Non-emergency medical transportation, often shortened to NEMT, is scheduled transport for people who need to get to medical care but do not need an ambulance. It exists for a simple reason. A great many people are medically stable yet cannot safely drive themselves, cannot manage a bus, and need more help than a taxi driver is able or willing to give.
Royalty Medical Transportation provides non-emergency medical transport across Greater Houston, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are a private pay service, so you book directly with us and know the price before the trip. There is no broker, no approval process and no waiting for a third party to authorize your ride.
We serve Houston, Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, League City and Galveston, and every one of our drivers is CPR and First Aid certified.
If any of these sound like you or someone you care for, this is the service you are looking for.
This is the question we are asked most, and the distinction matters.
| When it is right | What it costs you | |
|---|---|---|
| Ambulance | A genuine medical emergency, or a patient who needs clinical care during the journey. | The most expensive option by a wide margin, and the wrong tool for a routine appointment. |
| Taxi or rideshare | A healthy person who can walk out, get in unaided and get themselves inside at the other end. | Cheap, but the driver will not come to your door, will not help you walk in, and cannot take a wheelchair. |
| Non-emergency medical transport | A medically stable person who needs help getting from their door to the appointment and back. | Priced per trip, quoted upfront, with a trained driver who stays with you throughout. |
Important: we are a non-emergency service. If someone is having a medical emergency, call 911.
Not every rider needs the same vehicle. We run three, and we will help you pick on the phone if you are not sure.
| Service | Right for you if | What we bring |
|---|---|---|
| Ambulatory | The rider can walk to the vehicle and sit in a normal seat, perhaps with a cane, a walker or a steadying arm. | A sedan or van, with the driver helping from the door and back again. |
| Wheelchair | The rider uses a wheelchair and cannot easily transfer into a car seat, or would rather stay in their own chair. | A lift equipped vehicle. The rider stays in their chair, which is locked to the floor. All chair types including bariatric, power chairs and scooters. |
| Stretcher | The rider cannot sit upright for the journey and needs to travel lying down. | A stretcher equipped vehicle with a driver and an attendant, so the patient travels lying down. |
Most transport services will take you from one address to another. That is curb to curb, and for a rider who is unsteady it leaves out the two hardest parts of the trip.
We work door through door. The driver comes to your door rather than waiting outside, helps you to the vehicle, and at the other end takes you inside to reception or the clinic door rather than leaving you at the entrance. For someone with a walker, a wheelchair or a fresh set of stitches, that is the whole difference.
We provide non-emergency medical transportation throughout Greater Houston, including Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, League City and Galveston, and to the facilities our riders use most:
Going further afield? We also handle long distance medical transportation out of the Houston area.
We are a private pay service. You will always know what a trip costs before it is booked, and there are no surprise charges afterward.
Because those vary so much from trip to trip, we quote your specific journey rather than publish a price list that would not apply to you. If you ride with us more than two or three times a week, as most dialysis and therapy riders do, we offer a discounted rate on those standing bookings.
Booking about 72 hours ahead is ideal, because every time slot is still open and you can choose the pickup that actually suits your appointment. We do accept same day bookings, so call even at short notice.
Find quick answers about our stretcher transportation service and patient care support.
It is scheduled transport for people who need to reach medical care but do not need an ambulance. The rider is medically stable but needs more help than a taxi can give, whether that is a wheelchair lift, a stretcher, or simply a driver who will walk them inside.
No. We are non-emergency medical transportation. We drive people who are medically stable. In an emergency, call 911.
No. We are a private pay service, which means you book directly with us and pay us directly. Many riders prefer that, because there is no approval process and no waiting for a broker to assign a ride.
A rideshare driver waits at the curb, cannot help you walk in, and cannot carry a wheelchair or a stretcher. We come to your door, help you into the vehicle, and take you inside at the other end.
Houston and the surrounding area, including Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, League City and Galveston. We also handle long distance trips out of the Houston area.
Yes. We accommodate all types of wheelchairs, including manual chairs, power chairs, mobility scooters and bariatric wheelchairs. The rider stays in their own chair.
Yes, for riders who cannot sit upright and need to travel lying down. A stretcher trip travels with a driver and an attendant.
Yes. Our phone is answered at any hour, on any day of the year, and we run trips on weekends and public holidays.
Three days out is the sweet spot, because nothing has been taken yet and you can choose the pickup that suits your appointment. Shorter notice is fine too, including same day when we have a vehicle free.
Yes, at no extra charge. A family member or caregiver is welcome and we encourage it, especially on a first trip.
Call us when you are finished and we will send the driver back. On a round trip that return is included when you are heading home between 6am and 6pm. If you would rather the driver stayed with you throughout, we can do that for a waiting fee of $45 per hour.
Less, in fact. If you travel with us more than two or three times a week we offer a discounted rate on those standing bookings.
Every driver holds a current CPR certification and a current First Aid certification, and is trained in safe loading and securement.
There is no flat rate, because no two trips are alike. Distance, service level, the hour of the day and whether the driver waits all move the number. Tell us the trip and we will price it for you before you commit to anything.
Have questions or need a ride? We’re here 24/7 to help with bookings, quotes, or special requests. Reach out today and let us take care of your transportation needs.
Providing safe, reliable, and compassionate medical transportation across Houston
Serving Houston, Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, League City and Galveston.
We are a non-emergency service. If someone is having a medical emergency, call 911.
ⓒ Royalty Medical Transportation