# Dauphin County Medical Assistance Transportation Program: The Move to rabbittransit and Your Contract

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

Since July 1, 2026, rabbittransit has run the Dauphin County Medical Assistance Transportation Program, taking over eligibility, scheduling, and mileage payments from the county and its call center contractor, the Center for Community Building. Riders call 800-632-9063. Before the switch, the county paid carriers such as Boyo Transportation Services directly. Now a company gets Dauphin MATP trips by subcontracting with rabbittransit.

- Dauphin County stopped running MATP on June 30, 2026. rabbittransit now handles eligibility, booking, mileage payments, and carriers.
- For 2025-26 the county paid three private carriers directly, led by Boyo Transportation Services at $774,900.
- The county said rabbittransit would keep working with existing transportation providers, so those carriers now answer to rabbittransit, not the county.
- A new company enters through rabbittransit's bids and subcontracts, not through the county.

## Dauphin County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Who runs MATP | rabbittransit, the Susquehanna Regional Transportation Authority, since July 1, 2026, with its administrative office at 901 N. Cameron Street, Harrisburg |
| Until June 30, 2026 | The county's Mental Health/Autism/Developmental Programs office as administrator, with the Center for Community Building (CCB) running the call center and intake |
| Ride line | 800-632-9063 or 717-846-RIDE (7433) (DHS contact list, June 18, 2026) |
| Riders | Everyone reapplied from June 1, 2026. rabbittransit needs a signed application within 30 days of eligibility verification. |
| Carriers paid by the county | Boyo Transportation Services $774,900, Aveanna Healthcare $106,596, and Merakey Pennsylvania $25,719, for July 2025 to June 2026 |
| Other 2025-26 contracts | rabbittransit $1,941,887 for shared ride, Senior Shared Ride, and bus passes; CCB $882,875 for intake, verification, and a 24-hour call center |
| State agreement | Dauphin added to rabbittransit's DHS direct agreement 4100094418 by an amendment fully signed September 10, 2026 |
| Service area | All of Dauphin County and any county that borders it (rabbittransit presentation, May 29, 2026) |
| New budget line | rabbittransit's 2026-27 budget adds $1,085,000 to take over the Dauphin MATP program |
| Health plans | Lehigh/Capital zone: AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania, Geisinger, Jefferson Health Plans EverWell, Highmark Wholecare, UPMC for You |

## Who arranges rides here

- [rabbittransit Customer Service, Dauphin MATP](https://www.rabbittransit.org/dauphin-matp/): Takes Dauphin MATP applications, books rides, and pays mileage since July 1, 2026. (800) 632-9063
- [rabbittransit office, 901 N. Cameron Street, Harrisburg](https://www.rabbittransit.org/about/office-transit-center-locations/): Administrative office, open for applications weekdays and the second Saturday of each month.
- [rabbittransit procurement](https://www.rabbittransit.org/about/requests-for-proposals/): Posts rabbittransit transportation bids on PennBid and sends RFPs on request.
- [DHS Bureau of Managed Care Operations](https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/departments-offices/omap-info/omap-bureau-managed-care-operations): Oversees MATP administrators, including rabbittransit in Dauphin.

Dauphin County ran its own Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP) through June 30, 2026, splitting the work between county staff, a call center contractor, rabbittransit's shared ride vans, and a few private carriers it paid directly. On July 1, 2026, rabbittransit took over the whole program. If your company drove Dauphin trips for the county, your contract partner has changed. If you want to start, the way in is now through rabbittransit.

## What changed on July 1, 2026

MATP pays for rides to Medical Assistance services for members with no other way to get there. Outside Philadelphia, counties or transit agencies run it, and the [Pennsylvania guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/) covers the statewide rules and licensing.

