# Lawrence County, Pennsylvania MATP: LCCAP Assigns the Rides and ACTS Shared Ride Drives Them

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

Lawrence County MATP in Pennsylvania is run by Lawrence County Social Services, part of the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership (LCCAP) in New Castle, at 724-658-7258 option 4. It gives each rider mileage repayment, city bus tickets, or a free door to door ride with ACTS, its sister shared ride operator, at 724-652-5588 option 1. ACTS carried 33,787 MATP trips in fiscal 2024-25.

- Lawrence County Social Services, part of LCCAP, administers MATP under a county agreement running July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
- Its sister agency ACTS drives the door to door MATP rides: 33,787 of its 87,115 shared-ride trips in fiscal 2024-25.
- The vendor agreement makes Lawrence County Social Services responsible for building a network of transportation providers and monitoring their contracts.
- ACTS closes on Sundays and seven holidays, serves only the New Castle area on Saturdays, and does not carry stretcher riders.
- Ask the MATP office how it adds a carrier, and watch LCCAP's requests for proposals page for solicitations.

## Lawrence County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Who runs MATP | Lawrence County Social Services, Inc., part of LCCAP, 241 West Grant Street, New Castle, under a July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 agreement |
| Phones | MATP 724-658-7258 option 4. ACTS 724-652-5588 option 1, toll free 888-252-5104. Call center weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (state list updated June 18, 2026) |
| State model | County vendor in the June 25, 2026 state study: the vendor handles both rides and administration |
| ACTS hours | Weekdays 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sundays and seven holidays. |
| Booking | By 2 p.m. the business day before, Friday for Monday. Out-of-county trips 3 business days ahead. |
| MATP trips | 33,787 of 87,115 ACTS shared-ride trips in fiscal 2024-25, with 24 vehicles in peak service (PennDOT) |
| Cost per trip | $28.36 average cost and $16.85 average fare per shared-ride trip in fiscal 2024-25 (PennDOT) |
| Fleet | 30 accessible small buses and about 450 trips a day (ACTS annual report, fiscal 2024-25) |
| Mileage repayment | $0.25 per mile, plus parking and tolls, for riders with a car or a driver |
| Fare notice | ACTS asked PennDOT on September 14, 2026 to raise passenger fares about 25% from January 1, 2027. Comments due October 15, 2026. |

## Who arranges rides here

- [LCCAP, Medical Assistance Transportation Program](https://lccap.org/programs-services/transportation/): Administers MATP for the county and assigns each rider a ride. (724) 658-7258
- [ACTS (Allied Coordinated Transportation Services)](https://www.rideactsbus.org/rides-to-medical-appointments/): Books and drives door to door shared rides, including MATP trips. (724) 652-5588
- [New Castle Area Transit Authority (NCATA)](https://newcastletransit.org/): Runs the fixed route buses and sponsors the ADA paratransit ACTS drives. (724) 654-3130
- [Lawrence County Board of Commissioners](https://lawrencecountypa.gov/departments/commissioners/meeting-archives): Approves the yearly MATP vendor agreement with Lawrence County Social Services.
- [LCCAP requests for proposals](https://lccap.org/category/rfp/): Posts the partnership's requests for proposals and bids.
- [Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission](https://www.puc.pa.gov/motor-carrier/forms-applications/): Grants the paratransit authority every paid ride needs.

Lawrence County keeps its Medicaid rides inside one family of nonprofits. Lawrence County Social Services, Inc. administers the Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP) under contract with the county, and its sister agency, Allied Coordinated Transportation Services (ACTS), drives the door to door trips from its office on North Mercer Street in New Castle. Both belong to the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership (LCCAP). A ride company that wants this work deals with LCCAP.

## Who runs MATP in Lawrence County

Pennsylvania pays for MATP through each county, and only Philadelphia uses a broker. The [Pennsylvania guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/) covers Public Utility Commission (PUC) authority, insurance, and how county subcontracts pay.

The state's June 25, 2026 [broker study](https://nemtguide.com/news/pennsylvania-matp-broker-study/) lists Lawrence as a "county vendor" program. LCCAP describes itself as three corporations joined in one partnership: Lawrence County Social Services, Inc., ACTS, and United Community Services of Lawrence County. It employs about 280 people and runs programs in 27 counties.

