# Lackawanna County Medical Assistance Transportation: How COLTS Runs MATP and Buys Rides

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

Lackawanna County medical assistance transportation (MATP) is run by COLTS, the County of Lackawanna Transit System in Scranton. Riders call its MATP office at 570-963-6482, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and COLTS sends a bus ticket, pays mileage, or books its own van or a taxi. COLTS last asked outside agencies to qualify for MATP trips in a 2021 request, and its board approved MATP contracts that December.

- COLTS, Scranton's transit authority, runs MATP for Lackawanna County, and MATP paid for about one in nine of its shared ride trips in fiscal 2024-25.
- Since a September 2025 soft launch, COLTS takes shared ride requests made before noon the day before, instead of two days ahead.
- COLTS asked outside agencies to qualify for MATP trips in a September 2021 request, and its board approved MATP contracts on December 15, 2021, the award date the request had set.
- COLTS put its own cost at $48 to $50 a shared ride trip in February 2026, and in mid-2026 it had driver openings and a 35-van fleet that PennDOT must approve to grow.
- Get PUC authority for Lackawanna, ask COLTS to notify you of its next MATP round, and price the dialysis and outlying trips it struggles with.

## Lackawanna County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Who runs MATP | COLTS, 800 North South Road, Scranton, a municipal authority and component unit of Lackawanna County. The state's June 25, 2026 study lists Lackawanna as a county vendor program. |
| MATP line | 570-963-6482, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (state county list updated June 18, 2026). Shared ride reservations: 570-963-6795. |
| Booking | A call before noon the day before has been accepted since a September 2025 soft launch. COLTS had required two days' notice. |
| MATP trips | 14,166 of COLTS's 132,227 shared ride trips in fiscal 2024-25, about 11% (PennDOT) |
| Cost per shared ride trip | $42.94 on average in fiscal 2024-25 (PennDOT). COLTS's chief financial officer put it at $48 to $50 in February 2026, against $30 a trip from PennDOT. |
| MATP spending | $802,632 in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, with the federal half, $401,316, passed through Lackawanna County (single audit) |
| Last MATP solicitation | Request for qualifications dated September 17, 2021, for contracts of six months to two years from January 1, 2022. The board approved the contracts on December 15, 2021. |
| Insurance COLTS asked for | $1 million general liability and $1 million auto liability, with COLTS named as additional insured (2021 request) |
| Shared ride staff | 27 full-time and 10 part-time drivers, with 2 full-time openings, in June 2026. The executive director put the fleet at 35 vans in April 2026. |
| Health plans | HealthChoices Northeast zone: AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania, Geisinger Health Plan, Jefferson Health Plans EverWell, and UPMC for You |

## Who arranges rides here

- [COLTS Medical Assistance Transportation Program](https://coltsbus.com/matp/): Takes MATP applications and arranges bus tickets, mileage, vans, and taxis for county riders. (570) 963-6482
- [COLTS Shared Ride reservations](https://coltsbus.com/paratransit/): Books shared ride van trips and takes senior shared ride applications. (570) 963-6795
- [COLTS administrative offices](https://coltsbus.com/rfps/): Buys transportation service and issues COLTS's requests for proposals and qualifications. (570) 346-2061

Lackawanna County's MATP office is part of COLTS, the County of Lackawanna Transit System, the authority that runs Scranton's buses. COLTS answers the MATP line, books van rides on its own shared ride service, and has asked outside agencies to qualify for MATP trips through a formal request for qualifications.

Most Pennsylvania counties run MATP themselves or through a vendor, the state contracts directly with transit agencies in 13 counties, and a broker serves only Philadelphia. The [Pennsylvania guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/) explains the PUC authority, driver clearances, and trip rules that hold everywhere, so the rest of this page covers only what COLTS does.

## Who runs MATP in Lackawanna County

COLTS was created on November 1, 1972 under the Municipal Authorities Act, and its audited statements carry it as a component unit of Lackawanna County. The MATP money moves the same way. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, COLTS spent $802,632 on MATP, and the federal half, $401,316, came from the Department of Human Services through Lackawanna County.

