# Pasco County Transportation Disadvantaged Program: How GoPasco Runs It and Where Van Companies Fit

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

The Pasco County transportation disadvantaged program is run by the Board of County Commissioners through GoPasco, 8620 Galen Wilson Blvd., Port Richey (727-834-3200), coordinator through June 30, 2031. GoPasco drives its own door-to-door vans, and its May 2025 plan lists no contracts with private operators. Nonprofit agencies carry their own clients under coordination contracts, and Medicaid trips come through the plan brokers and MTM Health.

- GoPasco drives its own door-to-door riders, and its approved 2026-27 rate model sets nothing aside for contracted transportation.
- Coordination contracts go to agencies that already get public money for their own clients' rides, and each one is reviewed by the Local Coordinating Board.
- GoPasco does not carry trips outside Pasco County, so cross-county riders rely on a PSTA-led project, Medicaid brokers, or private pay.
- Pasco County certifies ambulance services, not wheelchair or stretcher vans, so a van company needs no county vehicle permit.
- Sunshine Health (Alivi) and Simply Healthcare (Ride2MD) held about 78% of Pasco's main Medicaid plan members on August 31, 2026.

## Pasco County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Coordinator | Pasco County Board of County Commissioners since 1990, working through GoPasco at 8620 Galen Wilson Blvd., Port Richey |
| Current term | July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2031 under state agreement TD2614, approved by the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged on April 8, 2026 |
| Who drives | GoPasco's own paratransit fleet: 20 vehicles, all wheelchair accessible. No contracted transportation operators in fiscal 2024-25. |
| Coordination contracts | Six agencies in the May 2025 plan. The four that reported for 2024-25 carried 51,167 trips on 42 vehicles. |
| TD rates, 2026-27 | $4.60 ambulatory and $7.88 wheelchair per passenger mile, approved by the Local Coordinating Board on May 28, 2026. No stretcher rate. |
| Trips, 2024-25 | 107,215 in all, 18,420 of them medical, down from 147,368 in 2022-23. Each door-to-door trip cost $39.44. |
| Medicaid-paid TD trips | None in 2023-24 or 2024-25, after 11,629 in 2022-23 |
| Out-of-county trips | GoPasco does not provide them. A PSTA-led project carries same-day trips between Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsborough. |
| County van permit | None for wheelchair or stretcher vans. County Code chapter 38 requires a certificate only for basic and advanced life support services. |
| Medicaid | Region C with Pinellas. MTM Health serves members outside a plan. Sunshine had 31,880 of 70,648 main plan members on August 31, 2026. |

## Who arranges rides here

- [GoPasco (Pasco County Public Transportation)](https://www.pascocountyfl.gov/services/gopasco/index.php): Community Transportation Coordinator; runs county paratransit and signs coordination contracts. (727) 834-3200
- [GoPasco paratransit reservations](https://www.pascocountyfl.gov/services/gopasco/paratransit/index.php): Sends rider applications and books transportation disadvantaged and ADA trips. (727) 834-3322
- [Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization](https://www.pascocountyfl.gov/services/mpo/mpo_board_and_committees.php): Staffs the Local Coordinating Board, which reviews GoPasco and its coordination contracts. (727) 847-8140
- [MTM Health, Florida Medicaid fee-for-service](https://www.mtm-inc.net/floridaffs/): Books Medicaid rides for Pasco members who are not in a health plan (Region C). (844) 239-5974
- [Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA)](https://www.psta.net/contact-us/): Leads the same-day, cross-county door-to-door project with the Pasco coordinator. (727) 540-1800
- [Pasco County Tax Collector](https://pascotaxes.com/taxes/business-tax-receipt-information/): Issues the county business tax receipt. (727) 847-8032

Pasco County runs its transportation disadvantaged program itself. The Board of County Commissioners is the coordinator, and its transit department, GoPasco, takes the applications at its Port Richey office, books the rides, and drives the door-to-door vans. That shapes where a private NEMT company fits: as of its May 2025 plan, GoPasco held no contracts with private transportation operators, so the local work sits with the agencies around it, with riders crossing county lines, and with the Medicaid brokers.

Every Florida county has one [community transportation coordinator](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/community-transportation-coordinator/), which provides or buys rides for residents who cannot drive or pay for a ride because of age, disability, or income. Medicaid enrollment, owner screening, and the Rule 14-90 vehicle and driver standards are on the [Florida guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/).

## Who runs the transportation disadvantaged program in Pasco County

The county has been coordinator since October 1990, when the Pasco County MPO recommended its transit department and the state Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged agreed. That department, once Pasco County Public Transportation, now goes by GoPasco. In early 2026 the county commission voted to stay on (February 3), the Local Coordinating Board agreed unanimously on February 26, and the MPO recommended it on March 12 (Resolution 26-167). The state commission approved a new term from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2031 on April 8, 2026, in one consent vote on ten service areas that each drew a single respondent.

