NEMT software features compared

All 16 platforms say their software tracks vehicles with live GPS, so no matter which one you choose, you can follow each van while it's on the road. TripMaster, WellRyde and NovusMED each mention it.

Automatic trip assignment shows up on 15 of 16 platform pages. It means a dispatcher doesn't have to match each ride to a driver by hand, and that helps most on a hectic morning. AngelTrack, Bambi and QRyde are some of the platforms that list it.

Route planning, which figures out the fastest order for a driver's stops, is on 15 of 16 lists too. MediRoutes, RoutingBox and Traumasoft all describe it. Since these 3 features are so widespread, the rarer ones are what will actually set the platforms apart.

A standing order is a ride that repeats on set days, like a rider with dialysis every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You set it up once and the software keeps booking it. 10 platforms out of the 16 list it: AngelTrack, Bambi, DriveBoss, MediRoutes, QRyde, Duet NEMT, NEMT Cloud Dispatch, RoutingBox, Tobi Cloud and ZeitRide. You can read about it on the pages for ZeitRide and Tobi Cloud.

Multi-loading is when more than 1 rider shares a vehicle on a single run, which cuts down miles when riders live close together or are bound for the same place. It's listed by 7 of the 16: Bambi, MediRoutes, QRyde, Duet NEMT, NEMT Cloud Dispatch, RouteGenie and Tobi Cloud. Both Duet NEMT and RouteGenie describe it on their sites.

An app that works offline keeps running when the phone loses signal, so a driver out in the country can pull up the trip and mark the pick-up anyway. It's listed by 9 of the 16: AngelTrack, Bambi, DriveBoss, NEMT Platform, RoutingBox, Traumasoft, WellRyde, ZeitRide and NEMT Cloud Dispatch. One example is Traumasoft's app listing.

Rider signature in the driver app shows up on 11 platforms, and it comes in handy when a broker wants proof a ride took place. Pre-trip vehicle inspections, where the driver goes over the van in the app before leaving the yard, are listed by 9. Nine platforms also cover wheelchair and stretcher trip types, so the software knows what kind of vehicle each rider needs.

The rarest feature for drivers is hours and payroll, which 5 of the 16 list: Duet NEMT, MediRoutes, NEMT Platform, ZeitRide and NEMT Cloud Dispatch. If you'd rather have 1 system covering trips and pay alike, your candidate list is already down to 5.

A booking portal is a web page where a clinic or care home can request rides instead of calling you, and 12 of 16 platforms offer one. Text or call updates for riders, like a message saying the van is nearby, are listed by 12 as well. Card payments for private-pay riders, the ones who pay you directly instead of going through a broker, are also listed by 12.

An open API lets your own software, say an accounting program, connect to the platform and swap data. Seven of the 16 have one: AngelTrack, Bambi, MediRoutes, NovusMED, RoutingBox, Tobi Cloud and NEMT Platform. For fleets that also take ambulance calls, an EMS or ambulance module appears on just 2: Traumasoft and AngelTrack.

Each number below comes straight from the platform's own pages. More isn't automatically better, since a small fleet might get by with just the 5 or 6 features it turns to every day.

Bambi and NEMT Cloud Dispatch tie at 13 features, including standing orders, multi-loading, offline driver apps and rider updates. WellRyde and Traumasoft each sit at 5, and both lean toward the road side of the job, with route planning, live GPS and an app that works offline.

A practical way to work with the table is to jot down the 3 or 4 features your fleet would be lost without, then check only the platforms that list all of them. After that, let price, your main broker and how you handle Medicaid billing choose among the rest.