The state's June 25, 2026 broker study counts Lackawanna among 38 counties on the county vendor model: a vendor, usually a transit agency, handles the rides and the administration, and the county oversees it. When the study argued that one statewide broker would miss local conditions, it set Lackawanna against Tioga County as its example. See [what the study found](https://nemtguide.com/news/pennsylvania-matp-broker-study/).

### How COLTS gets a rider to an appointment

COLTS picks the mode by where the rider is going, what they need, and what it costs:

- **Bus.** A rider who can use a fixed route gets a ticket sent ahead of the appointment.
- **Van or taxi.** Shared ride vans and lift-equipped vans carry riders who cannot take the bus, and the MATP page also lists taxi.
- **Mileage.** A rider who drives calls the MATP office at least one day before each appointment, then gets the original form, stamped or signed by the medical office, to COLTS by the 10th of the next month. COLTS refuses faxed copies.

Booking loosened in 2025. The service sheet COLTS still posts, dated 2024, asks for two days' notice and gives outlying towns such as Covington Township and Thornhurst shorter appointment windows. At the September 24, 2025 board meeting, staff reported a soft launch: a rider who calls before noon the day before now gets the trip, whatever program pays. The executive director said COLTS had been the only system in the state that required two days.

By October 2025 the shared ride department was booking about 20 next-day appointments a day, and senior shared ride hours had widened to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The executive director told the board the state had said COLTS could not limit service hours in outlying areas.

On the road, the van may arrive anywhere in a 30-minute [pickup window](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/pickup-window/), such as 9 to 9:30 a.m. for a 9:15 pickup. Riders cancel more than 60 minutes before the window opens. A rider outside ADA paratransit who misses a pickup loses the rest of that day's trips unless they call at least an hour before the next one.

## How much MATP work COLTS carries

MATP is a small slice of COLTS's van work. PennDOT's report for fiscal 2024-25 counts COLTS's shared ride trips by the program that paid:

| Program | Trips, fiscal 2024-25 |
|---|---|
| Riders 65 and older (Lottery) | 78,080 |
| ADA paratransit | 20,888 |
| Other shared ride | 15,991 |
| MATP | 14,166 |
| Persons with Disabilities | 3,102 |
| All shared ride trips | 132,227 |

Medical trips go well past the MATP line. In October 2025 COLTS's shared ride staff estimated that about half of all COLTS van trips go to medical appointments, since the senior and ADA programs carry riders to care too.

For fiscal 2024-25, PennDOT puts COLTS's average shared ride cost at $42.94 a trip and its average fare at $28.81, across a 459-square-mile service area. COLTS's own figure runs higher. In February 2026 its chief financial officer told the board each shared ride trip costs about $48 to $50 while PennDOT reimburses $30, an $18 gap he put at about $1.8 million for the service. He said shared ride trips across the state typically cost $45 to $55.

COLTS planned a shared ride fare increase of about 15% for August 1, 2026, from an average near $28.50 to about $32.50, and put the resolution on its July 29, 2026 agenda. Its citizens' advisory committee was told in July 2026 that the change covers general public fares and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) co-pays, with no change for MATP. As of October 2026, COLTS posts this full public fare by trip distance, with the PwD rider paying 15% of it as a co-pay:

| Distance | Public fare | PwD co-pay |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 miles | $30 | $4.50 |
| 5 to 9.99 miles | $35 | $5.25 |
| 10 to 14.99 miles | $38 | $5.70 |
| 15 to 19.99 miles | $40 | $6.00 |
| 20 miles or more | $50 | $7.50 |

## Who drives Lackawanna MATP trips

COLTS's shared ride department carries MATP van riders alongside its senior and disability riders, and its board minutes from late 2025 through mid-2026 show the strain on drivers and vans:

- **Drivers.** In June 2026 the department had 27 full-time drivers, 10 part-time drivers, and 7 customer service representatives, with 2 full-time van operator openings. Applicants without a commercial driver's license did not qualify for full-time jobs, and COLTS had asked its union to let it add 4 part-time drivers.
- **Waits.** In April 2026 a part-time driver told the board drivers were under pressure because the department was short on drivers, and that one rider waited so long she cancelled and called a ride-hail car.
- **Vans.** At that meeting the executive director said COLTS has only 35 vans and PennDOT would have to sign off on more. The chief financial officer said five shared ride vans on order are due in January 2027 and more by January 2028, all replacing vans past their useful life rather than adding to the fleet.
- **Dialysis.** In November 2025 the executive director called dialysis riders one of the department's biggest challenges. A month earlier shared ride staff described centers that gave wrong pickup times and did not want drivers to leave patients who were not ready, until a meeting with the centers helped. See [dialysis transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/dialysis-transportation/) for how standing dialysis trips work.

