025 capacity analysis counted 27 vehicles in Lee: 16 cab, 9 lift, and 2 stretcher. Those members book at 1-844-239-5974.

On August 31, 2026, Lee had 106,467 members in Managed Medical Assistance, counting the specialty, child welfare, and Children's Medical Services plans. The five largest regular plans and their ride brokers:

| Plan | Lee members | Ride broker |
|---|---|---|
| [Sunshine Health](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/sunshine-health-florida/) | 57,892 | [Alivi](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/alivi/) |
| [Simply Healthcare](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/simply-healthcare-florida/) | 18,250 | Ride2MD |
| [Humana](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/humana-healthy-horizons-florida/) | 17,464 | [Modivcare](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/modivcare/) |
| [Community Care Plan](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/community-care-plan-florida/) | 5,172 | Modivcare |
| [Florida Community Care](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/florida-community-care/) | 575 | Ride2MD |

Sunshine alone has more than half of Lee's plan members, which puts Alivi first in line for Lee plan trips.

## What to do first in Lee County

1. **Get your Lee County business tax receipt** from the Tax Collector at 2480 Thompson Street, Fort Myers (239-533-6000). Every receipt expires September 30 and renews after July 1, and a business that opens between April 1 and September 30 pays a prorated fee. A company based in a city also calls that city: Fort Myers 239-321-7990, Cape Coral 239-574-0430, Bonita Springs 239-444-6150, Estero 239-221-5035, Fort Myers Beach 239-765-0202, or Sanibel 239-472-9615.
2. **Call the five coordination agencies** at the numbers above and ask whether they buy rides from outside carriers when their own vans are full. Read [how to subcontract NEMT trips](https://nemtguide.com/guides/subcontract-nemt-trips/) before you quote a price.
3. **Call LeeTran at 239-533-0353** and ask whether the 2026-27 plan leaves any room for outside carriers.
4. **Ask the MPO at 239-244-2220** about the vacant industry alternate seat on the Local Coordinating Board, and come to the November 4, 2026 meeting in Cape Coral.
5. **Enroll with Florida Medicaid and apply to Alivi, Modivcare, Ride2MD, and MTM Health**, in that order by Lee plan members: Alivi rides for Sunshine, Modivcare for Humana and Community Care Plan, Ride2MD for Simply and Florida Community Care, and MTM Health for members outside a plan.
6. **Watch the state's grant rounds.** Innovative Service Development grants are open to non-traditional transportation providers, not only coordinators. For fiscal 2026-27, the Dr. Piper Center asked for $270,000 for scheduled door-to-door rides for Fort Myers seniors, and state staff ruled the application incomplete for missing provider documents.

Next door, [Collier County](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/collier-county/) contracts all of its paratransit to one operator, and [Charlotte County](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/charlotte-county/) hires contract drivers for its own buses.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the phone number for the Lee County transportation disadvantaged program?

Riders book and cancel through LeeTran Passport at 239-533-0300. The program's paratransit office at LeeTran, 3401 Metro Parkway in Fort Myers, answers at 239-533-0353. Complaints the county cannot resolve go to the state Ombudsman line at 1-800-983-2435.

### Who qualifies for transportation disadvantaged rides in Lee County?

As of September 2026, LeeTran asks for household income at or below 225% of the federal poverty guidelines, with proof such as a tax return or benefit letter, and no other way to travel. The trip must start or end outside the three quarter mile corridor around a bus route, and each one way ride has a $3.00 co-pay.

### Does LeeTran hire private companies to drive TD trips?

Not today. The state's fiscal 2024-25 report lists Lee as a sole source system with no contracted operators, and the draft 2026-27 plan says LeeTran does not have subcontractors. Outside vehicles in the program belong to agencies that carry their own clients under coordination contracts.

### How does an agency get a coordination contract with LeeTran?

The agency must already receive government money for its clients' transportation, and LeeTran and the Local Coordinating Board must agree it can serve those clients more effectively and efficiently itself. The contract then sets reporting, insurance, safety, and cost sharing terms. Call LeeTran at 239-533-0353 to start.

### How much does LeeTran get paid per TD trip?

For fiscal 2026-27 the state trip grant pays LeeTran $44.70 per ambulatory trip and $76.63 per wheelchair trip, the same rates it had approved before. Without the subsidy its model puts the cost at $61.86 and $106.05. The Local Coordinating Board approved the model on May 6, 2026.

### Who arranges Medicaid rides in Lee County?

Lee is in Medicaid Region F. Members outside a health plan book through MTM Health at 1-844-239-5974. Plan members ride with their plan's broker. On August 31, 2026 Sunshine Health had the most Lee members, 57,892, and its rides go through Alivi.

## Official resources

- [LeeTran: Transportation Disadvantaged program page and applications](https://www.leegov.com/leetran/td-service)
- [Lee County MPO: Local Coordinating Board agendas, packets, and meeting dates](https://leempo.com/transportation-disadvantaged-local-coordinating-board-lcb/)
- [Lee County MPO: Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan](https://leempo.com/plans/transportation-disadvantaged-plan/)
- [Florida CTD: Community Transportation Coordinators by county](https://www.fdot.gov/ctd/community-transportation-coordinators)
- [MTM Health: Florida fee-for-service rides](https://www.mtm-inc.net/floridaffs/)