# Luzerne County Medical Assistance Transportation: LCTA Shared Ride and Its MATP Contracts

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

Luzerne County medical assistance transportation (MATP) is run by LCTA Shared Ride, the van service of the Luzerne County Transportation Authority in Wilkes-Barre. Riders register and book at 570-288-8420 or toll free 800-679-4135, by noon the business day before. MATP was LCTA's largest program in fiscal 2024-25, at 52,381 trips, and LCTA uses subcontractors for out-of-county specialist trips.

- LCTA Shared Ride runs MATP for all of Luzerne County, and MATP was its biggest program in fiscal 2024-25 at 52,381 trips.
- In early 2026 LCTA's board approved contracts to carry the MATP clients of Northeast Counseling Services and Children's Service Center on Shared Ride.
- By March 2026 LCTA credited those new subcontracted MATP services with putting Shared Ride funding revenue 2% over budget.
- LCTA and its subcontractors run the Thursday specialist trips to Danville, and its 2019 subcontractor RFP could cut pay 10% for a pickup more than 25 minutes late.
- Get PUC authority that reaches Danville, file LCTA's bidders list application, and ask Shared Ride where outside carriers fit.

## Luzerne County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Who runs MATP | LCTA Shared Ride, 300 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre. LCTA's board approved its MATP contract with Luzerne County on May 26, 2020, and the state's June 25, 2026 study lists Luzerne as a county vendor program. |
| MATP line | 570-288-8420, toll free 800-679-4135. Calls taken Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with service hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (state county list updated June 18, 2026). |
| Booking | By noon the business day before, up to two weeks ahead. Out-of-county trips need 10 business days. |
| MATP trips | 52,381 of LCTA's 140,087 shared ride trips in fiscal 2024-25, about 37% and the largest single program (PennDOT) |
| Cost per shared ride trip | $42.42 on average in fiscal 2024-25, with an average fare of $24.46 and 39 vehicles in peak service (PennDOT) |
| 2026 agency contracts | MATP client transportation for Northeast Counseling Services (draft approved January 27, 2026) and Children's Service Center (approved February 24, 2026), carried on Shared Ride |
| Out of county | Thursday trips to Danville for specialist care, appointments between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., run by LCTA and its subcontractors |
| Last subcontractor RFP | RFP 18-19-005, Transportation Subcontractor Services, for MATP trips from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, priced per trip |
| LCTA buying thresholds | Three quotes from $13,200 to $24,500 and formal advertised bidding above $24,500, per procedures dated February 8, 2026 |
| Health plans | HealthChoices Northeast zone: AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania, Geisinger Health Plan, Jefferson Health Plans EverWell, and UPMC for You |

## Who arranges rides here

- [LCTA Shared Ride, Medical Assistance Transportation Program](https://www.lctabus.com/paratransit/matp/): Registers MATP riders and books their van trips, mileage, and bus fare payments. (570) 288-8420
- [LCTA after-hours urgent care line](https://www.lctabus.com/docs/paratransit/MATP-Welcome-Packet.pdf): A Trans-Med dispatcher arranges urgent care trips for registered MATP riders after hours. (570) 283-2444
- [LCTA main office and procurement](https://www.lctabus.com/business-center/): Keeps the bidders list, buys subcontracted paratransit service, and posts solicitations. (570) 288-9356

In Luzerne County, Medical Assistance riders register, book, and ride with LCTA Shared Ride, the van service of the Luzerne County Transportation Authority. MATP fills more of LCTA's vans than any other program. LCTA hands some specialist trips outside the county to subcontractors, and in 2026 it took on more MATP work under contracts with two local agencies, Northeast Counseling Services and Children's Service Center.

Pennsylvania counties run MATP themselves or through vendors, except for 13 counties where the state contracts with transit agencies directly and Philadelphia, which has a broker. Read the [Pennsylvania guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/) for the PUC paratransit authority, clearances, and statewide rules every carrier needs; this page covers what is particular to LCTA.

## Who runs MATP in Luzerne County

LCTA's MATP welcome packet says the Department of Human Services funds the program and LCTA runs it, and LCTA's board approved its MATP contract with Luzerne County on May 26, 2020. The state's June 25, 2026 broker study puts Luzerne on the county vendor model, where a transit agency handles rides and administration and the county oversees. See [what the study found](https://nemtguide.com/news/pennsylvania-matp-broker-study/).