COLTS already pays others for some service. A subcontractor runs its Viewmont Mall shuttle, and its 2025-26 budget carries $1,973,433 for purchased transportation, up 4.29% from the year before.

## What COLTS asked for in its last MATP request

On September 17, 2021, COLTS issued a request for qualifications seeking agencies to carry eligible county residents under contracts of six months to two years starting January 1, 2022. Proposals were due at noon on November 30, 2021, and on December 15, 2021, the award date it had set, the board approved a resolution for the Medical Assistance Transportation contracts. As of October 2026 it is still the only MATP solicitation on COLTS's bid page, so its terms are the best preview of the next round:

- **Pricing.** A unit cost for each of three services: demand responsive ambulatory, shared ride ambulatory, and escort and exclusive ride. A line-item budget of indirect costs let COLTS judge whether the unit costs were reasonable.
- **Scoring.** Agency experience 35%, cost 35%, and work plan 30%. Experience covered references and medical transportation history; the work plan covered vehicles, method of delivery, and driver credentials.
- **Work plan.** Your vehicle types, how you deliver trips, why you are qualified, and any geographic limits in your PUC authority. Every driver needed child abuse clearances.
- **Insurance.** At least $1 million in commercial general liability and $1 million in auto liability from an insurer authorized in Pennsylvania, with COLTS as an [additional insured](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/additional-insured/) and 30 days' written notice before cancellation.
- **The work.** Daily manifests to COLTS and, where it applied, determining eligibility and scheduling trips yourself. COLTS's Director of Shared Ride Operations would be your single point of contact.
- **The package.** One original and one copy, no more than 30 sheets, three references, an offer good for at least 90 days, and NAICS code 485991 on the proposal form.
- **Forms.** Pennsylvania's nondiscrimination clause, a receipt of addenda, three federal Medicaid disclosures (owners of 5% or more with birth dates and Social Security numbers, convictions tied to Medicare, Medicaid, or Title XX, and dealings over $25,000), a notarized non-collusion affidavit, COLTS's protest procedure, and a suspension and debarment form.

COLTS screens each contractor against the state's Medicheck list, the HHS [OIG exclusion list](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/oig-exclusion-list/), and the federal excluded parties list before signing and every month after. Its contracts carry your certification that neither you, your staff, nor your subcontractors are excluded, and that you run the same checks monthly.

## How to get MATP work in Lackawanna County

### Name every county you want in your PUC filing

The PUC sets your territory by the counties where your trips start, and amending it later takes a new application and another fee. The broadest wording carries riders from points in the named counties to points anywhere in Pennsylvania and back, while a wheelchair-van territory written as "between points" keeps you inside them. COLTS's 2021 request asked you to state any PUC limits in your work plan, so file for Lackawanna and any neighbor you want before a new round opens.

### Ask to be notified of the next round

The 2021 request made any firm that downloaded it from the website register by email with COLTS's director of finance and administration, or it could not submit a proposal or receive addenda. Call the main office at 570-346-2061 and ask to be told when the next MATP or shared ride solicitation opens. See [government NEMT contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/government-nemt-contracts/) for how public contract rounds work.

### Price the trips COLTS struggles to cover

COLTS's own numbers give you the target: about $48 to $50 a shared ride trip in February 2026. Its pressure points are dialysis riders, a 35-van fleet that needs PennDOT's approval to grow, and full-time driver openings. When you call the main office, ask who runs shared ride operations and whether COLTS will buy trips at a unit price before its next request. Read [how to subcontract NEMT trips](https://nemtguide.com/guides/subcontract-nemt-trips/) before you quote.

### Clear your drivers before you bid

Have each driver's child abuse clearances in hand, on top of the state and PUC checks, and run monthly exclusion checks on your whole staff so you can sign COLTS's certification on day one. See [NEMT driver background checks](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-background-check/).

