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Stretcher Van Transport Across New York City and Northern New Jersey

Safe, non emergency stretcher van transport across New York City and Northern New Jersey. EMT trained crews, Stryker Power PRO cots, bed to bed care, 24/7. Hospital, rehab, dialysis and long distance. Book in minutes.

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What Stretcher Van Transport Is and When You Need It

Stretcher van transport is a planned, non emergency way to move a patient who must stay lying down for the entire trip. The patient travels on a hospital grade stretcher secured inside a medically equipped van, attended by a trained crew, rather than seated in a car or wheelchair. It is built for people who cannot safely transfer to a seat, cannot tolerate sitting up for long, or need to be moved gently after surgery, a fall or a long hospital stay. Families across New York City and Northern New Jersey reach for stretcher transportation in a familiar set of situations. A parent is being discharged from NewYork Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone or Newark Beth Israel and is too weak to sit for the ride home. A rehab patient at a skilled nursing facility needs to move to a new center across the river. A hospice patient is going home for their final weeks and the family wants a calm, dignified ride. A dialysis patient who can no longer manage a wheelchair van needs to lie flat for treatment three times a week. In each of these cases the right answer is a stretcher van staffed by people who do this every day. The key word is non emergency. Stretcher transport is for scheduled and same day moves where the patient is medically stable and does not need lights and sirens. If someone is having a true emergency, the answer is always 911. For everything else, where the need is mobility and careful handling rather than active resuscitation, a stretcher van is the safer, calmer and more affordable choice than an ambulance.

Stretcher Van vs. Ambulance vs. Ambulette: Which Is Right

These three services get confused constantly, and choosing the wrong one costs families money and stress. Here is the plain difference. An ambulance is an emergency vehicle. It carries advanced or basic life support crews, monitoring equipment and medications, and it is the right call when a patient is unstable, needs cardiac monitoring, oxygen titration or active medical intervention on the road. It is also the most expensive option by a wide margin, and dispatching one for a routine move is overkill. An ambulette, also called a wheelchair van, carries patients who can remain seated, usually in their own wheelchair, secured with proper tie downs. It is ideal for dialysis runs, clinic visits and discharges when the patient can sit upright for the trip. What it cannot do is carry a patient who must lie flat. A stretcher van sits squarely between the two. It is staffed by EMT trained crews and carries a patient who must remain lying down, but it does not provide emergency intervention. It is the correct choice when the patient is stable but bed bound, post surgical, in significant pain when seated, or simply too weak to sit for the journey. You get clinically trained hands, a real hospital style stretcher and gentle bed to bed care, at a fraction of ambulance cost. For most non emergency moves of a bed bound patient anywhere in the metro, the stretcher van is the right and most cost effective answer.

Types of Stretcher Van Transport We Provide

No two stretcher runs are alike, so we run a full menu of stretcher transportation across the metro rather than a one size fits all service. Hospital discharge transport. We bring patients home from major hospitals on both sides of the Hudson, including NewYork Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone, Lenox Hill, Maimonides, Montefiore, University Hospital in Newark, Newark Beth Israel and Hackensack University Medical Center. We coordinate with case managers on timing so the bed is ready and the discharge is clean. Nursing home and rehab transfers. Routine and scheduled moves between skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers and hospitals, including bed to bed transfers when a patient is changing facilities entirely. Dialysis transport for bed bound patients. For patients who can no longer tolerate a wheelchair van, recurring stretcher runs to and from DaVita and Fresenius centers across the city and Northern New Jersey, built around the dialysis schedule. Hospice and palliative transport. Gentle, unhurried rides home or to a hospice residence, handled with the calm and dignity these moments deserve. Bariatric stretcher transport. Heavy duty stretchers and three person crews for larger patients, so weight is never a reason a patient cannot be moved safely. Long distance stretcher transport. Lying down medical moves out of the metro to other states, for patients relocating near family, returning home after treatment, or transferring to a specialty facility. Post surgical and spinal transport. Careful handling for patients recovering from orthopedic, spinal or cardiac procedures who must minimize movement and stay flat.

Bed to Bed Care: How Our Crews Actually Work

The difference between a good stretcher transport and a stressful one is everything that happens off the road. We provide bed to bed assistance, not curbside drop off. That means our crew comes to the patient's bedside, room or apartment, transfers them onto the stretcher with a proper two person assist, secures them for the ride, and at the destination moves them all the way into the receiving bed or chair. The patient is in trained hands from the moment we arrive to the moment they are settled. Getting in and out of buildings is where most transport services fall short, and where the metro is uniquely hard. Walk up brownstones in Brooklyn, prewar apartment buildings in Manhattan with small elevators, and older multifamily homes across Newark, Jersey City and Paterson all present narrow stairwells and tight turns. Our crews are trained on stair chair technique and two person carries to bring a patient down safely when an elevator is unavailable or too small for a stretcher. We assess access in advance whenever possible so there are no surprises at the door. Throughout the ride, the crew rides with the patient, monitors comfort, manages positioning, and keeps the family informed. We handle patients' belongings, paperwork and any oxygen the patient travels with, and we communicate directly with discharge planners and facility staff so the handoff is smooth on both ends. This is the part families remember, and it is the part we take most seriously.