### The 2026-27 vendor agreement

On June 2, 2026, the commissioners voted 3-0 to approve a vendor services agreement with Lawrence County Social Services for MATP from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The county had approved the same vendor for 2025-26 on July 8, 2025. The agreement spells out the vendor's job:

- **Riders.** Outreach, enrollment, and eligibility decisions.
- **A carrier network.** Building a transportation network to broker trips to providers, and matching each rider to a provider and mode.
- **Checks.** Verifying trips before and after they happen, and monitoring each provider's contract.
- **Other modes.** Paying private mileage and issuing fixed route bus tickets.
- **Reports.** A monthly invoice by mode, and a monthly trip file uploaded to the state's PROMISe system with each trip's date, mode, no-show status, and escort.

The county pays a monthly fee for service from the state grant, plus a thirteenth invoice at year end, once DHS approves it, for costs the monthly payments did not cover. For MATP riders 65 and older who ride ACTS, MATP pays 15% of the shared ride fare and the PennDOT Lottery program pays the rest. The vendor keeps fiscal, rider, and trip records for at least four years.

### Which ride a rider gets

LCCAP must assign the [least costly mode](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/least-costly-mode/) that fits:

1. **Mileage repayment** at $0.25 per mile, plus parking and tolls, for riders with a car or a driver.
2. **Free bus tickets** on the New Castle Area Transit Authority (NCATA) routes, for riders who live near a route and are going to a medical stop along it.
3. **An ACTS ride**, for riders with a disability or trips the buses do not serve.

## ACTS, the shared ride MATP riders use

ACTS was incorporated on December 31, 1985 and brought its operations in house on April 1, 2000. PennDOT's fiscal 2024-25 profile (July 2024 to June 2025) shows its size:

| ACTS shared ride | Fiscal 2024-25 |
|---|---|
| MATP | 33,787 trips |
| Riders 65 and older | 26,027 trips |
| Other shared ride | 23,356 trips |
| Persons with disabilities | 3,945 trips |
| Total shared-ride trips | 87,115 |
| Vehicles in peak service | 24 |
| Average cost per trip | $28.36 |
| Average fare | $16.85 |

MATP is about 39% of the total, its largest single program. ACTS's own 2024-25 annual report counts 30 accessible small buses, about 450 trips a day, and 97.36% of appointment trips on time. It added 7 vehicles in November 2024, including a Ford Transit van that seats 8 with room for 2 mobility devices, next to larger buses holding 14 to 16 riders. About 40 people work there, including 27 drivers. Full-time drivers need a commercial driver's license with a passenger endorsement, and part-time drivers, up to 35 hours a week, do not.

Out-of-county trips rose from 4,547 in fiscal 2023-24 to 5,487 in fiscal 2024-25. Beaver County, including Ellwood City, led with 2,720 trips, followed by Mercer (1,216), Butler (868), Allegheny (683), and Venango (22).

## Ride rules ACTS riders expect

- **Booking.** By 2 p.m. the business day before, Friday for Monday, up to two weeks ahead. Out-of-county trips need three business days, and ACTS can cancel one up to 24 hours before the appointment if fewer than two riders are headed to that county.
- **Pickup window.** Thirty minutes. Appointment pickups run 15 minutes either side of the estimate, returns from the requested time to 30 minutes after, and the driver waits 5 minutes. See [pickup windows](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/pickup-window/).
- **Same day.** ACTS has taken part in PennDOT's same-day pilot since July 1, 2022, and same-day trips rose 42% in fiscal 2024-25, to 688.
- **No-shows.** Cancel at least two hours ahead. A third [no-show](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/no-show/) within 30 days can bring a 5-day suspension, and a fourth a 10-day one.
- **Help limits.** Drivers push manual wheelchairs only when chair and rider weigh under 400 pounds together, never over stairs or thresholds above 3 inches. ACTS does not carry stretcher riders or give door-through-door help.
- **Saturdays and holidays.** Saturday service covers only New Castle and its nearby areas. ACTS closes Sundays and on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas.
- **Dialysis.** Riders can be picked up early enough to reach a 5 a.m. weekday chair, or 6 a.m. on Saturdays.

