What is a mobility assistance vehicle (MAV) in New Jersey?
A mobility assistance vehicle (MAV) is a wheelchair-accessible vehicle that holds a New Jersey Department of Health license (N.J.A.C. 8:40) to give non-emergency rides to people who walk or use a wheelchair but cannot safely take a taxi, bus, or private car. A MAV cannot take a stretcher, or a rider who has to lie down. NJ FamilyCare MAV trips are arranged by the state's broker, Modivcare.
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What counts as a MAV
N.J.A.C. 8:40 licenses two kinds of service: basic life support ambulances and mobility assistance vehicles. A MAV service carries people under a physician’s or other health care provider’s care whose condition is not serious enough for an ambulance, but for whom a taxi, bus, or private car could pose a serious risk to life and health. The service was called invalid coach service before the law renamed it.
The Department of Health’s rules in N.J.A.C. 8:40 set who can ride:
- Allowed: people who are ambulatory or who use a wheelchair.
- Not allowed: anyone who must travel prone or supine (including bed- or stretcher-bound riders), needs constant attendance, needs suctioning, or needs restraints. IV pumps and ventilators are allowed only if they are fully self-contained and need nothing from the crew.
- Also not allowed: emergency care, interfacility transfers at the BLS or ALS level, and most trips to an emergency department, labor and delivery, or an intensive or coronary care unit.
A MAV may carry no more than nine passengers at once, and it may not be used as an ambulance. Stretchers and litters may not be carried in a MAV at all. That makes a MAV narrower than a New York ambulette, which can be equipped for stretcher riders.
Licensing and inspections
No one may operate a MAV service, or use any vehicle as a MAV, in New Jersey without a Department of Health license. The provider and each vehicle are licensed separately.
- Term. A license runs 24 months at most, and the renewal date depends on the company’s trade name: names beginning A to L expire on December 31 of even years, names beginning M to Z on December 31 of odd years. Vehicle licenses end no later than the company license.
- Fees. New companies pay $1,500 and $100 a vehicle (less if they start in year two of the cycle), and renewals cost $500 and $100 a vehicle. Late renewals add $500. If the renewal comes in 10 or more days after expiry, the state rejects it and the company starts over as a new applicant.
- Transfers. Licenses cannot be assigned or transferred. A vehicle license is void once the vehicle is sold or retired, or after it has been out of service six months in a row. Ownership changes must be reported at least 30 days ahead.
- Display. The vehicle license goes on the lower right corner of the window in the rear curbside door of the patient compartment.
- Inspections. The Department may inspect each vehicle on a schedule at least once a year and may run unannounced inspections or audits at any time. Inspectors do not pull over vehicles on the road.
Vehicle, crew, and insurance rules
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Lift or ramp | Permanently attached, with a 500-pound minimum capacity; a lift or powered ramp needs manual operation or a hand backup that lifts or lowers a rider in five minutes or less |
| Wheelchair securement | Forward-facing four-point tiedowns attached to the chair’s frame, never its wheels, holding movement to an inch or less; the rider wears a belt anchored to the wheelchair itself, and Velcro-type closures are banned |
| Patient compartment | Headroom of 58 inches or more over each wheelchair spot, interior width of 56 inches or more measured 42 inches off the floor, and a length of 82 inches (up to two wheelchair spots) or 92 inches (three or four) |
| Doors | Two non-adjacent exterior doorways at least 28 inches wide, one at least 56 inches high for the lift or ramp |
| Layout changes | The interior stays as licensed unless OEMS signs off on a change in writing |
| Markings | Trade name at least 4 inches high, vehicle number at least 3 inches, and the access symbol at least 8 inches; no Star of Life, ambulance wording, lights, or sirens |
| Crew | One crew member, 18 or older, carrying a CPR card and either a Passenger Assistance Techniques or a MAV technician certificate, and wearing an ID badge that shows their full name and employer |
| Insurance | Auto coverage of $500,000 or more per occurrence on every vehicle, general liability of $300,000 or more, and the Department named as a certificate holder |
Every MAV must also meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for vehicles. For wheelchair tiedown practice, see WTORS.
Medicaid MAV trips
New Jersey’s Medicaid transportation chapter sends MAV work through a broker. Its section 1.4 says every non-emergency ride, MAV service included, is provided by an independent transportation broker that holds a state Human Services contract. The state names Modivcare as that broker for NJ FamilyCare members statewide. Riders call about two days before the appointment, and facilities use a separate line for standing orders and hospital discharges.
A MAV company earns NJ FamilyCare work by joining the broker’s network, on top of its Department of Health license. The New Jersey state guide covers the full startup path, and our NEMT broker entry explains how broker networks work.
The state rebid that broker contract in 2025 and 2026. On August 20, 2026, the Division of Purchase and Property canceled its notice of intent to award the new contract to MTM, found MTM’s quote non-responsive, and sent the matter back for award to Modivcare. That is the agency’s final decision, and a party has 45 days to take it to the Appellate Division.
HealthRide keeps each rider’s wheelchair need on the trip, and the dispatch board stops you, with the reason, if you try to put that trip on a van with no lift or ramp.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a New Jersey MAV license cost?
- A brand-new MAV company pays a $1,500 license fee and $100 per vehicle. Companies that apply partway through, in year two of the state's two-year cycle, pay $1,250 and $50 per vehicle instead. Renewals cost $500 plus $100 per vehicle, with $500 more if the renewal arrives after expiry. The state takes only a certified bank check, such as a cashier's check, or a money order.
- Can a MAV carry a rider on oxygen?
- Yes, if the rider brings a portable supply they normally use and the crew does not have to monitor, adjust, or control it. If the provider carries its own oxygen equipment in the vehicle, the crew member must hold both EMT-Basic and CPR certification.
- When does a MAV need a second crew member?
- Most trips need only one qualified crew member. A second is required at pickup or drop-off in two cases: a wheelchair rider has to be moved up or down five or more steps, or a wheelchair rider of 200 pounds or more has two or more steps to cross.
- Is a MAV the same as an ambulette?
- They fill the same role. Ambulette is the New York term for a wheelchair and stretcher van, while New Jersey licenses MAVs for ambulatory and wheelchair riders only. A New Jersey rider who must travel lying down needs a service other than a MAV.
