What is a chair car?
A chair car is a wheelchair van in Massachusetts human service transportation. MART, one of the two regional transit authorities that broker the state's HST rides, lists Chair Car as a vehicle type on its MassHealth vendor rate sheet, next to Taxi and Dial-A-Ride. Chair car rates are for vendors whose vehicles are certified to carry wheelchair riders under the HST wheelchair van standards.
On this page
Where the term comes from
Chair car is broker language, not regulation language. Massachusetts coordinates rides for six state agencies through the EOHHS Human Service Transportation (HST) Office: MassHealth, Developmental Services, Mental Health, DPH Early Intervention, the Rehabilitation Commission, and the Commission for the Blind. Two regional transit authorities split the state as brokers:
| Broker | Regions |
|---|---|
| MART (Montachusett Regional Transit Authority) | Western Mass, Central Mass, Metro Boston, Northeastern Mass |
| GATRA | Southeastern Mass, Cape Cod, the Islands |
MassHealth’s own regulations (130 CMR 407.000) and the HST provider standards both say “wheelchair van.” Under 130 CMR 407.471, wheelchair van service is for members who use wheelchairs, members who have to be carried up or down stairs, and members whose severe mobility limits rule out public transit or a brokered sedan. MART’s vendor materials use Chair Car, abbreviated CC, for the same service. MART’s application FAQ sorts its rates into three types. Taxi and Dial-A-Ride cover riders who walk, and the Dial-A-Ride pickup fare has to include at least 5 miles. Chair Car covers vendors whose vehicles are certified for wheelchair riders. See human service transportation for how the brokerage model works.
How MART prices chair cars
MART posts its applied MassHealth vendor rates as one sheet per quarter. Each row gives a source city, a destination, a vehicle type, a pickup fee, a mileage rate, the miles included in the pickup fee, and a shared-ride rate. Rows carry no provider names, and a busy town can have dozens of rows for the same vehicle type because each vendor sets its own prices.
The sheet for July 1 to September 30, 2026 holds 18,114 Chair Car rows. Across them, the median pickup fee is $80, the median mileage rate is $2.79 a mile, and the median row includes 5 miles in the pickup fee. The spread is wide, so read the rows for the towns you plan to serve before you price your own.
Under MART’s provider standards (Attachment H of its contract):
- Quarterly changes. A vendor adjusts demand-response rates four times a year at most. New rates go into the vendor portal by the 6th of June, September, and so on, ahead of the quarter they cover.
- Standing orders keep their price. Rate changes do not apply to existing standing order trips or shared ride groups. A standing order trip keeps the loaded mileage and fare stamped on it when it was assigned.
- Towns can change too. Vendors may add or drop cities and towns each quarter, and MART may remove a vendor’s rates for a town where it keeps declining trips.
- Payment. MART pays within 45 days of receiving an approved, finalized invoice, and it pays transportation providers by electronic funds transfer only.
What a chair car vendor must meet
The HST Transportation Provider Performance Standards, an appendix to the state’s broker contracts effective July 1, 2024, set the wheelchair van rules:
| Area | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Lift and body | Hydraulic lift with manual backup and a retractable ramp, a raised roof at least 12 inches high, and raised side doors at least 54 inches high |
| Minivans | Converted minivans need ramps rated up to 600 pounds |
| Securement | A Q’Straint, AMF-Bruns, or Sure-Lok system; per wheelchair, four tiedown straps and a lap-and-shoulder belt assembly, or two straps where a locking bar is fitted (front straps are still required) |
| Riding position | Wheelchairs ride facing forward, with the lap belt across the upper thighs rather than the stomach |
| Lift checks | A full lift cycle every day before carrying riders, and preventive maintenance every 750 cycles, at least yearly |
| Drivers | Age 19 or older, three years behind the wheel including multi-passenger vehicles, and a license from Massachusetts or a bordering state that fits the vehicle |
MART adds one more step: a new or reactivated wheelchair vehicle cannot take MART work until it passes a MART inspection. For a printable version of the securement steps, use the wheelchair securement checklist. The Massachusetts state guide covers MassHealth and startup requirements, and our MART broker guide covers joining MART’s network.
In HealthRide, each van’s wheelchair spaces live in its Fleet record, and dispatch checks them before a chair car trip is assigned.
Frequently asked questions
- Chair car or MassHealth wheelchair van: are they different?
- It is the same kind of vehicle, reached through a different door. MassHealth's regulations call it a wheelchair van. Brokered trips, requested on a PT-1 form, go through MART or GATRA, and MART prices them on its chair car rate lines. Fee-for-service wheelchair van trips outside the brokerage need a Medical Necessity Form and are paid under 101 CMR 327.00.
- Who sets chair car rates?
- Each vendor sets its own. Under MART's provider standards, a vendor can change its demand-response rates once a quarter through MART's vendor portal. A June submission takes effect for the July to September quarter, a September one for October to December. Existing standing orders and shared ride groups keep their old price.
- What training do chair car drivers need?
- Hands-on securement training from a trainer certified by CTAA or the University of Wisconsin, or holding another certification the broker approves. Drivers repeat it every year, the broker evaluates them every six months, and a driver who fails the mid-year check or has a securement incident is retrained.
