Livery cars in New York Medicaid transportation
A livery vehicle is a for-hire car, other than a taxi or bus, that carries passengers for pay. In New York Medicaid transportation, livery is a curb-to-curb level for riders who can walk to the car. It is enrolled as category of service 0605, limited to New York City, and the Taxi and Limousine Commission must license every base, driver, and car involved.
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What livery means
New York law defines a livery vehicle as any motor vehicle, other than a taxicab or a bus, used in the business of carrying passengers for pay. Cars rented or leased without a driver do not count. The definition sits in section 121-e of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, and the state’s Medicaid manual adopts it.
In practice a livery car is a car built for five or fewer passengers that takes trips booked ahead through its base. New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) calls these community cars, and it licenses the base that dispatches them, each driver, and each car.
Where livery fits New York’s levels of service
New York Medicaid enrolls each mode as its own category of service. Livery is one of the lighter levels. It suits riders who get to the car on their own and sit in an ordinary seat.
| Category | Mode | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 0601 | Ambulance | Medical care on board |
| 0602 | Ambulette | Wheelchair or stretcher van, door to door with personal assistance |
| 0603 | Taxi | Curb to curb, locally licensed |
| 0605 | Livery and black car | New York City only, TLC licensed, curb to curb |
| 0609 | Transportation network company | High-volume for-hire service |
Medicaid authorizes the most cost-effective mode that is medically appropriate, and the rider’s practitioner decides which mode fits. Livery trips go to riders who need no help past the curb. Outside New York City, the comparable category is taxi. An ambulette company may also run curb-to-curb trips in sedans and minivans and bill them at taxi and livery codes. Medicaid does not ask for a separate taxi or livery license for that work, but proof of local commission licensing is still required where a commission regulates it.
In New York City, the state fee schedule lists taxi and livery trips under the code A0100. Those amounts apply to trips paid through the fee-for-service broker, and the fee changes with the claim’s modifier.
Licensing a livery operation in New York City
The TLC requires every for-hire trip to be arranged through a licensed base and performed by a licensed driver in a licensed vehicle. For livery work that means:
- A livery base license. The base dispatches prearranged trips in cars built for five or fewer passengers and charges by flat rate, mileage, or zone. It must offer riders an up-front flat fare.
- A TLC driver license. Applicants must be at least 19 and hold a DMV chauffeur license (class A, B, C, or E), with no more than five points in a 15-month period. They pass a drug test, a defensive driving course, a three-day TLC course, passenger assistance and wheelchair accessible vehicle training, and the TLC exam, all within 90 days of applying. A licensed physician must also complete a medical certification form.
- A TLC vehicle license for each car, affiliated with the base.
Medicaid enrollment does not replace any of this. The state manual warns that failing local licensing rules can end a provider’s Medicaid enrollment.
Running livery trips for Medicaid
Every New York City livery trip needs a practitioner’s order and prior authorization from the broker, and either the rider or the medical office asks for it ahead of time. Medical Answering Services (MAS) is the statewide broker. Unlike most categories, livery and black car providers may use drivers who own and operate their own cars. Claims must carry the driver’s license number and the plate number, or they deny.
HealthRide’s dispatch board shows each trip’s level of service, so a curb-to-curb ride can go to a car while a wheelchair or stretcher need is matched to a van equipped for it. Each leg’s trip log keeps the driver, the vehicle, and GPS miles together for broker records.
Frequently asked questions
- How does a livery car differ from a taxi?
- Mostly in how trips are booked. A taxi runs under a license or permit from a local authority, and New York Medicaid enrolls taxis as category of service 0603. A livery car takes prearranged trips dispatched by a licensed base, and Medicaid enrolls New York City livery separately as category 0605. Both are curb to curb, and the state fee schedule groups them together under taxi and livery.
- Can livery drivers use their own cars for Medicaid trips?
- Yes, in category 0605. New York exempts livery and black car providers, along with high-volume for-hire services, from the rule that a transportation company must own or lease every vehicle it uses. Drivers may own and operate their own cars, as long as each car, driver, and base holds its TLC license.
- Do livery drivers have to help riders into the building?
- No. New York treats taxi and livery as curb-to-curb service, and its manual states that personal assistance from door through door is not required at that level. A rider who needs help beyond the curb should be booked at a higher level, such as an ambulette.
- What does a New York City livery claim need?
- Prior authorization from the broker, the practitioner order behind it, and both the driver's license number and the vehicle's plate number. Since May 24, 2018, taxi and livery claims missing those two fields deny under edit 00267. Confirm the rider is Medicaid eligible on the date of service before the trip.
