How to become a GATRA transportation provider for MassHealth rides
To become a GATRA transportation provider, send an email to Inquiries@gatra.org with the word "application" as the subject, and GATRA replies with its provider application. You need a year or more of medical transportation experience, Massachusetts corporate registration, a Certificate of Good Standing, and an office in or near GATRA territory. GATRA brokers MassHealth rides for Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod.
On this page
Who GATRA is
GATRA, the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority, is a Taunton-based regional transit authority created in 1976 under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 161B. It oversees fixed-route buses, Dial-A-Ride, and on-demand GATRA GO service for 30 member communities in southern Norfolk, northern Bristol, and Plymouth counties, including part of the South Shore. Under state law, regional transit authorities contract with private operators instead of running service themselves.
GATRA also runs a Human Service Transportation (HST) brokerage. In that role it arranges rides for consumers of state programs, including MassHealth, by subcontracting with qualified, privately owned transportation companies. The brokerage is the part of GATRA that NEMT providers contract with. For the general model, see our NEMT broker explainer.
Where GATRA operates
GATRA’s HST brokerage coordinates trips for Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod. That is a wider area than its 30 transit member communities. MART runs the rest of the state: Western, Central, and Northeastern Massachusetts and the Metro Boston area. The Massachusetts NEMT guide explains how MassHealth transportation fits together.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Programs | MassHealth transportation, including medical, dental, mental health, substance use disorder, and day habilitation trips |
| Eligible members | MassHealth Standard, CommonHealth, and CarePlus members with transportation coverage |
| Approval | The member’s MassHealth provider submits a PT-1 request online; approval can take up to three business days |
| Member booking | Phone at 800-431-1713, online through GATRA’s booking portal, or the QRyde member app |
| Trip assignment | Low-cost, most appropriate provider, based on vehicle availability |
How to become a GATRA transportation provider
GATRA’s process starts with four minimum requirements and a request for the application.
- Meet the minimums. Your company needs a year or more of medical transportation work, a Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth registration, a Certificate of Good Standing showing good tax standing, and an office or branch in or near GATRA territory.
- Request the application. Send an email to Inquiries@gatra.org with “application” as the subject. GATRA replies with the Human Service Transportation Provider Application.
- Prepare for state HST standards. HST provider subcontracts carry the EOHHS Transportation Provider Performance Standards. The table below uses the version revised July 1, 2025. Confirm the version in GATRA’s subcontract when you receive it.
- Sign the subcontract. By joining the HST brokerage system, you agree to provide safe, professional, on-time service delivered with dignity and respect.
The broker contracts guide covers how to present your company when you apply.
State HST standards that apply to GATRA providers
| Area | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Auto liability | $250,000 per person, $500,000 per occurrence, $50,000 property damage, with the broker as additional insured |
| Workers compensation | Required on all drivers and monitors |
| Vehicle age | Under 15 years for demand-response vehicles, with limited waivers |
| GPS | Must report vehicle location and actual pickup and drop-off arrival times to the broker and EOHHS in real time or near real time |
| Drivers | At least 19, one year of driving experience including multi-passenger vehicles, CORI and SORI checks before any rider contact and yearly, and a seven-year driving history |
| Drug testing | Pre-contact, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident tests at an independent certified lab |
| Training | Yearly in-service training before any HST trip, with hands-on wheelchair lift and securement training from a CTAA, University of Wisconsin, or broker-approved trainer |
How trips reach you
GATRA takes the reservation, then assigns each trip to a transportation company on a low-cost, most appropriate basis and by vehicle availability. Riders cannot choose their own vendor under HST policy, so a clean on-time record and a competitive price are what earn work.
GATRA publishes the service standards it tells riders to expect. Your drivers should follow them on every trip.
- Pickup window. Do not leave before the scheduled pickup time. Wait at least 10 minutes after it before leaving without the rider. Up to 15 minutes late is allowed for traffic.
