Veyo to double its transportation market in 2017

Need a ride? San Diego-based Veyo is betting that many seniors will say yes.

The niche transportation startup company is offering non-emergency medical transport designed for seniors and people with disabilities or mobility challenges. Its business model looks a lot like Uber or Lyft, but with drivers who are highly vetted and trained in CPR, first aid, disability assistance, cultural sensitivity and even HIPAA laws.

Veyo partners with health insurance plans to provide transportation benefits. Passengers can ride for free, since the transportation cost is billed to the insurer. The destinations are usually doctors’ offices, hospitals and therapy sessions—any medical service location that doesn’t involve life-threatening or emergency care. Data analytics helps manage supply and demand and track performance.

Transportation vehicles range from independent drivers in their own vehicles to specialized wheelchair vans and stretcher vans. Riders don’t need a smartphone to schedule a ride, and the service is available in rural areas where other ride services don’t always operate.

The surging population of Medicare and Medicaid recipients highlights the need for the service, says Josh Komenda, Veyo’s President, in a Health Business Group blog. The company provided more than 3 million trips in 2016 alone. Using real-time dashboards, GPS-based dispatch and tracking, the application even monitors for suspicious activity, invalid destinations and fraud patterns.

The service is currently available in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan and Texas. The company has plans to expand into five additional states by the end of 2017.

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.