Phoenix wheelchair transportation by the numbers: 2026 report

We estimate that Medicaid members in Maricopa County take about 1.06 million one-way wheelchair-van rides to medical care each year, close to 3,000 a day. That makes the Phoenix area one of the busiest wheelchair transportation markets in the country, and it doesn’t count private-pay, Medicare Advantage or hospital-discharge rides.

Updated November 2026

All ride counts on this page are estimates built from public data. No agency publishes wheelchair-van trip counts for the Phoenix area.

Key findings

• About 1.06 million Medicaid wheelchair-van rides a year. Our middle estimate works out to roughly 2,900 one-way rides a day across the Valley. The low and high estimates are about 430,000 and 2.16 million.
• Arizona uses medical rides far more than most states. In 2021, Arizona Medicaid recorded 14,681 ride-days per 10,000 members, against a national rate of 6,504. In 2019, before COVID, Arizona’s rate was 26,286.
• Most Arizona Medicaid rides are in vans. Vans of all kinds made up 72.5% of Arizona Medicaid ride-days in 2021.
• The need goes well beyond Medicaid. Of the county’s 790,090 residents aged 65 and older, 145,687 have serious difficulty walking. Valley Metro’s ADA paratransit service alone carried 910,043 boardings in fiscal 2023.

The Phoenix-area numbers

How we estimated it

Wheelchair-van rides = Medicaid members × ride-days per member × one-way trips per ride-day × the share of trips that need a wheelchair van.

• Ride-days. Federal data counts days with at least one ride, not individual trips. The 2021 rate was held down by COVID, so we use it as the low case and the 2019 rate as the high case.
• Trips per ride-day. Most ride-days are a round trip, so a ride-day is usually two one-way trips. We use 1.6 to 2.0 to allow for one-way days.
• Wheelchair share. Arizona doesn’t publish it, so we used the range seen in states that do: 17.7% in Mississippi, 30.3% in Indiana and 39.9% in Rhode Island. In Indiana, 42% of dialysis trips and 67% of nursing-home trips needed a wheelchair vehicle.

What the estimate leaves out

This counts Medicaid rides only. Real wheelchair-van demand in the Valley is higher, because the estimate doesn’t include:

• Medicare Advantage ride benefits
• Private-pay rides booked by families
• Hospital and nursing-facility discharges paid by the facility
• Veterans Affairs transportation
• ADA paratransit, such as Valley Metro’s service

What this means if you need a ride

• Book early. Wheelchair vans in the Valley carry a heavy Medicaid load, so last-minute private-pay rides can be hard to find. For standing appointments such as dialysis or therapy, ask about a recurring booking.
• On AHCCCS? Book through the rider’s health plan, not a company you pick. See how to book a Medicaid ride in Phoenix.
• Paying privately or on Medicare? Call two or three Phoenix wheelchair van companies and compare written quotes. Our checklist covers what to ask.

Limits of this data

• No agency publishes wheelchair-van trip counts for Maricopa County. The wheelchair share is the biggest uncertainty, which is why the range is wide.
• Federal ride data runs through 2021 and counts ride-days, not trips. Between 11% and 16% of ride-days have no vehicle type recorded.
• The paratransit figure counts all riders, not only wheelchair users.

Citing this report

Journalists, researchers and agencies are welcome to use these figures with credit and a link:

SeniorMedRides, “Phoenix wheelchair transportation by the numbers: 2026 report,” November 2026, https://seniormedrides.com/guides/phoenix-wheelchair-transportation-report/

Medical emergency? Call 911. This guide is general information, not medical, legal or insurance advice. Rules vary by plan; confirm with the rider’s plan.