The MPO staffs the Local Coordinating Board from the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive, New Port Richey (727-847-8140). The board meets at 10 a.m., and the rest of its 2026 schedule is October 22 at the West Pasco Government Center and December 3 at the Historic Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Avenue, Dade City. One of its voting seats belongs to the local private for-profit transportation industry, and on the December 2025 roster a local transport company's contract manager held it.

### Who can ride and how booking works

A rider must live in Pasco County at a permanent physical address and have no other way to make the trip. The May 2025 service plan adds one more test: a disability under the ADA, age 60 or older, a child at risk under 17, or household income at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. Applications go by mail to the Port Richey office, take up to 21 days, and may need an in-person assessment. GoPasco does not accept a self-declared income, and a rider who can use the bus may get a free monthly pass instead, kept only by riding at least 21 times a month.

As of October 2026, riders book at 727-834-3322, Monday to Saturday from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., up to two weeks ahead, and pay $0 to $3 a trip in cash, depending on the program. The plan allows standing rides for daily medical care such as dialysis. GoPasco also carries seniors 60 and older for the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas, and it runs ADA paratransit for people who cannot use the bus.

The May 2025 plan's standards bind GoPasco and anyone it buys service from:

- **On time.** 85% of trips, with no drop-off more than 60 minutes before the appointment. GoPasco reached 87.75% in the board's review of fiscal 2023-24.
- **Pickup window.** Up to one hour before the appointment, so vans can carry several riders, and up to two hours for long trips.
- **No-shows.** Drivers wait five minutes. A cancellation less than two hours before the trip is late, and GoPasco's paratransit page counts it as a no-show.
- **Breakdowns.** No more than 10 road calls per 100,000 vehicle miles.
- **Service area.** No trips outside Pasco County.

## Who carries the trips in Pasco County

The state's operating reports show fewer trips each year, and no trips paid by Medicaid after 2022-23:

| Pasco County | Fiscal 2022-23 | Fiscal 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| All TD trips | 147,368 | 107,215 |
| Door-to-door trips | 113,355 | 79,993 |
| Medical trips | 27,133 | 18,420 |
| Trips paid by AHCA (Medicaid) | 11,629 | 0 |
| Trips by coordination contractors | 74,628 | 51,167 |
| Vehicles in the system | 70 | 62 |
| Drivers in the system | 103 | 65 |
| Cost per door-to-door trip | $31.68 | $39.44 |

The board's evaluation counted 242,115 trips in fiscal 2018-19, more than twice the current total. In 2024-25, GoPasco carried 56,048 trips itself, 24,600 of them bus rides on monthly passes, and the coordination agencies carried the other 51,167. Its door-to-door fleet was 20 vehicles, all of them wheelchair accessible. Of the 79,993 door-to-door trips, 10,407 were for riders who use a wheelchair and none were stretcher trips. The state trip grant paid for the largest share, 42,312 trips in 2024-25, and the Agency for Persons with Disabilities paid for 29,196.

## Where a private van company fits

### GoPasco buys almost no trips

The May 2025 plan says GoPasco has no contracts with private transportation operators but uses private contractors to add service as needed, so it sets no billing rules for operators. The county's rate models show how small that is. Contracted transportation cost $8,136 in the county's year ending September 30, 2024, and the 2025 model explained that GoPasco had taken paratransit trips in house, keeping money budgeted only for emergencies and other events it could not plan for. None was reported for the next year, and the approved 2026-27 model budgets nothing.

The Local Coordinating Board has pointed the same way since November 29, 2007, when it told GoPasco to make the most of its own drivers by carrying several riders at once, and to take riders to the nearest bus stop when their health allows and the bus serves the destination. If GoPasco ever does buy trips, the state insurance minimums and payment terms are on the [Florida guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/), and [government NEMT contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/government-nemt-contracts/) explains how public buyers pick carriers.

### Coordination contracts

A coordination contract is not a way to take over GoPasco's riders. The board's 2025 evaluation explains that state law has the coordinator sign one with an agency that receives transportation disadvantaged or Section 5310 money, serves the public, and can carry its own clients more effectively and efficiently than the coordinator. In Pasco, each agency presents to the Local Coordinating Board to justify its contract, and the county commission approves it.

