Community Transport, Dial-a-Ride and Hospital Travel Help
Last checked November 2026. Offers and rules change: confirm with the provider before you rely on them.
Community transport is the name for local, not-for-profit services that fill the gaps ordinary buses leave: door-to-door minibuses, volunteer drivers who take you to appointments, and group shopping trips. Alongside it, the NHS runs free non-emergency patient transport for people who medically need it, and refunds hospital travel costs for people on a low income.
What "community transport" covers
GOV.UK describes these as services "for people who have difficulty using public transport", including door-to-door transport and trips to shopping centres. They are usually run by local charities, sometimes with council funding. The main types are:
- Dial-a-ride (also called ring-and-ride). An accessible minibus that you book in advance. It collects you from your door and takes you to the shops, the surgery or a social club. You normally have to register first. The NHS says dial-a-ride is free in many places; elsewhere there is a fare, and in some areas a bus pass is accepted.
- Community car schemes. Volunteers use their own cars to drive you to medical appointments, the hairdresser or to visit a friend. You usually pay a contribution towards the driver's mileage, which tends to be well below a taxi fare. Drivers often wait for you or come back to collect you.
- Group minibuses and shopper services. A regular run from a village or sheltered housing scheme to a supermarket or market town, often with help carrying bags.
- Shopmobility. Loan of a scooter or wheelchair for getting around a town centre. See hiring mobility equipment.
The NHS notes that some schemes ask you to register, there may be a charge, and a carer may be able to travel with you.
How to find what runs near you
- Ask your council. In England and Wales, the GOV.UK page Find out about community transport services and Shopmobility takes your postcode and sends you to your council's information. The NHS also suggests asking the council's social services team.
- Search the Community Transport Association map. The CTA is the national charity for these operators across the UK, and its website has a map of member schemes that you can filter by nation and region.
- Ask locally. GP receptionists, the library, your local Age UK and the parish or community council nearly always know the name and number of the local scheme.
In Northern Ireland, nidirect says SmartPass holders who are members of a Rural Community Transport Partnership can use their pass on its Dial-a-Lift services; see over-60s in Northern Ireland.
Getting to hospital: free patient transport
The NHS provides non-emergency patient transport services (often shortened to PTS): free transport to and from hospital for people who qualify. According to the NHS website, those who may be eligible include:
- people whose condition means they need additional medical support during their journey;
- people who find it difficult to walk;
- parents or guardians of children who are being transported.
Eligibility is about medical need, not age or income. To find out whether you qualify and how to book, speak to your GP surgery or the hospital department that sent your appointment letter; see the NHS page on organising transport to and from hospital. Arrangements differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so ask your own hospital.
Claiming back travel costs: the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme
If you do not qualify for patient transport but money is tight, the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) may refund the cost of getting to hospital. The details below come from the NHS page on the scheme, which describes how it works in England; similar help exists in the other nations, so ask your hospital.
Who can claim
You need to meet three conditions:
- you, or your partner, receive a qualifying benefit, or you are named on an NHS Low Income Scheme certificate (HC2 for full help, HC3 for limited help). For people over State Pension age, the key qualifying benefit is Pension Credit Guarantee Credit;
- you have been referred by a healthcare professional for specialist care or hospital tests;
- the appointment is on a separate visit from the one at which the referral was made.
What you can claim
The refund is normally based on the cheapest suitable way of travelling, which usually means public transport. If you go by car, fuel is paid at a local mileage rate and unavoidable parking charges may be covered. A taxi is only refunded if it was agreed with the hospital or local NHS body beforehand. You can also claim for an escort if a healthcare professional says it is medically necessary for someone to travel with you.
You cannot claim for visiting someone else in hospital, or for routine GP or dental check-ups.
How to claim
You pay for your travel first. Take your receipts, your appointment letter and proof of your benefit to the cashier's office at the hospital, and you are usually refunded there and then. If there is no cashier's office, fill in form HC5(T) and post it. Claims must be made within 3 months of the appointment.
Common questions
Is community transport only for disabled people?
No. Each scheme sets its own rules, but most are open to anyone who finds ordinary public transport difficult or who has no suitable bus service, which includes many older people in rural areas.
Can I use my free bus pass on dial-a-ride?
In some areas, yes; in others there is a separate fare or membership fee. Ask the scheme when you register.
I am not on Pension Credit. Can I still get help with hospital travel?
Possibly, through the NHS Low Income Scheme, which looks at your income and savings. If you qualify you receive an HC2 or HC3 certificate. Our benefits checklist lists other help to check at the same time.