How to start a NEMT business in Hawaii: QUEST Integration plans, their brokers, and Med-QUEST rules
Hawaii Medicaid members in a QUEST Integration health plan get rides through their plan, and each of the five plans uses a broker. AlohaCare uses Transdev Health Solutions, HMSA and ʻOhana Health Plan use Modivcare, and Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan use MTM Health. Plans must keep their network providers enrolled with Med-QUEST, and they can contract with a provider for up to 120 days while enrollment is pending. The current QUEST Integration contracts reach the end of their initial term on December 31, 2026.
Hawaii NEMT at a glance
- Runs the program
- Hawaii Department of Human Services, Med-QUEST Division (MQD)
- Program
- QUEST Integration Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT)
- How rides are arranged
- Health plans each contract a broker. Each QUEST Integration plan arranges rides through its broker, including air and ground travel when care is on another island.
- Brokers you will contract with
- Transdev Health Solutions, Modivcare, MTM Health
- State operating license
- Med-QUEST provider enrollment plus broker credentialing. The Hawaii PUC certifies passenger carriers by seating capacity, and taxis and ambulances are exempt by law.
- EVV for NEMT trips
- Not required
- Medicaid enrollment
- 365,803 (May 2026, Medicaid only)
On this page
How Medicaid NEMT works in Hawaii
The Med-QUEST Division of the Hawaii Department of Human Services runs Medicaid through QUEST Integration managed care. Five plans hold contracts that began July 1, 2021. AlohaCare, HMSA, ʻOhana Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan serve the whole state, and Kaiser Permanente serves Oahu and Maui only. Each plan must provide transportation to Medicaid-covered appointments when medical necessity is established for members who have no transportation or cannot use public transit.
Plans also cover travel to a provider on another island or in another service area. That includes airfare, ground transportation, lodging, and meals for the member and one attendant when medically necessary. Where specialists are scarce, the plan can transport the provider to the member instead. Each plan uses a broker to book and arrange the rides.
Members book at least 48 hours ahead, or with less notice for an urgent problem that needs care within 24 hours. Regular rides, such as dialysis or adult day care, can be scheduled for a whole quarter. A member can be asked to share a ride only if it adds no more than 30 minutes, and never with signs of a contagious illness. Members who live within half a mile of a bus stop, with an appointment near one, may get a bus pass instead.
Governing rule:Med-QUEST: QUEST Integration contract RFP-MQD-2021-008, Supplemental Change 7 (NEMT, section 4.6)
Who brokers Medicaid rides in Hawaii
Three brokers cover the five QUEST Integration plans. The member's plan decides which broker books and pays the ride, so check the plan before you accept a trip.
| Broker | Serves | Provider sign-up |
|---|---|---|
| Transdev Health Solutions | AlohaCare Medicaid and Medicare members on every island.Since April 1, 2016 (as IntelliRide). | Provider pageProvider line 808-237-2953 ext. 1; AlohaCare rides 1-877-973-0712 |
| Modivcare | HMSA and ʻOhana Health Plan QUEST Integration members.Since July 1, 2025, inter-island air travel requests for HMSA members go through Modivcare's TripCare portal. | Provider pageHMSA rides 1-800-440-0640; ʻOhana reservations 1-866-790-8858 |
| MTM Health | Kaiser Permanente (Oahu and Maui) and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan QUEST Integration members. | Provider pageKaiser rides 1-855-735-1226; UnitedHealthcare 1-888-777-3844 |
Dental transportation for Med-QUEST members is arranged by Community Case Management Corp (Oahu 808-792-1070, toll free 1-888-792-1070).
The QUEST Integration contracts run through December 31, 2026 in their initial term. They can be extended without rebidding for up to three more 12-month periods.
How to become a NEMT provider in Hawaii
In Hawaii you enroll with Med-QUEST so the plans can keep you in network, then credential with each broker whose plans you want to serve.
Form the business
Register the company with the state and get a federal EIN. Use the same legal name on your Med-QUEST enrollment and on every broker contract.
Check PUC authority
The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission regulates passenger motor carriers and classifies them by authorized vehicle seating capacity. Taxis, school and city buses, and ambulance services are exempt by law. Ask the PUC whether your vehicles need a certificate before you apply to brokers.