- Route. Go only to approved addresses. No unscheduled stops for pharmacies, fuel, coffee, or errands.
- Driver conduct. Wear an ID badge with your name and company. No headphones and no phone use, hands-free included, while the vehicle is moving.
- Vehicle. Company name on the passenger side and rear, working heat and air conditioning, and a shoulder-strap seatbelt for every passenger.
- Wheelchairs. Secure the chair facing forward, in most cases at four points, with lap and shoulder belts, in a vehicle with a 12-inch raised roof. See our wheelchair accessible vehicle page.
- Shared rides. Added pickups and drop-offs should not add more than 45 minutes to a rider’s trip.
- Will-calls. Riders are told a will-call return may take 60 minutes or longer.
Riders can file complaints with GATRA by phone or online, with photo or video evidence. GATRA acknowledges them within 24 hours, and a rider can ask not to ride with a provider while a complaint about it is investigated. Log every no-show with the time you arrived and how long you waited.
How GATRA pays providers
GATRA’s rates, invoice cycles, and payment timing are set in its HST provider subcontract. Ask for them when you request the application, and compare them with what the same trips pay elsewhere.
Under the state HST standards, a provider looks solely to the broker for payment. You cannot bill the Commonwealth, EOHHS, the HST Office, or the state agency for a brokered trip, and you cannot sue them to collect money the broker owes. That makes the subcontract terms the only payment protection you have, so read them before you sign.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- Fewer MassHealth trips. GATRA’s FY2025 annual report, posted in July 2026, counts 848,204 HST PT-1 trips in fiscal 2025, down from 924,450 in fiscal 2024 and 979,686 in fiscal 2023. Those figures exclude program-based routes.
- More booking options. GATRA now takes MassHealth ride requests three ways: by phone, online, and through the QRyde member app.
- State standards. The HST performance standards revised July 1, 2025 cut the driver experience minimum from three years to one, and the video-only recording rule for day habilitation, DDS, and Early Intervention vehicles that began July 1, 2024 is no longer in them.
Provider contacts
| Purpose | Contact |
|---|---|
| Provider application requests | Inquiries@gatra.org, subject line “application” |
| MassHealth and PT-1 trips | 800-431-1713 |
| GATRA main line and administration | 800-483-2500; administration 508-823-8828 ext. 263 |
| Address | 10 Oak Street, Taunton, MA 02780 |
Running GATRA trips in HealthRide
HealthRide’s trip log records GPS miles and pickup and drop-off timestamps for every leg and captures the rider’s signature on screen. On a no-show, it keeps the recorded wait time, which is the proof you need when a rider says the van never came. Export the log as CSV or PDF from reports for GATRA or an EOHHS review.
Frequently asked questions
- What area does GATRA broker HST rides in?
- GATRA coordinates Human Service Transportation for Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod. MART, the other HST broker, covers Western, Central, and Northeastern Massachusetts and Metro Boston. Start with the broker that covers the area where your vehicles are based.
- Where do I get the GATRA provider application?
- By email. Write to Inquiries@gatra.org with the word "application" in the subject line, and GATRA sends you the Human Service Transportation Provider Application. Check that you meet its four minimum requirements first.
- What are GATRA's minimum requirements?
- Four things. Your company needs a year or more of medical transportation work, a registration on file with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, a Certificate of Good Standing showing your taxes are in order, and an office or branch located in or close to GATRA's service area.
- Can MassHealth riders choose my company?
- No. HST brokers assign each trip on a low-cost, most appropriate basis and by vehicle availability. HST policy does not let riders pick their own vendor, so your price and reliability decide how much work you get.
- How long does a GATRA driver wait before a no-show?
- GATRA tells riders that drivers cannot leave before the scheduled pickup time and must wait at least 10 minutes after it before leaving without the rider. Drivers may run up to 15 minutes late for traffic, and anything later should be reported to the broker.
