Getting to appointments and the shops without driving.
Giving up the car does not have to mean giving up the appointment. Worcester has three routes to a ride: the WRTA's door-to-door paratransit service, MassHealth's own free rides to medical appointments if you are on it, and private companies you book yourself.
Only companies whose own website publishes their phone number are listed here. Dozens of van companies hold a Worcester address in federal provider registries, but a registry entry is not proof that a company is licensed, still trading, or will answer the phone - and this page is not the place to find that out the hard way. If someone recommends a company to you, the two city numbers at the bottom will tell you whether it is registered and licensed before you book.
Door-to-Door and Subsidised Rides
WRTA Paratransit
508-752-9283
Door-to-door vans for people whose disability or health keeps them from using the regular bus. You must be approved first - ring this number and they will post you the form, your doctor returns a page of it, and a decision follows within 21 days. After that, book up to a week ahead and no later than 4.30 p.m. the day before. There is no same-day booking.
Booking: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. A message can be left at the weekend.
Their website
Toll-free 877-743-3852. TTY 508-792-3709. Fares are suspended until 30 June 2027, so the ride is free. If a booked van has not come and the office is shut, ring dispatch on 508-453-3423.
MassHealth medical rides (MART)
866-834-9991
If you have MassHealth and your doctor says you need a ride to an appointment, the state arranges one - a van or a car, there and back, at no cost to you. Your doctor's office files the form; once it is approved you ring this number to book each journey. Have your 12-digit MassHealth number to hand, and book three days ahead where you can.
Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Closed weekends and public holidays. The automated line for checking or cancelling a booked ride answers at any hour.
Their website
The same number books a ride, cancels one and tells you where yours is. It needs an approved PT-1 form first, which your own doctor or clinic files for you online - there is no paper form and nothing for you to post. For the state of that form, ring MassHealth on 800-841-2900.
WRTA Customer Service
508-791-9782
Bus routes, fares, senior reduced fares and the CharlieCard, and help with the paratransit application.
Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Their website
Worcester Senior Center / Division of Elder Affairs
508-799-1232
Transportation help among the services for older Worcester residents, alongside information and referrals, benefits help and meals.
128 Providence St., Worcester, MA 01604
Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Their website
Elder Services of Worcester Area (ESWA)
508-756-1545
Worcester's Aging Services Access Point. Information and referral for older adults living at home, including working out which ride programs someone qualifies for.
67 Millbrook St., Worcester, MA 01606
Their website
Toll-free: 1-800-243-5111. TTY: use Mass Relay 711.
WRTA Travel Training
A free WRTA programme where a trainer rides with you, one to one at first, until you are confident taking the ordinary buses on your own, either to one particular place or around the whole network. Open to anyone aged 13 and over.
Their website
The page gives no direct phone number: fill in the contact form there and a trainer will get back to you within 1 to 3 business days, or ring WRTA Customer Service (already listed) and ask for travel training. This is a separate service from WRTA's paratransit.
DAV vans and VA shuttles for veterans
413-582-3078
Free van rides, driven by Disabled American Veterans volunteers, to scheduled appointments at VA Central Western Massachusetts facilities for veterans with no other way to get there. The VA also runs shuttles, including wheelchair-accessible transport, and some veterans qualify for travel payments.
Their website
The number is the DAV hospital service coordinator at the Leeds VA Medical Center. DAV vans only take passengers who can walk without the driver's help. For VA shuttles ring 413-584-4040, extension 22217; for travel payments (Beneficiary Travel), extension 26827.
Private Medical Transport
Health & Wellness Transportation, LLC
774-386-3208
Non-emergency transportation to and from medical appointments, booked by phone or on their website. They say they serve all of Worcester and surrounding areas.
Their website
A private company, not a city or state service. Ask about cost and whether your insurance is accepted before booking.
Your Ride, Inc.
