The American Red Cross Chisholm Trail Chapter WHEELS program provides countywide non-emergency medical transportation to the residents of Tarrant County.
Eligibility: Tarrant County residents who are over the age of 60, disabled or transportation disadvantaged are eligible for WHEELS. To apply, please call (817)-336-8714, and a staff member will complete your application over the phone.
Hours of operation: WHEELS service hours are 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. There is no service on the weekend or on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Scheduling your trip: Trip requests are taken Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., two to seven working days in advance of the trip date. To schedule your trip, please call (817)-336-8714. Be prepared to provide the following information:
*Time you are due at your destination
*Destination address and description (doctor’s office, pharmacy)
*Time of your return trip
*Number of guests
*If a personal care attendant will accompany you
Trip types are prioritized by 1- kidney/cancer patients, 2- heart patients, 3 – doctor’s appointments, 4 – therapy appointments, 5 – other medical appointments. Trip requests are not scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis; the schedules are created to maximize capacity. It may not be possible to accommodate all trip requests, and you will be informed as soon as possible if your trip cannot be scheduled.
The reservationist will give you an approximate time your driver will arrive. The driver may arrive up to 15 minutes before or after this time and be considered “on-time” for your trip. Please be ready to go and waiting in a place where you can hear or see the vehicle when it arrives. WHEELS is a door-to-door service, and the driver will escort you to and from the vehicle.
Drivers are not allowed to go into residences to assist passengers. In nursing and retirement facilities and places of business, drivers are only permitted to pick up and drop off in the main floor lobby area. Once your driver arrives, you will have five minutes to board the vehicle for your trip in order to avoid delaying other passengers. Drivers are only required to wait five minutes before proceeding on their route.
Fare: The fare is a sliding scale based on income level and ranges from $2.00-$2.50 per one-way trip. Riders do not pay their drivers; a monthly invoice is mailed out at the end of each month.
On-board policies: Please fasten your seat belt as soon as possible because drivers are not allowed to put the vehicle in motion until your seat belt is fastened. For the comfort of other passengers, eating, drinking and smoking are not allowed on board the vehicle. The American Red Cross reserves the right to suspend or terminate service to anyone who exhibits abusive, threatening or obscene language or actions while on board the WHEELS vehicle.
WHEELS drivers are professionally trained in:
*CPR and First Aid
*Defensive Driving techniques
*Blood-borne pathogen prevention
*Passenger assistance techniques
All vehicles are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible for passengers with special needs.
Funding provided by:
*United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County
*Area Agency on Aging
*Private contracts
*Contributions from local citizens