Our Stretcher Equipped Vans and Medical Equipment

A stretcher van is only as good as the equipment inside it and the people running it. Our vans are purpose built and ADA equipped for non emergency medical transport, not retrofitted passenger vans. Every stretcher van carries hospital grade stretchers, including Stryker Power PRO cots that raise and lower under power so transfers are smooth and the strain on both patient and crew is minimized. Stretchers are locked to the floor with hydraulic or mechanical fastening systems and the patient is secured with proper restraints, so there is no shifting during the ride no matter how rough the road. A hydraulic lift loads the stretcher level rather than at an angle, which matters for spinal, post surgical and pain sensitive patients. The cabin is climate controlled to keep patients comfortable in summer heat and winter cold, and it includes caregiver seating so a family member can ride along beside the patient. We carry oxygen capability for patients who travel with it, along with the supplies needed for a safe, clean transport. The fleet is maintained and inspected on a regular schedule so a van is ready and reliable when the call comes. Just as important as the hardware are the crews. Our teams are EMT trained, so the people lifting, positioning and monitoring your loved one understand patient handling, vital signs and how to respond if a patient's comfort or condition changes during the ride. Every transport is handled in a HIPAA aware manner, with patient privacy protected from booking through arrival.

Long Distance and Hospital Discharge Stretcher Transport

Two of the most requested stretcher services in the metro are long distance transport and hospital discharge, and both reward planning. Hospital discharge is the single most common reason families call us. After a long admission, a patient who came in able to walk often needs to go home lying down, and the hospital cannot keep the bed open while the family scrambles for a ride. We work directly with case managers and discharge planners at hospitals across New York City and Northern New Jersey to schedule the pickup, confirm the destination is ready, and get the patient home or to the next facility without a chaotic afternoon. Because discharges often firm up only hours in advance, we keep capacity for same day stretcher requests. Long distance stretcher transport is for the moves a local van cannot handle: a patient relocating to be near adult children in another state, a snowbird heading south after a hospital stay, or a transfer to a specialty hospital hundreds of miles away. We plan these routes around the patient's tolerance for travel, with built in stops, repositioning, and a crew that stays with the patient the whole way. Leaving from anywhere in the metro, with its tunnel, bridge and turnpike approaches, we map the cleanest route out and keep the family updated on progress. For these trips especially, the comfort of lying flat in a climate controlled cabin with a trained crew makes a difference no car service can match.

Stretcher Van Transport Cost and Insurance

Most transport companies hide their pricing, which leaves families guessing during an already stressful week. We would rather explain how it works. Stretcher van transport is priced well below an ambulance and a step above a wheelchair van, reflecting the trained crew and specialized equipment involved. Cost depends on a few clear factors: the distance of the trip, whether stairs or a difficult building access are involved, whether the move is scheduled or same day, the time of day, and whether the patient needs bariatric handling or oxygen support. A short discharge run home is at the low end. A long distance interstate move is the most involved and is quoted individually. We give a clear quote before the trip so there are no surprises on the invoice. On insurance, the honest answer is that coverage varies. In New York and New Jersey, Medicaid may cover medically necessary non emergency medical transportation when it is arranged through the right channels and prior authorization is in place, and some private and managed care plans cover stretcher transport when a physician documents that the patient must travel lying down. Standard Medicare generally does not cover non emergency stretcher transport for routine trips, though some Medicare Advantage plans include a transportation benefit. We will tell you plainly what we can bill and what is likely to be private pay, and we help with the documentation facilities and plans ask for. Many families pay privately for the peace of mind and book in minutes; others coordinate through a facility or plan. Either way, we make the cost clear up front.