The Dauphin County Commissioners announced the change on May 21, 2026. rabbittransit, the Susquehanna Regional Transportation Authority, took "full responsibility" for eligibility processing, trip scheduling, mileage reimbursement, and coordination of transportation services. DHS's June 25, 2026 broker study counted Dauphin as a county hybrid and footnoted it as moving to a DHS direct agreement, the model already used in York and 12 other counties. An amendment fully signed September 10, 2026 adds Dauphin and Cambria counties to rabbittransit's direct agreement with DHS.

| Job | Through June 30, 2026 | From July 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| MATP administrator | Dauphin County Mental Health/Autism/Developmental Programs | rabbittransit |
| Applications, eligibility, call center | Center for Community Building (CCB) | rabbittransit |
| Shared ride vans and bus passes | rabbittransit, under a county contract | rabbittransit |
| Other carriers | Paid under their own county agreements | Work with rabbittransit |

The handover ran on a short clock, per rabbittransit's May 29, 2026 presentation:

1. **May 21.** County announcement and a mailing to enrolled riders.
2. **May 29.** Two virtual stakeholder meetings.
3. **June 1.** rabbittransit began accepting applications, which every enrolled rider had to file again.
4. **June 15.** It began booking trips for July 1 and later.
5. **July 1.** rabbittransit began delivering all service.
6. **July 5.** First mileage and bus fare reimbursement forms due, then the 5th of each month.

rabbittransit's 2026-27 budget, presented to its board in April 2026, sets aside $1,085,000 to take over the Dauphin program. Its bids, subcontract terms, and driver checks are on the [rabbittransit guide](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/rabbittransit/), and the [news report on the switch](https://nemtguide.com/news/dauphin-county-matp-rabbittransit/) covers the announcement itself.

## Who drove Dauphin MATP trips before the switch

The county's last full year of contracts shows who held the work. On June 18, 2025, the commissioners approved these MATP agreements for July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026:

| Company | What it provided | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Susquehanna Regional Transportation Authority (rabbittransit) | Regular shared ride, Senior Shared Ride, and monthly bus passes for MATP riders | $1,941,887 |
| Center for Community Building | 24-hour call center, intake, and verification, connecting riders with cost-effective transportation, including subcontracted carriers | $882,875 |
| Boyo Transportation Services | Non-emergency medical transportation for Medicaid members | $774,900 |
| Pediatric Healthcare, LLC, doing business as Aveanna Healthcare | Specialized non-emergency medical transportation | $106,596 |
| Merakey Pennsylvania | Rides for children to a prescribed treatment program | $25,719 |

The transportation contracts were paid entirely with MATP funds, and the call center half federal and half state. Demand was rising: at the same meeting, Boyo's existing contract grew from $609,799.27 to $734,799.27 because use was "significantly higher than expected." On July 16, 2025, the commissioners also approved the county's own MATP grant agreement with DHS, which named the Mental Health/Autism/Developmental Programs office as administrator.

The May 21, 2026 notice says rabbittransit "will continue working with existing transportation providers." For a carrier that held a county agreement, that means a new agreement with rabbittransit, with its own rate, invoice schedule, and payment terms. Ask for those in writing, and ask the county where to send any unpaid invoices for trips before July 1, 2026. See [managing a broker transition](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-broker-transition/).

## Where Dauphin trips go

Dauphin residents may ride anywhere in Dauphin County and to any county that borders it, per the May 29, 2026 presentation. rabbittransit's Dauphin travel guidelines, as of September 2026, show how service is spread:

| Trip | Average arrival | Average return |
|---|---|---|
| Within Harrisburg | 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Hershey, Hummelstown, Middletown, Steelton, Colonial Park, and other suburbs | 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Upper Dauphin and Upper East Dauphin | 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. | By 3 p.m. |
| Dauphin County to the West Shore, Camp Hill, and Mechanicsburg | 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Dauphin County to other counties | 10 a.m. to noon | Noon to 2 p.m. |
| Lebanon VA hospital, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday | 8:30 a.m. | 12:30 p.m. |

rabbittransit tells Dauphin riders it works with a 30-minute pickup window under a DHS waiver. The driver arrives in the window and waits five minutes, then may record a [no-show](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/no-show/). Riders get an automated call the evening before with their window.