508-459-3272
A Worcester company that drives people to medical appointments and hospital discharges, with help from the door of your home to the door of the clinic. It carries people who can walk, people in manual or electric wheelchairs and scooters, and people who need a stretcher.
Their website
Private-pay clients pay on the day, by cash, cheque or card. Book 24 to 48 hours ahead. The driver leaves and comes back for you after the appointment. One family member or carer may ride along.
Knight's Airport Limousine — medical appointments
508-839-6252
A car service that also drives people to doctors' appointments, dialysis and hospital visits in Worcester and beyond, in sedans and vans.
Their website
This is a car service, not an ambulance and not a wheelchair van: you need to be able to get in and out of a car. Ask for a quote when you book.
MedStar Ambulance — Worcester
508-799-0004
A private ambulance company with a Worcester base. Besides ambulances, it runs wheelchair vans and a specialty bus for non-emergency trips to appointments and events.
Their website
For an emergency ring 911. Ask whether your insurance covers the trip before you book; wheelchair van trips are often not covered.
Before You Book a Private Company
Worcester City Clerk
508-799-1121
Holds the city's business certificates. Ask whether a company is currently registered in Worcester and under which name.
City Hall, Room 206, 455 Main St., Worcester, MA 01608
Monday, 8:45 a.m.–5 p.m.; Tuesday–Friday, 8:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m.
Their website
Email: clerk@worcesterma.gov
Worcester Police License Division
508-799-8648
Licenses vehicles for hire in the city. Ask whether a company is licensed to carry passengers before you book it.
Police Headquarters, 9-11 Lincoln Square, Worcester, MA 01608
Their website
Mass RideMatch
A free website listing public, private, community and non-profit transport providers across Massachusetts. Choose Worcester from the list and it shows every option, with public services first, including accessible transport for older and disabled people.
Their website
RideMatch does not book rides and has no phone line; you ring the provider it lists. A family member or the Senior Center can help you search.
Taxis, trains and coaches
Worcester Yellow Cab
508-754-3211
A Worcester taxi company available at any hour, with a wheelchair-accessible vehicle in its fleet. It also does runs to Boston Logan and other airports.
7 South Crystal Street, Worcester, MA 01603
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Their website
Ask for the wheelchair-accessible vehicle when you ring, and book ahead if you can, as there may be only one. The City of Worcester's own 'Getting Around the City' page gives the same number.
MBTA Senior CharlieCard
617-222-3200
People aged 65 and over can get a Senior CharlieCard for about half-price MBTA fares, including cheaper monthly passes on the Commuter Rail from Worcester Union Station to Boston. The card lasts eight years.
Telephone help: Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 8pm.
Their website
You can now apply online. In person, the card is issued in Boston, so apply online or ask a family member to help. TTY: 711.
Peter Pan Bus Lines — Worcester Union Station
Coaches from Worcester Union Station to Boston, Springfield, Providence, Hartford and New York.
Union Station, 2 Washington Sq., Worcester, MA 01604
Their website
The Peter Pan ticket counter at Union Station is closed, and tickets must be bought before you travel on the website or the Peter Pan app, so ask a family member to help if you are not online. Gates: Boston/Springfield 4, Providence 3, New York/Hartford 5. The page gives no telephone number.
Driving and parking
RMV Medical Affairs — disability parking placards
857-368-8020
The Registry of Motor Vehicles office that deals with disability parking placards and plates. A placard is free; your doctor or other healthcare provider fills in part of the form.
Their website
Post the original form to RMV Medical Affairs, PO Box 55889, Boston, MA 02205-5889, and keep a copy. Disability plates cost $60 for two years.
Worcester RMV Service Center
The Registry office in Worcester for driving licences, ID cards and other Registry business, including road tests.
50 Southwest Cutoff, Worcester, MA 01604
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Saturday, 9am to 4pm (Saturdays by appointment only, for permits, licences and ID).
Their website
mass.gov gives no telephone number for this office; book an appointment on the page. There is parking on site.