Rise in passengers using Uber over ambulance

Every year, millions of Americans take ambulances to the hospital.

But some are choosing a more unorthodox approach – opting to hail an Uber instead.

Drivers are sharing several stories of taking passengers to the emergency room with broken bones, asphyxia and even going into labor.

While figures are difficult to come by, the drivers say it has become increasingly common, with more stories emerging of people using the company for their medical emergencies.

There are several reasons why riders might choose a hail-cab service: short wait time, low cost, and a choice of hospital.

And with an ambulance ride costing upwards of $1,000, patients aren’t just deterred by the steep fare, they likely can’t afford it.

In recent years, there has been a surge in riders summoning Uber to take them to the hospital, using the cab service due to the low cost, short wait time and choice of hospital

In an online chat room, dozens of Uber drivers have been sharing their stories of being hailed for as a substitute for emergency services.

One driver in Michigan was summoned to pick up a girl from a party who was violently vomiting and possibly suffering from alcohol poisoning.

When he arrived, her friends asked him to take her to the hospital, saying she ‘might die from drinking too much’.

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‘I identified myself as an off duty firefighter paramedic, and asked “You believe she has alcohol poisoning?”‘ he wrote.

‘They responded, “Yes please take us to the hospital”.

‘I informed them, “Medically she needs an ambulance and I can’t legally let her just puke and pass out in my backseat”.’

But before the driver had a chance to call 911, the group got out to summon another Uber.

Another driver, from Santa Monica, California, picked up a woman who was having a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting.

About 10 minutes into the ride, she began swelling up and taking short, raspy breaths.

‘Broke all kinds of laws in Beverly Hills getting her to the closest hospital, and they had to bring out a wheelchair to get her into the ER,’ the driver wrote.

And in another case, an Uber driver in Texas picked up an elderly man who was sick and groaning in pain in her backseat the entire trip to the hospital. 

When she first arrived, she saw the man being carried out by two younger men and assumed he disabled. But she quickly learned he was actually ill.

The party had requested the driver take them to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston – 35 miles away from the location where she picked them up.

HOW EXPENSIVE IS AN AMBULANCE RIDE? 

A Basic Life Support ambulance ride will start at around $600 with distance traveled and equipment used added to the cost.

An Advanced Life Support ambulance ride will start around $1000, with distance and supplies added on top.

Insurance companies will generally cover the ride with patients paying around $100 in co-pay. 

For those without insurance, however, the entirety of the sum is paid out of figures.

Many ambulance services don’t release how much they charge, but some do:

• LeMars, IA – $375-600 
• Urbana, OH – $650
• Nichols Hills, OK – $1,100 + $9 per mile
• Woodburn, OR – $1,200 + $20 per mile 

Reports have come out from people who’ve ridden in ambulances stating they have been sent bills ranging anywhere from $2,000 to $12,000.

‘I asked about his condition but NO ONE spoke English,’ she wrote.

‘Two other [passengers] jumped in my car with no explanation of the situation.’

The driver hit speeds of up to 85 miles per hour to race to the center. And although she was glad they made it in time, the circumstances left her ‘pondering’.

‘Since when do you call Uber in a medical emergency???? I honestly thought about pulling up to the nearest ER,’ she said.

But patients have many reasons for choosing the hail-ride service to go to the hospital.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the price of an ambulance ride to the hospital can range from $600 to $1000. 

And according to one report, an EMS can even charge around $160 per mile.

Meanwhile, charges for ride-hailing apps charge rarely hit three figures – and customers know the approximate price when they request their ride.

Ambulances, by contrast, send bills long after they are used, and often the final amount is unknown until the bill is received. 

Last year, Chandra Steele, from New York City, told the story of how she summoned an Uber to go to the hospital after failing to flag down a cab. 

According to Chandra, one of the benefits was the $100 she paid for the ride – and even that was more than she would have spent normally, except former President Barack Obama was in town that day.

‘Steep for a cab ride, but hundreds of dollars less than I could have paid and certainly worth the comfort and convenience,’ she wrote in PC Mag.

‘What’s more, Uber provides an estimate of how much you’ll pay before you ride, which is a considerable advantage over waiting a few weeks for a potentially sky-high ambulance bill.’

Another reason for the surge is riders know the wait time. When an Uber driver confirms your request, the app displays a map of the car’s location in relation to you and how long it will take to get there.

Actress Jaime King revealed on The Tonight Show, back in 2014, that she opted for an Uber when she went into labor over an ambulance.

She said: ‘I know [Uber says] three minutes away and an ambulance you don’t know.’

But there are pitfalls, such as a lack of medical care on the way there.

Driver UberLaLa relayed a story of picking up a man and his wife in Hollywood who asked to be taken to the emergency room. 

The wife had just delivered a baby two nights prior and was having ‘some sort of complications’. Although the driver made it to the ER fairly quickly, he couldn’t help but question the dangers.

‘The key with an ambulance is it comes with an EMT – anything happens on the way to the hospital and there is a trained medical tech to help immediately,’ he wrote.

‘And once the person needing medical attention gets to the ER they have to wait to be checked in and for someone to see them.

‘In my opinion it is not smart for the rider needing immediate care to forgo an ambulance. They are risking it.’