Under the May 2025 plan, a contractor files an operating report twice a year, keeps records for five years, and carries GoPasco's required insurance. Each year GoPasco reviews its driver files and training, vehicle inspections, safety program plan, mechanic's certification, insurance papers, and complaint handling. The May 2025 plan lists six agencies:

| Agency | Who it carries |
|---|---|
| ARC Nature Coast | Clients with special needs, between home and its center |
| A.F.I.R.E. of Pasco County | People with developmental disabilities, to school five days a week |
| Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services | Residents of its facility, to medical and therapy visits, around the clock |
| Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind | Blind and low-vision residents, to classes, jobs, and training |
| BayCare Behavioral Health | Mental health clients, to medical and legal appointments, around the clock |
| Steps to Recovery | Homeless veterans, to medical visits, shopping, and recovery meetings |

The last two joined in the May 2025 update. The four that reported for 2024-25 were all private nonprofits, and only 6 of their 42 vehicles were wheelchair accessible. An agency that is short on lift vans is worth a call; see [how to subcontract NEMT trips](https://nemtguide.com/guides/subcontract-nemt-trips/) before you quote a price.

### What the state pays GoPasco

For fiscal 2026-27 the state trip grant pays GoPasco $4.60 per passenger mile for an ambulatory rider and $7.88 for a wheelchair rider, up from $4.46 and $7.64. These are not rates offered to outside carriers, but they show what a county van ride costs.

| GoPasco TD rate | 2025-26 | 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| Ambulatory, per passenger mile | $4.46 | $4.60 |
| Wheelchair, per passenger mile | $7.64 | $7.88 |
| Ambulatory, per trip in the model | $36.50 | $40.39 |
| Wheelchair, per trip in the model | $62.57 | $69.25 |
| Trips the model plans for | 31,660 | 28,402 |

The Local Coordinating Board approved the 2026-27 model unanimously on May 28, 2026. It plans 21,586 ambulatory and 6,816 wheelchair trips averaging 8.8 miles, with no stretcher service. In 2020-21 the rates were $2.60 and $4.46 a mile. The state's draft trip and equipment grant for Pasco in 2026-27, published in June 2026, is $943,452 plus a $104,828 local match.

### Riders who cross the county line

Since GoPasco stays inside Pasco, cross-county riders need another carrier. PSTA leads a same-day door-to-door project with the Pasco and Hillsborough coordinators. Each rider's home coordinator decides eligibility, and taxis, wheelchair vans, and rideshare drivers carry the trips. It gave 7,180 trips to 333 riders in fiscal 2024-25, and PSTA asked the state for $391,846 to run it in 2026-27, with GoPasco sending a letter of support. A wheelchair van company in west or south Pasco can ask PSTA how carriers join.

## Permits in Pasco County

Pasco County does not license wheelchair or stretcher vans. Chapter 38, article II of the county code requires a certificate of public convenience and necessity only for basic and advanced life support services, meaning ambulances. It exempts taxicabs and other public transportation, and hospitals that carry their own patients at no charge.

That certificate matters only if you plan to run a basic life support service, such as interfacility transport with medical care on board. New applications are taken only from January 1 to 31 in odd-numbered years, after a letter of intent to county administration 30 days earlier, so the next window is January 2027. Holders carry at least $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 for property damage, plus $100,000 in malpractice coverage. For a stretcher van without medical care, see [stretcher van requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/stretcher-van-requirements/).

## Medicaid rides in Pasco County

Section 409.966 of the Florida Statutes puts Pasco in Medicaid Region C, which it shares with Pinellas. 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 the region's members who have no health plan, at 1-844-239-5974. MTM's 2025 capacity table for Pasco lists 16 cab, 4 lift, and 1 stretcher, 21 in all.

Everyone else books through a plan. Four plans hold nearly all of Pasco's main plan members, and each sends rides to one broker. As of August 31, 2026:

| Health plan | Pasco members | Ride broker |
|---|---|---|
| [Sunshine Health](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/sunshine-health-florida/) | 31,880 | [Alivi](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/alivi/) |
| [Simply Healthcare](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/simply-healthcare-florida/) | 22,999 | Ride2MD |
| [Humana](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/humana-healthy-horizons-florida/) | 13,285 | [Modivcare](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/modivcare/) |
| [Florida Community Care](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/florida-community-care/) | 2,376 | Ride2MD |

Those four cover 70,540 of Pasco's 70,648 members in the main plans. The other 108 are split among UnitedHealthcare (54), a smaller Florida Community Care line (31), Aetna (21), and Molina (2). Long-term care plans had 3,610 Pasco members, led by Simply with 1,012 and Florida Community Care with 956, two plans whose rides also go through Ride2MD.