LCTA works from 300 S. Pennsylvania Ave. in Wilkes-Barre. Its older papers, including the 2019 subcontractor request and its How to Do Business guide, still give the authority's former Northampton Street address in Kingston, a property the board said in February 2025 it intended to sell. Use the Wilkes-Barre address.

Shared Ride covers the whole county, 906 square miles and 325,594 people at the 2020 census, per PennDOT's fiscal 2024-25 report. Hazleton Public Transit runs its own buses around Hazleton, but MATP for the whole county runs through LCTA. PennDOT counts LCTA's shared ride trips by who paid for them:

| Program | Trips, fiscal 2024-25 |
|---|---|
| MATP | 52,381 |
| Riders 65 and older (Lottery) | 36,730 |
| ADA paratransit | 25,901 |
| Other shared ride | 23,320 |
| Persons with Disabilities | 1,755 |
| All shared ride trips | 140,087 |

The same report puts LCTA's average shared ride cost at $42.42 a trip and its average fare at $24.46, with 39 vehicles in peak shared ride service.

### How LCTA books and runs a Medical Assistance ride

LCTA's welcome packet and MATP page set these rules for riders, and any carrier driving LCTA trips works within them:

- **Registering.** A rider signs up by phone at 570-288-8420 and can ride for up to 30 days before the signed application is due. LCTA then tells the rider their mode by mail.
- **Mode.** LCTA must pick the least expensive mode that fits: bus fare reimbursement, mileage at 25 cents a mile plus parking and tolls, a shared van, or a lift-equipped van.
- **Standing trips.** Riders who claim mileage for regular dialysis, methadone, or rehab visits report the month's dates within five business days before it starts. Checks go out once claims reach $10, or at the end of the quarter.
- **Booking.** By noon the business day before, and up to two weeks ahead.
- **Timing.** A half-hour [pickup window](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/pickup-window/). Riders are dropped no more than an hour before the appointment and picked up no more than an hour after it ends.
- **Urgent care.** After hours and on weekends and holidays, riders call 570-283-2444, where a Trans-Med dispatcher arranges the trip once LCTA's urgent care definition is met and the rider is verified as registered.
- **Limits.** Pharmacy trips go to one of the two pharmacies nearest home or the prescriber's office. [Methadone](https://nemtguide.com/guides/methadone-clinic-rides/) trips go to the closest in-network program unless LCTA grants an exception.
- **No-shows.** A rider who cancels less than an hour before pickup, or is not there when the driver arrives, is a [no-show](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/no-show/). Two in 90 days can mean calling the day before every trip, or the trip is cancelled.

## The 2026 MATP contracts with two agencies

LCTA's board minutes show MATP work moving onto Shared Ride, not away from it:

- **December 16, 2025.** The board added an emergency item to provide Medical Assistance transportation through Shared Ride for indigent patients of mental health facilities, starting in early January with Northeast Counseling. The executive director said that without it, those clients would not have the transportation they need, and the board authorized it pending a contract at the January meeting.
- **January 27, 2026.** The board approved a draft contract with Northeast Counseling Services for MATP client transportation, and authorized service for Children's Service Center until its contract was ready.
- **February 24, 2026.** The board approved the Children's Service Center contract and a new Shared Ride Operator's Manual, and its personnel committee said LCTA was looking to hire part-time Shared Ride drivers.
- **March 24, 2026.** The finance committee reported Shared Ride funding revenue 2% over budget as a result of the new subcontracted MATP services.
- **May 26, 2026.** Shared Ride program funding revenue was 4.65% over budget, operations overtime 15.54% over, three Shared Ride drivers were retiring on July 6, and LCTA was seeking part-time drivers in every division.

For a ride company, the pattern matters. Local agencies such as Northeast Counseling Services contract for their clients' MATP rides, and the work moved within weeks: the board voted on December 16, 2025 for service planned to start in early January. LCTA took it on while it was hiring part-time Shared Ride drivers and running operations overtime over budget, though by June 2026 its personnel chair said LCTA was almost at full staff. See [behavioral health transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/behavioral-health-transportation/) for how that work usually runs.

LCTA is also changing how it delivers shared ride. In May 2026 its strategic planning chair said LCTA wants to fold some Shared Ride work into its microtransit service, and in June 2026 he said LCTA had sent the state a presentation on how a New York operator combines its shared ride and on-call service.

