# Wake County Medicaid Transportation: How GoWake Access Works and Where NEMT Companies Fit

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/states/north-carolina/wake-county/ · Updated 2026-09-30

Wake County Medicaid transportation for NC Medicaid Direct members runs through GoWake Access, a Wake County Health and Human Services program. County staff book the trips, and one operator, RATP Dev, drives them under a five-year contract approved in February 2023. Because every van trip runs under that single contract, companies get this work as a subcontractor to the operator or through the health plans' brokers.

- Wake County books Medicaid Direct trips itself and hands every van trip to one operator, RATP Dev.
- The operator contract averages about $8.39 million a year over five years, with two two-year renewal options.
- The 2022 bid let the operator use subcontractors, as long as it stayed fully responsible for their work.
- Health plan members in Wake ride through Modivcare or MTM Health, whose networks a company can join without the county operator.

## Wake County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Who arranges county rides | GoWake Access, part of Wake County Health and Human Services, 220 Swinburne St., Raleigh |
| Reservations | 919-212-7005. Medicaid riders give 3 business days' notice, or 5 for appointments outside Wake County. |
| Service days and hours | Monday to Saturday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. On most holidays, only dialysis and chemotherapy rides run. |
| Operator | RATP Dev, the single operations contractor, under a multi-year contract the Board of Commissioners approved February 6, 2023 |
| Contract size | Average operating cost of $8,388,569 a year, about $41.9 million over five years, with two two-year renewal options |
| Fleet | 72 vehicles in May 2025: 52 owned by Wake County and 20 by the operator |
| Trip volume | About 130,000 trips a year (May 2025). Medicaid was 73,322 of 127,935 trips in fiscal year 2022. |
| How the operator is paid | Per vehicle revenue hour, from first pickup to last drop-off. No pay for deadhead time or Medicaid no-shows. |
| Health plan members | Ride through Modivcare or MTM Health, not GoWake Access |

## Who arranges rides here

- [GoWake Access call center](https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/social-services/programs-services/gowake-access-transportation): Checks eligibility and books NC Medicaid Direct rides for Wake County residents. (919) 212-7005
- GoWake Access transportation manager: Manages GoWake Access and the county's Medicaid transportation. (919) 250-3829
- GoWake Access dispatch: Handles ride status checks and cancellations. (919) 996-4444

Wake County runs NC Medicaid Direct rides through GoWake Access, a program of Wake County Health and Human Services. County staff check who qualifies and book every trip, then one contracted operator drives them in a mostly county-owned fleet. Every van trip runs under that one contract, so there is no county vendor panel to join. That is the main thing a Raleigh-area NEMT owner needs to know before calling.

Statewide rules for county trips (NCTracks enrollment, the county manual MA-2910, driver screening, and billing) are on the [North Carolina guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/north-carolina/). This page covers how Wake does it.

## Who arranges Medicaid rides in Wake County

GoWake Access books rides for Medicaid members outside the health plans, plus Public Health and Work First clients, older adults, riders with disabilities, and rural residents. Reservations are at 919-212-7005, and the call center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Health plan members ride through [Modivcare](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/modivcare/) or [MTM Health](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/) instead.

Medicaid riders must give at least three business days' notice, or five for appointments outside Wake County, and show proof of the appointment. The county then picks the mode:

- **Bus passes,** mailed with five days' notice.
- **Gas cards,** for riders with a car, picked up in person, for trips of at least 5 miles one way. Trips outside Wake County also need a physician's DMA-5048 form.
- **Van service,** door to door and shared ride, Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Trips to UNC in Chapel Hill and Duke in Durham run on a set shuttle schedule.

Service keeps going on county holidays for dialysis and chemotherapy riders only, except on July 4, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Drivers wait at least 5 minutes before leaving a no-show tag. A rider with three missed trips within three months can lose service for 30 days, but dialysis and chemotherapy riders are never suspended. See [dialysis transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/dialysis-transportation/) for how those standing trips work.

Medicaid is the biggest part of the program. The county's February 2023 board item counted 73,322 Medicaid trips out of 127,935 in fiscal year 2022, and the 2022 bid called Medicaid the largest sponsoring program. The May 2025 Title VI plan put the total at roughly 130,000 trips a year.

## One operator drives every van trip

On February 6, 2023, the Board of Commissioners authorized a multi-year contract with RATP Dev US for demand response and human service transportation. Wake County and the City of Raleigh bid it together as RFP #274-2022-2027-2, issued May 19, 2022, because a shared operator gave both a lower rate. Raleigh led the bid since it runs about three quarters of the combined service hours, and four companies answered.

| Contract detail | As approved in February 2023 |
|---|---|
| Services | GoWake Access Medicaid, rural, senior and disability, employment, and microtransit trips |
| Term | Five years, with two two-year renewal options |
| Average operating cost | $8,388,569 a year |
| Five-year estimate | $41,942,845 |
| Paid from | Medicaid sponsor revenue, state rural operating money, federal transit funds, and Wake Transit local funds |

The previous operator's contract ended June 30, 2023. The May 2025 Title VI plan lists 72 vehicles, 52 owned by Wake County and 20 by the operator, and gives the operator's address as 1430 S. Blount Street in Raleigh. The county's August 2026 notice for its fiscal 2028 state transportation grant says the service still runs with wheelchair accessible vans operated by RATP Dev, and the board held that hearing on September 8, 2026. The application covers the federal Section 5311, 5310, 5339, and 5307 transit programs, and the amounts it requests are for administration and capital. See [Section 5310 grants](https://nemtguide.com/guides/section-5310-grants/).