## How a transportation company gets Dauphin MATP work now

1. **Hold PUC paratransit authority.** Every paid Pennsylvania trip needs it, and the filing takes three months or more, as the [Pennsylvania guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/) explains.
2. **Contact rabbittransit, not the county.** The county no longer buys MATP rides. Ask rabbittransit's procurement staff how it adds carriers for Dauphin, and watch PennBid, where it runs its solicitations.
3. **Read what the state pays rabbittransit.** Since the September 2026 amendment, Dauphin trips fall under the same state agreement and per-trip fee as York's, which the [York County page](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/york-county/) lays out along with rabbittransit's 2026 paratransit subcontract.
4. **Look at the niches the county bought.** Two of its outside carriers filled narrow roles: specialized transport through Aveanna Healthcare, and rides for children to a prescribed treatment program through Merakey. See [transporting children in NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/children-in-nemt/).
5. **Serve the health plans too.** MATP does not cover stretcher or non-emergency ambulance trips, so those go to the rider's HealthChoices plan, one of the five in the Lehigh/Capital zone.

Neighboring programs work differently. Lebanon County runs a county hybrid, and [Lancaster County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/lancaster-county/) sits under the South Central Transit Authority's direct agreement.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who runs the Dauphin County Medical Assistance Transportation Program?

rabbittransit, since July 1, 2026. The Dauphin County Commissioners announced on May 21, 2026 that rabbittransit would take full responsibility for eligibility processing, trip scheduling, mileage reimbursement, and coordination of transportation. Before that, the county's Mental Health/Autism/Developmental Programs office was the administrator and the Center for Community Building ran intake and the call center.

### What is the phone number for Dauphin County MATP?

Call rabbittransit at 1-800-632-9063, the number the county gave in its May 21, 2026 notice. The state's MATP contact list, updated June 18, 2026, also gives 717-846-RIDE (7433). The rabbittransit office at 901 N. Cameron Street in Harrisburg takes applications on weekdays and on the second Saturday of each month.

### Do Dauphin County MATP riders have to reapply with rabbittransit?

Yes. Riders who were enrolled through the Center for Community Building had to complete a new rabbittransit application starting June 1, 2026. They can ride while applying, but rabbittransit must receive a signed application within 30 days of eligibility verification or rides stop. Rides for July 1 or later could be booked from June 15, 2026.

### I drove Dauphin MATP trips for the county. Do I still have work?

The county said rabbittransit will continue working with existing transportation providers to keep service going. Your old agreement was with Dauphin County, so your trips, rates, and invoices now depend on an agreement with rabbittransit. Get it in writing, and confirm where to send any unpaid county invoices from before July 1, 2026.

### How can a new transportation company get Dauphin County MATP trips?

Through rabbittransit, not the county. Hold Public Utility Commission paratransit authority, clear your drivers, then watch rabbittransit's solicitations on PennBid and ask its procurement staff how it adds carriers in Dauphin. Specialized trips like those the county bought from Aveanna and Merakey, and stretcher trips for health plans, are worth asking about.

### What were Dauphin County's last MATP contracts worth?

For July 2025 to June 2026 the commissioners approved $1,941,887 for rabbittransit shared rides and bus passes, $774,900 for Boyo Transportation Services, $106,596 for Aveanna Healthcare, and $25,719 for Merakey Pennsylvania, plus $882,875 for the Center for Community Building's intake and call center. Transportation contracts were paid entirely with MATP funds.

## Official resources

- [rabbittransit: Dauphin MATP](https://www.rabbittransit.org/dauphin-matp/)
- [rabbittransit: Dauphin MATP transition presentation (May 29, 2026)](https://www.rabbittransit.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Dauphin-MATP-Transition-Deck_5_29_2026.pdf)
- [rabbittransit: Requests for proposals](https://www.rabbittransit.org/about/requests-for-proposals/)
- [Dauphin County: MATP transition to rabbittransit (May 21, 2026)](https://www.dauphincounty.gov/news/dc-news/2026/05/21/matp-transition-to-rabbittransit)
- [Pennsylvania PUC: Motor carrier forms and applications](https://www.puc.pa.gov/motor-carrier/forms-applications/)