Can a Family Member Ride Along in the Van?
Usually yes — one companion can ride along at no extra charge, and it is worth asking for. Most non-emergency medical transport in New Jersey, including every wheelchair van and ambulette trip Delta runs, has room for one adult to travel with the patient. The seat is not guaranteed on every vehicle or every trip, which is why it belongs in the booking call rather than being discovered in the driveway.
This page covers who can ride, when the answer changes, and what to say when you book.
The Short Rules
- One companion is standard. A spouse, an adult child, a caregiver, a home health aide or a friend — the relationship does not matter.
- Two or more needs to be arranged in advance. It is often possible, but it depends on the vehicle assigned to your trip. Ask when booking, not on the day.
- On a stretcher or BLS ambulance trip, seating is tighter. A stretcher and its securement occupy most of the patient compartment. There is normally one attendant seat, and whether a family member can occupy it depends on the patient's clinical needs — if the trip requires a second crew member, that seat is taken.
- Children need a proper car seat or booster, supplied by the family. New Jersey's child restraint law applies in a transport vehicle exactly as it does in a private car. Transport companies do not carry car seats in a range of sizes, so bring your own and expect to install it.
- Someone must be able to receive the patient at the other end if the patient cannot be left unattended. This is the real reason most families want the seat, and it is a good reason.
When a Companion Seat Isn't Available
There are a few situations where the answer is genuinely no, and it is better to know them before the day of the appointment:
The vehicle is already carrying another passenger. Some Medicaid-brokered trips are assigned as shared rides. If your trip has been grouped with another patient's, the spare seat may not exist. This is a scheduling decision made by the broker, not by the driver.
The patient uses a large power wheelchair or a bariatric chair. Securement takes floor space, and on some vehicle configurations the companion seat is what gets sacrificed. A van that can carry a 400-pound power chair may not also seat a passenger.
The trip is clinical rather than logistical. If the patient needs oxygen management, suctioning, or monitoring in transit, the crew needs working room and the second seat may be assigned to an attendant.
In all three cases the practical answer is usually the same: the companion follows in their own car and meets the patient at the destination. Tell the dispatcher you plan to do that, so the driver knows to wait rather than handing the patient off to facility staff.
What to Say When You Book
Six words save the whole problem: "One person will be riding along." Add these if they apply:
- How many companions, and whether any of them is a child needing a car seat
- Whether the companion is riding both ways or only one way — this matters more than people expect, because a return trip with an extra passenger has to be planned too
- Whether the companion needs any assistance themselves — an elderly spouse who also uses a walker is a second mobility passenger, not a companion, and that changes the vehicle
- Whether the patient becomes distressed without a familiar face, which is common with dementia and is a legitimate reason to prioritise the seat
Why Families Ask
The question almost always comes from a real worry rather than curiosity. Someone needs to hear what the doctor says. Someone needs to answer questions the patient cannot answer. Someone needs to make sure the patient is not left in a waiting room alone. Those are all good reasons, and a transport provider that treats them as an inconvenience is the wrong provider.
For a patient with dementia in particular, a familiar person in the vehicle is often the difference between an uneventful trip and a distressed one. Say so when you book — it moves the request from a preference to a clinical consideration.
Does the companion pay anything extra?
Not with Delta. One companion travels at no additional charge on a private-pay trip. On a Medicaid or Medicare Advantage covered trip the benefit covers the patient, and a companion riding along does not create a second fare — but shared-ride assignments may mean the seat is not physically available. Ask the broker when the trip is booked.
Can two family members ride?
Often, but it depends on the vehicle assigned. Ask at the time of booking so a suitable vehicle is dispatched. Turning up with two people when one seat was arranged usually means one of them follows in a car.
Can a child ride along with a parent being transported?
Yes, in an appropriate car seat or booster that you supply and install. New Jersey's child passenger safety law applies in a transport vehicle just as it does in a family car. Mention the child's age when booking.
Can a family member ride in the back with a patient on a stretcher?
Sometimes, but do not assume it. The patient compartment on a stretcher unit has limited seating, and if the trip needs a second crew member for clinical reasons, that seat is spoken for. Ask when booking and have a fallback plan to follow in your own car.
Can a home health aide ride instead of a family member?
Yes. Aides, private caregivers and companions are treated the same as family for this purpose. The only thing that matters is that the person can travel unassisted.
Arranging a Ride With a Companion in New Jersey
Delta Medical Transportation operates wheelchair-accessible vans and stretcher units across all 21 New Jersey counties, and a companion seat is standard on our van trips. If you are booking a first ride for a parent or spouse, our guide to what to expect on a first NEMT ride covers the rest of the day, and the caregiver guide covers the parts families usually find out the hard way.
Tell us who is riding when you call and we will send the right vehicle. Contact us or call (973) 389-3110.