Enroll with Med-QUEST
The QUEST Integration contract requires plans to make sure every provider that furnishes services is enrolled with the state as a Medicaid provider, unless an exception applies. A plan can sign a provider while state screening is pending for up to 120 days, then must end the contract if enrollment is not completed. Med-QUEST enrollment runs through HOKU, its web-based provider enrollment system.
Credential with Transdev for AlohaCare
Transdev credentials Hawaii providers through a credentialing exchange. You request an account, attend software training, submit driver and vehicle information, and receive a credentialing approval letter. Every vehicle is then inspected by Transdev's Hawaii network agent, however recent its current inspection.
Transdev Health Solutions: AlohaCare transportation providers
Apply to Modivcare and MTM
Modivcare serves HMSA and ʻOhana members, and MTM serves Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare members. Each broker runs its own application, credentialing, and contracting, so plan on separate files for each.
Set up for inter-island trips
Plans pay for off-island and out-of-state medical travel, including airfare, when it is medically necessary. For HMSA members, inter-island air travel requests have gone through Modivcare's TripCare since July 1, 2025.
Vehicle and driver requirements in Hawaii
The QUEST Integration contract defines the benefit but sets no vehicle or driver standard for NEMT providers, so each broker writes its own. The broker column shows Transdev's AlohaCare rules.
Vehicles
| Requirement | State rule | Broker contract |
|---|---|---|
| Operating authority | PUC certificate for passenger carriers, classified by seating capacity. Taxis and ambulances are exempt. | Transdev credentialing approval letter before trips are assigned. |
| Vehicle inspection | No NEMT vehicle standard in the QUEST Integration contract. | Transdev inspects every vehicle at credentialing, whatever the date of its current inspection. |
| Trip scheduling | 48 hours' notice for routine rides. Shared rides may add no more than 30 minutes (Med-QUEST NEMT policy). | Report a no-show if the member is not present within the 15-minute window. |
| Trip completion | The member's PCP or health coordinator confirms medical necessity. | Capture the member's electronic signature and finalize the trip on the tablet at each pickup. |
Drivers
| Requirement | State rule | Broker contract |
|---|---|---|
| Credentialing | No NEMT driver standard in the QUEST Integration contract. | Driver information reviewed by Transdev through the credentialing exchange. |
| Passenger safety | Members under 18 ride with a person who has legal authority for them (Med-QUEST NEMT policy). | Seat belts on every passenger, state-approved child seats, and wheelchairs secured before the vehicle moves. |
| Program integrity | Plans must refuse to enter into or renew an agreement with a provider whose owner, agent, or managing employee has a conviction tied to Medicare, Medicaid, or Title XX. | File an incident report immediately after any accident or incident with a member on board. |
Insurance minimums in Hawaii
Med-QUEST sets no dollar minimum for NEMT providers. Hawaii's auto insurance floor, which rose on January 1, 2026, applies to every vehicle. Each broker sets its working amount in the provider contract, so get current figures from Transdev, Modivcare, and MTM before you buy a policy.
| Coverage | Minimum | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Auto liability floor, any vehicle | $40,000 per person, $80,000 per accident, $20,000 property damage (from January 1, 2026) | HRS § 431:10C-301 |
| NEMT-specific minimum | None in the QUEST Integration contract | Broker contract |
Does Hawaii require EVV for NEMT?
No. Hawaii EVV covers home health services and home and community-based services such as attendant care, chore and homemaker services, personal assistance, private duty nursing, and respite. Transportation is not on the Med-QUEST list of services subject to EVV.
Brokers check trips instead. Transdev, for example, has drivers capture the member's electronic signature and finalize each trip on a tablet, and it tracks no-shows against a 15-minute window.
What changed in Hawaii in 2025 and 2026
Hawaii Medicaid covered 365,803 people in May 2026, plus 26,219 in CHIP, according to preliminary CMS data that include retroactive enrollments.
Geography shapes the work. Plans pay for inter-island and out-of-state medical travel, and Kaiser Permanente covers only Oahu and Maui, so fleets on Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, and Hawaii Island serve AlohaCare, HMSA, ʻOhana, and UnitedHealthcare members.
