Is NHS patient transport free?

If you are assessed as eligible, NHS non-emergency patient transport is provided free of charge. There is no fee for the journey itself and no mileage charge.

The important word is eligible. Eligibility is a clinical decision, not a financial one. It is based on whether your medical condition means you need support to travel safely to your appointment — not on whether you can afford the fare. Someone on a low income who is medically able to travel independently will usually be expected to make their own way, while someone who needs clinical support during the journey may qualify regardless of income.

If you do not qualify but are on a low income or receiving certain benefits, you may still be able to claim your travel costs back through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme. That is a separate scheme from patient transport, with its own rules, and it reimburses you after the journey rather than arranging transport for you. Ask the hospital's cashier's office or PALS team how to claim.

How do you book NHS patient transport?

Patient transport is not something you turn up and request on the day. It has to be arranged in advance, and the process generally runs like this:

• Find the booking number. It is normally printed on your appointment letter. Your GP surgery or the hospital department can also tell you who to contact.
• Call as early as you can. Many services ask for several days' notice. Leaving it to the day before often means no availability.
• Answer the eligibility questions. You will be asked about your mobility, your condition, and whether you need an escort. Answer them honestly — understating your needs can mean the wrong vehicle arrives.
• Say if you use a wheelchair. This determines which vehicle is sent and cannot usually be changed on the day.
• Mention anyone travelling with you. An escort may be permitted where there is a genuine need, but the space has to be booked.
• Confirm the return. Outward and return journeys are not always booked together.

Keep the booking reference. If something changes — your appointment moves, or you no longer need the journey — call and cancel. Unused bookings take a vehicle away from another patient who needed it.

What time does NHS patient transport run until?

Operating hours vary between areas, and this catches people out more than any other part of the service.

Patient transport is built around scheduled outpatient clinics, so it tends to run through normal clinic hours on weekdays. Services for evening clinics, weekends and bank holidays are more limited, and some areas do not run them at all. A late-running appointment can also mean a long wait, because the return journey is shared and the vehicle collects several patients in turn.

Two things are worth doing when you book. Ask what time the service stops in your area, and ask what happens if your appointment overruns. If the answer leaves you uncertain about getting home, it is better to arrange a backup than to find out at six in the evening that the last vehicle has gone.

This is the single most common reason people call us from a hospital waiting room. If you are discharged late, after a procedure, or after a clinic that ran over, a pre-booked private hire car is often the difference between going home and waiting.

Frequently asked questions

Travelling to a hospital appointment in Aylesbury

If you are not eligible, or you have been discharged outside patient transport hours, ABC Taxis 247 covers hospital journeys across Aylesbury and Buckinghamshire, including Stoke Mandeville and the National Spinal Injuries Centre. Wheelchair accessible vehicles are available and should be requested when you book.

Call 01296 247365, any time, or book online.