Where We Serve: Hospitals, Rehabs and Facilities Across the Metro

One United EMS provides stretcher van transport across the full New York City and Northern New Jersey metro, and we run to the facilities families actually use every day. In New York City, we serve all five boroughs. In Manhattan that includes NewYork Presbyterian Columbia in Washington Heights, Weill Cornell and Lenox Hill on the Upper East Side, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone and Bellevue, plus large skilled nursing centers such as Isabella in Washington Heights and the New Jewish Home. We cover Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, threading dense traffic to reach hospitals, rehabs, dialysis centers and apartment buildings citywide. We routinely visit DaVita and Fresenius dialysis centers throughout the boroughs for recurring bed bound runs. In Northern New Jersey, we serve Essex, Hudson, Bergen, Passaic and Union counties and beyond. That includes University Hospital, Newark Beth Israel and Saint Michael's in Newark, Hackensack University Medical Center, and the hospitals, rehab centers and nursing facilities of Jersey City, Paterson, Clifton, Elizabeth, Passaic, Teaneck, Englewood, Fort Lee and the surrounding towns. We know the Route 21, I 280, Garden State Parkway and Turnpike corridors and the bridge and tunnel approaches that connect the two states, which keeps our timing realistic and our pickups on schedule. We also serve the lower Hudson Valley communities of Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Spring Valley and Monsey, and reach down into Long Beach, Hempstead, Lakewood and Toms River. If a facility in the metro is not on this list, call us; if it is in the region, we very likely run to it.

How to Book Stretcher Transport, 24/7

Booking is meant to be the easy part of a hard day. Our line is staffed 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays, because discharges and transfers do not keep business hours. When you call, have a few details ready and we handle the rest: who is being transported and roughly their weight and mobility, the pickup location and the destination, whether stairs or a tight building access is involved, the date and the window you need, and whether the patient travels with oxygen or needs bariatric handling. With that, we confirm a time, give you a clear quote, and dispatch the right van and crew. For scheduled moves such as a planned facility transfer or a long distance relocation, booking a day or more ahead gives the best choice of times. For same day discharges, call as soon as you have a likely time from the hospital and we will work to fit you in. We coordinate directly with hospital case managers, facility staff and family caregivers so you are not relaying messages back and forth. From the first call to the moment your loved one is settled in their bed at the other end, you have one team handling the move. Call now to book stretcher van transport anywhere in New York City or Northern New Jersey, or request a quote and we will call you back fast.

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Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

Stretcher van transport costs less than an ambulance and a bit more than a wheelchair van. The exact price depends on distance, whether stairs or difficult building access are involved, whether it is a scheduled or same day move, the time of day, and whether bariatric handling or oxygen is needed. A short discharge run home is at the low end, and long distance interstate moves are quoted individually. We give you a clear quote before the trip so there are no surprises.
It varies. In New York and New Jersey, Medicaid may cover medically necessary non emergency stretcher transport when it is arranged through the right channels with prior authorization, and some private and managed care plans cover it when a physician documents the patient must travel lying down. Standard Medicare generally does not cover routine non emergency stretcher trips, though some Medicare Advantage plans include a transportation benefit. We will tell you plainly what can be billed and what is likely private pay, and we help with the paperwork.
An ambulance is an emergency vehicle with life support crews and equipment for unstable patients who need monitoring or intervention on the road, and it is the most expensive option. A stretcher van is for non emergency moves of a stable patient who must lie flat but does not need emergency care. You still get EMT trained crews and a hospital grade stretcher, at a fraction of ambulance cost. For a true emergency, always call 911.
Yes. We provide full bed to bed care. Our crew comes to the patient's bedside, room or apartment, transfers them onto the stretcher with a two person assist, secures them for the ride, and at the destination moves them all the way into the receiving bed or chair. We handle stairs with stair chair technique and two person carries when an elevator is unavailable or too small, which is common in metro buildings.
Yes. Our stretcher vans include caregiver seating so a family member can ride beside the patient. Having a familiar face along keeps the patient calm and lets you stay informed for the whole trip. Just let us know when you book so we plan for the extra rider.
Yes. We handle long distance lying down medical moves out of the metro to other states, for patients relocating near family, returning home after treatment, or transferring to a specialty facility. We plan the route around the patient's tolerance for travel, with repositioning and stops as needed, and a crew that stays with the patient the entire way.
Yes. We provide bariatric stretcher transport using heavy duty stretchers rated for higher weight and three person crews for safe lifting and positioning. Weight is never a reason a patient cannot be moved safely. Tell us the patient's approximate weight when you book so we send the right equipment and crew.
For scheduled moves such as a planned facility transfer or a long distance relocation, booking a day or more ahead gives the best choice of times. For same day hospital discharges, call as soon as the hospital gives you a likely time and we will work to fit you in. Our line is staffed 24/7, so you can book day or night.
Yes. We provide gentle, unhurried stretcher transport for hospice and palliative care patients, including rides home for end of life care or moves to a hospice residence. These trips are handled with calm and dignity, and our crews give families the time and care these moments deserve.
Yes. Our crews are EMT trained, so the people lifting, positioning and monitoring your loved one understand patient handling and how to respond if comfort or condition changes during the ride. One United EMS is licensed and insured, our vans are ADA equipped and maintained on a regular inspection schedule, and every transport is handled in a HIPAA aware manner that protects patient privacy.

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