### Follow the COLTS board

The board meets at 4:30 p.m., usually on the last Wednesday of the month, at 800 North South Road in Scranton. The rest of the 2026 meetings fall on October 28, November 18, and December 16, and the first of 2027 on January 27. Each agenda carries a shared ride revenue and ridership report, and resolutions to award contracts come up under other business.

### Stretcher trips and neighboring counties

MATP leaves stretcher and non-emergency ambulance trips to the rider's HealthChoices plan, and Lackawanna is in the Northeast zone with four plans. [UPMC for You](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/upmc-for-you-pennsylvania/) coordinates its members' medically necessary ambulance and wheelchair van trips in this zone through UPMC Medical Transportation.

Next door, [Luzerne County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/luzerne-county/) runs MATP through LCTA Shared Ride, and COLTS's ADA paratransit riders transfer to Luzerne's system at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. Wyoming and Susquehanna counties share one MATP line through TREHAB, 570-278-6140, and [Monroe County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/monroe-county/) books through its transportation authority.

## What to do first

1. **File for PUC paratransit authority** naming Lackawanna and each neighbor you want.
2. **Call COLTS at 570-346-2061**, ask to be notified of its next MATP solicitation, and offer per-trip prices for dialysis runs and outlying towns.
3. **Read the 2021 request** and line up the $1 million quotes, clearances, and disclosure forms it asked for.
4. **Read the October 28, 2026 board agenda** and minutes for the latest shared ride numbers.
5. **Ask the Northeast zone plans** how they buy the stretcher and ambulance trips MATP does not cover.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the phone number for Lackawanna County medical assistance transportation?

Call the COLTS MATP office at 570-963-6482, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., per the state's county list updated June 18, 2026. Shared ride van reservations are 570-963-6795. The main COLTS office, at 800 North South Road in Scranton, is 570-346-2061.

### Who provides MATP rides in Lackawanna County?

COLTS, the County of Lackawanna Transit System. Depending on the trip, it sends the rider a bus ticket, pays mileage, or sends a shared ride or lift-equipped van, and its MATP page also lists taxi. In June 2026 its shared ride department had 27 full-time and 10 part-time drivers.

### How far ahead do Lackawanna County MATP riders book a van?

COLTS's posted service sheet asks for two days. Since a soft launch reported to its board on September 24, 2025, COLTS takes any shared ride request made before noon the day before, whatever program pays for it. A rider claiming mileage must still call at least one day before each appointment.

### Does COLTS hire outside companies for MATP trips?

It has sought them. On September 17, 2021, COLTS asked qualified agencies to carry eligible residents under contracts of six months to two years from January 1, 2022, and its board approved Medical Assistance Transportation contracts on December 15, 2021, the award date the request had set. Call 570-346-2061 to ask when the next MATP round opens and how to be notified.

### What insurance does COLTS require from an MATP contractor?

Its 2021 request asked for at least $1 million in commercial general liability and $1 million in automobile liability, with COLTS named as an additional insured and 30 days' written notice before any cancellation. The certificate had to come from an insurer authorized in Pennsylvania.

### Does Lackawanna County MATP pay for stretcher rides?

No. The state's MATP covered services list dated February 13, 2026 excludes stretcher service and non-emergency ambulance trips, which go to the rider's HealthChoices plan. Lackawanna is in the Northeast zone, served by AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania, Geisinger Health Plan, Jefferson Health Plans EverWell, and UPMC for You.

## Official resources

- [COLTS: MATP](https://coltsbus.com/matp/)
- [COLTS: RFPs and RFQs](https://coltsbus.com/rfps/)
- [COLTS: Request for Qualifications, MATP (September 2021)](https://coltsbus.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/RFQ-MATP-Services-2021.pdf)
- [COLTS: Board agendas and minutes](https://coltsbus.com/board-agendas-and-minutes-2/)
- [COLTS: Board meeting schedule 2026](https://coltsbus.com/colts-board-meeting-schedule/)
- [Pennsylvania PUC: Passenger carrier territory examples](https://www.puc.pa.gov/documents/utility-files/566/Passenger_Carrier_Territory_Examples-Explanations.pdf)