The county's 2023 presentation said the joint contract cut its contracted rate per revenue hour by 30% and raised starting driver pay from $18 to $21 an hour. Treat that 2023 starting wage as the local rate your own driver pay competes with.

## What the operator's contract requires

The 2022 bid set the terms the operator works under, and a subcontractor would work within them. These are the Wake County sections:

| Term | What the 2022 bid says |
|---|---|
| Pay unit | Per vehicle [revenue hour](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/revenue-per-vehicle-hour/), from first pickup to last drop-off or return to the lot |
| Empty travel | No [deadhead](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/deadhead-miles/) time billed |
| Medicaid no-shows | Not paid. The county projected 1,500 for fiscal 2023. |
| On time | At the pickup from up to 60 minutes before the promised drop-off, and the rider arrives no later than the appointment |
| Long trips | Longer trips, such as medical trips to Durham or Chapel Hill, may get a 90-minute ready window |
| Ride time | No more than 60 minutes on board for trips in the county |
| Return trips | Riders should not wait more than one hour |
| Scheduling | County call center books trips, and the operator re-optimizes routes at least three times a day |
| Priority | Dialysis and Medicaid trips come first |
| Repayment | The operator may have to repay Medicaid for trips found ineligible |

The operator must also run drug and alcohol testing that meets Federal Transit Administration, NCDOT, and county rules, and carry at least $1,000,000 combined single limit auto liability and commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence with a $2,000,000 aggregate.

## Where a private NEMT company fits

### Subcontract with the operator

The bid let the operator subcontract. It stays the prime contractor and takes full responsibility for a subcontractor's work, names the City of Raleigh as a third-party beneficiary in each subcontract, and passes the insurance terms down in amounts the city approves in writing. The City of Raleigh's small business policy also requires its contractors to take the steps needed so small businesses have the most chance to take part as subcontractors. Read [how to subcontract NEMT trips](https://nemtguide.com/guides/subcontract-nemt-trips/) before you price the work, because an hourly prime contract with no deadhead or no-show pay leaves little margin to share.

### Health plan trips

Most North Carolina Medicaid members are in a health plan, and their trips go through Modivcare and MTM Health, not GoWake Access, so joining those brokers does not depend on the county's operator. See the [North Carolina guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/north-carolina/) for how each broker signs up providers.

### The next bid

If the county uses both renewal options, the contract could run into 2032. Watch City of Raleigh and Wake County bid postings for the next transit operations procurement, since the last one ran through Raleigh. Compare [Mecklenburg County](https://nemtguide.com/states/north-carolina/mecklenburg-county/), which buys trips from several vendors, and [Buncombe County](https://nemtguide.com/states/north-carolina/buncombe-county/), which contracts out its whole program.

## What to do first

1. **Enroll in NCTracks** and apply to Modivcare and MTM Health for plan trips in Wake.
2. **Call the operator's Raleigh office** on S. Blount Street and ask whether it subcontracts GoWake Access trips, and for which hours and service levels.
3. **Price in the insurance** before you quote. The 2022 bid asked the operator for $1,000,000 auto and $1,000,000 per occurrence general liability, and a subcontractor carries the same types in amounts the City of Raleigh approves in writing.
4. **Ask about holiday coverage.** GoWake Access keeps running dialysis and chemotherapy trips on most county holidays, when regular service stops.
5. **Ask the GoWake Access transportation manager** at 919-250-3829 how the county will announce its next operations bid.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the phone number for Wake County Medicaid transportation?

GoWake Access takes Medicaid ride reservations at 919-212-7005 (TTY 800-735-2962). The call center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For a ride already booked, riders call dispatch at 919-996-4444, and they cancel at 919-996-3444 at least one hour before pickup. Health plan members call their plan's ride line instead, which is Modivcare or MTM Health.

### Does Wake County contract with private NEMT companies for Medicaid rides?

Not directly for van trips. Wake County books the trips, and one operations contractor drives them. The county's May 2025 Title VI plan says GoWake Access is run under a single contract held by RATP Dev Transportation. A private company reaches this work by subcontracting with the operator, or by driving health plan trips through Modivcare or MTM Health.

### Can a small company subcontract GoWake Access trips?

The 2022 joint bid allowed it. The operator is the prime contractor and takes full responsibility for any subcontractor's work, the City of Raleigh must be named as a third-party beneficiary in each subcontract, and each subcontractor must meet the contract's insurance terms in amounts the city approves in writing. Ask the operator's Raleigh office whether it uses subcontractors now and for which trips.

### Does GoWake Access run on weekends and holidays?

It runs Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Wake County holidays it runs only for dialysis and chemotherapy riders, and on July 4, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day it does not run at all. Riders who miss trips can be suspended for 30 days, but dialysis and chemotherapy riders are never suspended.

### How does Wake County pay its transportation operator?

By the vehicle revenue hour under the 2022 bid terms. Paid time starts at the first passenger pickup and ends at the last drop-off or the return to the secured lot. The operator bills no deadhead time and gets no pay for Medicaid no-shows. The county's February 2023 board item put the average annual operating cost at $8,388,569.

## Official resources

- [Wake County: GoWake Access Transportation](https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/social-services/programs-services/gowake-access-transportation)
- [Wake County: GoWake Access Rider Guide](https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wakegov.com.if-us-west-1/s3fs-public/documents/2024-06/final_access_rider_guide.pdf)
- [Wake County: GoWake Access Title VI Program Plan (2025)](https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wakegov.com.if-us-west-1/s3fs-public/documents/2025-05/5.5.2025_signed_2025_title_vi_program_plan_for_review_gowake_access.pdf)
- [NC DHHS: MA-2910 county NEMT manual](https://policies.ncdhhs.gov/wp-content/uploads/MA-2910-.pdf)