## Where LCTA uses outside carriers

LCTA's welcome packet says LCTA and its subcontractors carry riders to specialist appointments outside Luzerne County. The out-of-county day it lists is Thursday, to Danville, for appointments between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., booked 10 business days ahead and allowed only when the care is not available locally. Its How to Do Business guide lists paratransit transportation and fixed route transportation among the subcontracts it buys.

### What LCTA asked of subcontractors in 2019

The last subcontractor request LCTA posted, RFP 18-19-005, sought carriers for MATP trips from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, with proposals due at noon on May 17, 2019. Its terms show how LCTA runs outside carriers:

- **Riders.** Ambulatory and wheelchair riders within Luzerne County. A company without accessible vehicles was not ruled out for that alone.
- **Manifests.** LCTA schedules every trip and faxes the manifest the afternoon before. You carry only the trips on it and fax the completed manifest back on a schedule you agree with LCTA. See the [daily manifest template](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-daily-manifest/).
- **Pickups.** A 30-minute window, 15 minutes either side of the scheduled time. A driver more than 25 minutes late lets LCTA cut that trip's pay by 10%, and a pickup more than 15 minutes early needs the rider's okay by phone.
- **No-shows.** Marked on the manifest and reported to LCTA in writing within 24 hours.
- **Invoices.** Monthly and itemized by date, driver, rider, origin, destination, and rate, with no-shows and billable cancellations labeled. Past the 10th of the month LCTA may cut payment 10%, and past the 15th, 15%.
- **Drivers.** Child abuse clearance, criminal history, and a valid license for every driver, volunteers included, plus Older Adult Protective Services Act clearances for drivers carrying adults. Drivers are trained on an ongoing basis in defensive driving, passenger assistance and wheelchair securement, and sensitivity.
- **Paperwork.** A copy of your drug and alcohol policy, LCTA's confidentiality agreement signed by each driver, child incidents reported within 12 hours, and records kept four years for LCTA, PennDOT, and state and federal auditors.
- **Insurance and exit.** Coverage in the amounts LCTA reasonably requires, an agreement to indemnify LCTA, and termination by either side on 30 days' written notice.

The proposal had to state that you are licensed to carry passengers in Pennsylvania and list your fleet, accessible vehicles, garage location, years in business, and three references, with a per-trip rate. LCTA scored approach at 35 points, agency qualifications at 20, staff qualifications at 15, and budget at 30. Read [how to subcontract NEMT trips](https://nemtguide.com/guides/subcontract-nemt-trips/) before you set that rate.

## How to get MATP work in Luzerne County

### Write a PUC territory that reaches Danville

The PUC sets your territory by the counties where your trips start, and amending it takes a new application and fee. Wording that carries riders from points in Luzerne County to points in Pennsylvania and back covers a Thursday Danville run. A wheelchair-van territory written as "between points" in Luzerne would keep you inside the county. Add Lackawanna or another neighbor in the same filing if you want that work too.

### File the bidders list application

LCTA's vendor profile and bidders list application goes to its finance director at 300 South Pennsylvania Ave. in Wilkes-Barre, marked as prime contractor or subcontractor. It asks for your ownership, Pennsylvania business license number, federal tax ID, year founded, gross receipts, and any DBE certification, with copies of your licenses and articles of incorporation. LCTA's procurement manager may call listed companies directly for bids. Solicitations appear on LCTA's site and in both local newspapers, and in 2026 LCTA posted a request through PennBid.

### Know how LCTA buys

LCTA's procedures dated February 8, 2026 need no quotes under $13,200 and at least three written or phone quotes from $13,200 to $24,500. Anything over $24,500 goes to formal bidding with public advertisement, and where federal and state limits differ, the stricter one governs.

### Ask Shared Ride where outside carriers fit

Call 570-288-8420 and ask for the shared ride director. Ask which trips go to subcontractors now, whether the Danville runs or after-hours urgent care need another carrier, what insurance LCTA requires, and how it pays. Have your clearances, drug and alcohol policy, and vehicle list ready.

### Follow the LCTA board

The board meets on a Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m. at 300 S. Pennsylvania Ave., with the next meetings on October 27 and November 24, 2026. You can join online or by phone. Written comments emailed by 3 p.m. on the meeting day go to every board member and into the minutes. The posted agendas and minutes are where the 2026 MATP contracts first showed up.