## What to do first in Pasco County

1. **Get a business tax receipt** from the Pasco County Tax Collector (call center 727-847-8032).
2. **Enroll with Florida Medicaid**, then apply to Alivi and Ride2MD first, then Modivcare and MTM Health.
3. **Call GoPasco at 727-834-3200.** Ask whether it keeps private carriers on call for emergencies, and what insurance it would want from them.
4. **Call the six coordination agencies** and ask whether they buy wheelchair trips when their own vans are full.
5. **Attend the Local Coordinating Board** on October 22, 2026 at 10 a.m. in New Port Richey, where public comment is taken.
6. **Ask PSTA at 727-540-1800** about the cross-county project if you run wheelchair vans near the Pinellas or Hillsborough line.
7. **For a basic life support service,** file your letter of intent at least 30 days before you apply in January 2027.

To the south, [Pinellas County](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/pinellas-county/) certifies every wheelchair and stretcher van company through its EMS Authority, and [Hillsborough County](https://nemtguide.com/states/florida/hillsborough-county/) permits them as vehicles for hire. Hernando County borders Pasco to the north.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I apply for the Pasco County transportation disadvantaged program?

Call GoPasco at 727-834-3322 for an application, or print one from its paratransit page, and mail it with the required documents to GoPasco, 8620 Galen Wilson Blvd., Port Richey, FL 34668. GoPasco does not take applications by fax or email. The review can take up to 21 days, may include an in-person functional assessment, and the answer comes by mail. Blank answers count as an incomplete application.

### Who qualifies for GoPasco transportation disadvantaged rides?

A Pasco County resident with a permanent physical address and no other way to make the trip. Under the May 2025 service plan, the rider must also have a disability under the ADA, be 60 or older, be a child at risk under 17, or have household income at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. GoPasco does not accept a self-declared income. A rider who can use the bus may get a free monthly pass instead of van rides.

### Does GoPasco hire private transportation companies?

Not as a regular practice. The May 2025 service plan says GoPasco has no contracts with private transportation operators but uses private contractors to add service as needed. The county paid $8,136 for contracted transportation in its year ending September 30, 2024, and its approved 2026-27 rate model budgets nothing for it. Ask GoPasco at 727-834-3200 whether it keeps carriers on call for emergencies.

### How much does GoPasco paratransit cost?

As of October 2026, riders pay $0 to $3 a trip in cash, depending on the program they are approved for, and drivers cannot make change. A personal care attendant rides paratransit free. Behind the fare, the state trip grant pays GoPasco $4.60 per passenger mile for an ambulatory rider and $7.88 for a wheelchair rider in fiscal 2026-27.

### Does GoPasco take riders to Tampa or Pinellas County?

No. GoPasco's service plan and its 2024-25 operating report both say it does not provide trips outside Pasco County. For same-day rides across county lines, PSTA leads a door-to-door project with the Pasco and Hillsborough coordinators, carried by taxis, wheelchair vans, and rideshare drivers. The rider's home coordinator decides who is eligible. In fiscal 2024-25 it gave 7,180 trips to 333 riders.

### Do I need a county permit to run a wheelchair van in Pasco County?

No county certificate covers wheelchair or stretcher vans. Chapter 38 of the Pasco County Code requires a certificate of public convenience and necessity only for basic and advanced life support services. You still need a business tax receipt from the Pasco County Tax Collector, Florida Medicaid enrollment for Medicaid trips, and the insurance each broker or contract requires.

### Who books Medicaid rides in Pasco County?

It depends on the member. A Pasco member with no health plan calls MTM Health at 1-844-239-5974. A plan member calls the plan's broker: Alivi for Sunshine Health, Ride2MD for Simply Healthcare and Florida Community Care, and Modivcare for Humana. Those four plans covered all but 108 of the 70,648 Pasco members in the main Medicaid plans on August 31, 2026.

## Official resources

- [GoPasco: Paratransit programs and applications](https://www.pascocountyfl.gov/services/gopasco/paratransit/index.php)
- [Pasco County: Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan, 2025 update](https://cms1files.revize.com/pasco/Documents/Services/Go%20Pasco/Planning%20and%20Reports/Pasco%20TDSP%20Annual%20Update%202025%20final%2005292025.pdf)
- [Pasco County MPO: Boards and committees, including the Local Coordinating Board](https://www.pascocountyfl.gov/services/mpo/mpo_board_and_committees.php)
- [Pasco County: Agendas and minutes (Local Coordinating Board packets)](https://pascocofl.portal.civicclerk.com/)
- [Pasco County Code of Ordinances](https://library.municode.com/fl/pasco_county/codes/code_of_ordinances)
- [Pasco County Tax Collector: Business tax receipts](https://pascotaxes.com/taxes/business-tax-receipt-information/)
- [MTM Health: Florida fee-for-service rides](https://www.mtm-inc.net/floridaffs/)