The contract calendar matters this year. The QUEST Integration contracts that began July 1, 2021 end their initial term on December 31, 2026 and can be extended for up to three 12-month periods without rebidding.
IntelliRide, now Transdev Health Solutions, begins serving Hawaii.
HOKU, Med-QUEST's web-based provider enrollment system, goes live.
The current QUEST Integration contracts begin with AlohaCare, HMSA, Kaiser Permanente, ʻOhana Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare.
HMSA inter-island air travel requests move to Modivcare's TripCare portal.
The initial term of the QUEST Integration contracts ends. Up to three 12-month extensions are allowed.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the NEMT broker in Hawaii?
- There is no single broker. Transdev Health Solutions serves AlohaCare, Modivcare serves HMSA and ʻOhana Health Plan, and MTM Health serves Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. Dental transportation runs through Community Case Management Corp.
- Do I need a PUC certificate to run NEMT in Hawaii?
- It depends on your vehicles. The Hawaii PUC regulates passenger motor carriers and classifies them by seating capacity, while taxis, school and city buses, and ambulance services are exempt by law. Ask the PUC before you apply to brokers.
- Do Hawaii NEMT providers have to enroll with Med-QUEST?
- Yes, in most cases. The QUEST Integration contract requires plans to make sure their providers are enrolled with the state as Medicaid providers. A plan can contract with you for up to 120 days while screening is pending. Enrollment runs through HOKU.
- How do I become a Transdev provider for AlohaCare?
- Request a credentialing account, attend Transdev's software training, submit driver and vehicle information through the credentialing exchange, and keep the approval letter. Transdev then inspects every vehicle, however recent its last inspection. The provider line is (808) 237-2953, extension 1.
- Who pays for inter-island medical travel in Hawaii?
- The member's QUEST Integration plan. It arranges and pays for airfare, ground transportation, lodging, and meals for the member and one attendant when off-island or out-of-state care is medically necessary. HMSA members' inter-island air requests go through Modivcare's TripCare.
- How far ahead do Hawaii Medicaid members book rides?
- At least 48 hours before the appointment. Urgent problems that need care within 24 hours can be booked with less notice, and ongoing care such as dialysis can be scheduled for a whole quarter.
- Does Hawaii require EVV for NEMT?
- No. Hawaii EVV covers home health and home and community-based services such as attendant care, personal assistance, private duty nursing, and respite. Transportation is not on the list.
- What happens when the QUEST Integration contracts end in 2026?
- The initial term runs through December 31, 2026, and the contract allows up to three 12-month extensions without rebidding. Keep your broker contracts current and watch Med-QUEST announcements for any change to the plan lineup.
Running NEMT in Hawaii with HealthRide
Hawaii fleets juggle three brokers across five plans, often on one island. HealthRide keeps every trip on one dispatch board and records every payment in one ledger, whichever broker paid it.
Flexible return trips hold their place on the board and activate the moment the passenger is ready, which suits dialysis and specialist visits that run long. Signatures are captured on screen in the driver app at each pickup.
Official resources
- Med-QUEST: Non-Emergency Medical Transportation
- Med-QUEST: Health plans
- Med-QUEST: QUEST Integration managed care contract awards (March 2021)
- Med-QUEST: Solicitations and contracts
- Med-QUEST: QUEST Integration RFP-MQD-2021-008, Supplemental Change 7
- Med-QUEST: Electronic Visit Verification
- Med-QUEST: Hawaii services subject to EVV
- Med-QUEST: HOKU provider enrollment system
- Med-QUEST: HOKU go-live notice (June 2020)
- Hawaii PUC: Motor carriers
- HRS § 431:10C-301: Required motor vehicle policy coverage
- Transdev Health Solutions: AlohaCare transportation providers
- Transdev Health Solutions: About the AlohaCare program
- Modivcare: HMSA facility resources
- Modivcare: Hawaii members
- Modivcare: Transportation providers and drivers
- MTM Health: Provider onboarding
- CMS: State Medicaid and CHIP enrollment data
HealthRide plans the whole day in one click and bills every ride.
$59 per vehicle per month. No contracts.