ACTS full fares run from $13.25 under 2 miles to $50 for 30 miles or more. Its September 14, 2026 notice asks PennDOT to raise passenger fares by about 25% from January 1, 2027, the first rise since January 1, 2019. The proposed table keeps the no-fare category at $0.

## How a transportation company gets Lawrence County work

1. **Get your PUC authority.** Every paid ride needs it. The [state guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/) walks through the application and the $350 fee.
2. **Call the MATP office.** The vendor agreement puts provider networks and provider contracts in the hands of Lawrence County Social Services. Ask at 724-658-7258, option 4, how it adds a carrier, what it pays, and which trips go unfilled.
3. **Watch for solicitations.** LCCAP posts its requests for proposals online, and the commissioners approved the MATP agreement in July 2025 and again in June 2026.
4. **Fill the hours ACTS is closed.** Sundays, the seven holidays, weekday trips before 5 a.m. or after 7 p.m., and Saturday trips outside New Castle all fall outside ACTS service. [Hospital discharges](https://nemtguide.com/guides/hospital-discharge-transportation/) on those days are one example.
5. **Take what ACTS turns away.** Stretcher trips are outside MATP, so they go to the rider's HealthChoices plan, such as [UPMC for You](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/upmc-for-you-pennsylvania/). Out-of-county trips that ACTS cancels for lack of a second rider are another.

Neighboring counties run MATP differently. In [Mercer County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/mercer-county/) to the north, the Area Agency on Aging manages MATP and a council of governments runs the shared ride. In [Butler County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/butler-county/) to the east, the Alliance for Nonprofit Resources runs both, and [Beaver County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/beaver-county/) lies to the south.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the MATP phone number in Lawrence County, PA?

Call LCCAP at 724-658-7258 and choose option 4 for MATP. To book or change an ACTS ride, call 724-652-5588, option 1, or toll free 888-252-5104. The state's June 18, 2026 contact list gives call center hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Cancellations after hours go on the ACTS voicemail at option 2.

### Is ACTS the same as Lawrence County MATP?

Not quite. Lawrence County Social Services, Inc. administers MATP for the county, and ACTS is the door to door transportation provider it assigns riders to. Both belong to the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership, along with United Community Services of Lawrence County. ACTS is also the county's designated shared ride operator for seniors and everyone else.

### Do Medical Assistance riders pay to ride ACTS?

Usually not. Riders with Medical Assistance, with or without Medicare, typically ride free to medical appointments and to pick up prescriptions or medical equipment, both in and out of the county. The medical provider must be billing the rider's Medical Assistance for the visit. Riders who live near a New Castle bus route may get free bus tickets instead.

### Will the proposed ACTS fare increase affect MATP riders?

The September 14, 2026 notice asks PennDOT to raise ACTS passenger fares by about 25% from January 1, 2027. The no-fare category stays at $0 in the proposed table, and ADA paratransit fares do not change. Written comments go to ACTS by October 15, 2026, at 701 North Mercer Street, New Castle 16101.

### Does ACTS go to Pittsburgh and other counties?

Yes, on weekdays, when at least two riders are going to the same county that day. ACTS serves Hermitage, Sharon, and Farrell in Mercer County, Pittsburgh, Oakland, North Hills, Sewickley, and Wexford in Allegheny County, Butler, Zelienople, Cranberry, and Seven Fields in Butler County, and southern Ellwood City. Book at least three business days ahead.

### How can my company get MATP trips in Lawrence County?

Call the MATP office at 724-658-7258, option 4. The county's 2026-27 agreement makes Lawrence County Social Services responsible for building a transportation network, assigning each trip to a provider, and monitoring provider contracts, so ask how it adds a carrier and what it pays. You need PUC authority first, and the gaps in ACTS service are the natural place to start.

## Official resources

- [LCCAP: Transportation and MATP](https://lccap.org/programs-services/transportation/)
- [ACTS: Passenger ride guide](https://www.rideactsbus.org/rider-resources/ride-guide/)
- [Lawrence County: Commissioners meeting archives](https://lawrencecountypa.gov/departments/commissioners/meeting-archives)
- [Pennsylvania PUC: Motor carrier forms and applications](https://www.puc.pa.gov/motor-carrier/forms-applications/)