### Stretcher trips and nearby counties

Stretcher and non-emergency ambulance trips go to the rider's HealthChoices plan, and Luzerne 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 here through UPMC Medical Transportation.

Around Luzerne, [Lackawanna County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/lackawanna-county/) books through COLTS, Carbon County through LANTA's line (see [Lehigh County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/lehigh-county/)), and Columbia County through [rabbittransit](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/rabbittransit/). Wyoming County shares a line with Susquehanna County through TREHAB, and [Schuylkill County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/schuylkill-county/) lists its program with county human services.

## What to do first

1. **File for PUC paratransit authority** from points in Luzerne to points in Pennsylvania.
2. **Send LCTA's bidders list application** to the finance director, marked as a subcontractor.
3. **Read RFP 18-19-005** and get your clearances, drug and alcohol policy, and per-trip price in order.
4. **Call Shared Ride at 570-288-8420** and ask how out-of-county runs and outside carriers are handled.
5. **Join the October 27, 2026 board meeting** online and read each month's minutes for new MATP contracts.

## Frequently asked questions

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

Call LCTA Shared Ride at 570-288-8420, or toll free at 800-679-4135. The state's county list updated June 18, 2026 shows calls taken Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., though LCTA's January 2025 welcome packet gives office hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For urgent care after hours, on a weekend, or on a holiday, call 570-283-2444 and tell the Trans-Med dispatcher you are a shared ride client.

### What is the Luzerne County shared ride phone number?

LCTA Shared Ride answers at 570-288-8420 or toll free 800-679-4135, the same line Medical Assistance riders use to register and book. LCTA's main line for fixed route and shared ride is 570-288-9356, its offices are at 300 S. Pennsylvania Ave. in Wilkes-Barre, and complaints go to 570-283-1683.

### How far ahead do Luzerne County MATP riders book?

By noon the business day before the trip, and up to two weeks ahead, per LCTA's MATP welcome packet. Out-of-county trips, such as the Thursday runs to Danville, need 10 business days and an appointment between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. A new rider can ride for up to 30 days before the signed application is due.

### Does LCTA subcontract MATP trips?

Some. LCTA's welcome packet says LCTA and its subcontractors carry riders to specialist appointments outside the county, and its 2019 request, RFP 18-19-005, bought MATP trips from outside carriers at a per-trip rate. The 2026 contracts with Northeast Counseling Services and Children's Service Center run the other way: Shared Ride carries those agencies' MATP clients.

### How does a NEMT company become an LCTA subcontractor?

File LCTA's vendor profile and bidders list application, marked as a subcontractor, with the finance director at 300 South Pennsylvania Ave. Then watch for a subcontractor request. The last one asked for a statement that you are licensed to carry passengers in Pennsylvania, your fleet and accessible vehicles, three references, driver clearances, a drug and alcohol policy, and a per-trip rate.

### Does Luzerne County MATP pay mileage?

Yes, 25 cents a mile plus parking and tolls with receipts, when driving is the least costly fit. Riders with standing appointments, such as dialysis or methadone, report them within five business days before the month starts; others call before each trip. LCTA mails a check once claims reach $10, or at the end of the quarter.

### Does Luzerne County MATP cover stretcher rides?

No. Stretcher and non-emergency ambulance trips are off the state's February 13, 2026 list of MATP services and go to the rider's HealthChoices plan, and Luzerne is in the Northeast zone. If LCTA cannot meet a rider's needs, it refers them to the County Assistance Office in Wilkes-Barre, 570-826-2100, or Hazleton, 570-459-3800.

## Official resources

- [LCTA: Medical Assistance Transportation Program](https://www.lctabus.com/paratransit/matp/)
- [LCTA: MATP Welcome Packet](https://www.lctabus.com/docs/paratransit/MATP-Welcome-Packet.pdf)
- [LCTA: Business Center and solicitations](https://www.lctabus.com/business-center/)
- [LCTA: Vendor Profile and Bidders List Application](https://www.lctabus.com/docs/business/DBE-Application-Form-Fillable.pdf)
- [LCTA: Transportation Subcontractor Services RFP 18-19-005 (2019)](https://www.lctabus.com/docs/2019/2019-RFP1819005-Subcontractors.pdf)
- [LCTA: Board meetings and minutes](https://www.lctabus.com/about/governance/)