NDIS Transport Providers and Transport for the Elderly in Australia

Where can I find NDIS transport providers in Australia?

There is no single official directory of disability transport services. NDIS-registered providers appear on the NDIS Commission’s public register, aged care transport sits inside the My Aged Care Find a provider tool, and community transport operators are listed council by council. The ranked list above pulls those threads together, showing transport providers with current coverage and measured response times on Carevo. Transport is named in 563 of the 9,483 inquiries tracked on Carevo.

What does transport support cover?

Transport support helps people get to medical appointments, community activities, and everyday errands when they cannot drive or use public transport independently. Under the NDIS, it is funded through a periodic Core Supports transport budget or delivered as a support worker driving service billed under Activity Based Transport, per the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27. Aged care programs fund transport separately from the NDIS.

The difference from a taxi is the support around the trip: help from your front door to the vehicle, company through the appointment if needed, and a hand with bags, walkers, or a wheelchair on the way home.

How to choose a provider from the list above

The list above is ranked using the criteria explained in the methodology above it. For transport specifically, check four things before booking.

Registration. NDIS-registered providers must meet the NDIS Practice Standards for vehicle safety and worker screening (NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, 2025), while CHSP and Support at Home transport providers are assessed under separate aged care standards.

Carevo measures whether a provider accepts an enquiry, not when care starts or a practitioner contacts you. Confirm current capacity and a start date directly. How Carevo measures enquiry acceptance.

Pricing transparency. Transport quotes can bundle a per-kilometre Activity Based Transport charge on top of support worker labour, or a flat aged care rate, so ask for both figures upfront.

Coverage. Carevo lists provider coverage across 8,918 suburbs nationally, so confirm a provider actually services your pickup and drop-off points before you book.

How much does disability transport cost?

Two figures decide most NDIS transport quotes. The first is the support worker’s time, billed from 73.58 an hour for weekday daytime support. The second is the vehicle, billed as Activity Based Transport at an agreed travel charge when you travel in the provider’s car. Providers can also charge for part of the worker’s travel time to reach you, within limits in the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27. Ask for a written quote that separates labour, kilometres, tolls, and parking, and test it with the NDIS travel calculator before you agree. Aged care transport is priced differently: CHSP providers set a modest contribution per trip, and Support at Home transport is drawn from your quarterly budget at the provider’s published price.

Which funding pays for transport support?

NDIS participants access transport in two ways: a periodic Core Supports transport budget paid directly to you, or, when a support worker drives you, that worker’s hourly rate plus the per-kilometre vehicle charge described above. You must be under 65 when you become a participant to qualify for NDIS funding. The periodic budget is paid at three levels, which rise with how much you work, study, or look for work. What counts as reasonable is transport you cannot manage independently because of your disability; the NDIS does not cover the everyday travel costs every household carries. Vehicle modifications are funded separately after an occupational therapist assessment, covered below. Older Australians instead access transport through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme or the Support at Home program, which replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025 (Department of Health and Aged Care 2025), with eligibility assessed through My Aged Care rather than the NDIS. Veterans with a Gold or White Card can compare DVA-funded home care options, and anyone can book transport privately without an assessment.

How do older people get transport to appointments?

Through aged care funding, in most cases. An entry-level CHSP service, arranged after a My Aged Care assessment, covers regular trips to appointments and shopping for a small contribution; see the Commonwealth Home Support Programme. People with a Support at Home classification pay for transport from their quarterly budget instead. Both are door-to-door, and the worker can come into the appointment rather than waiting at the kerb. Most states and territories also run taxi subsidy schemes for people who cannot use public transport. Whatever the pathway, book 24 to 48 hours ahead.

What is community transport?

Community transport is subsidised, pre-booked transport run by local councils and community organisations, usually a shared bus or car that picks you up at home. It is funded through CHSP and state programs for eligible older people (My Aged Care, 2026), which keeps the cost per trip low: the cheapest option for shopping runs, group outings, and routine appointments. The trade-offs are fixed timetables, advance booking, and a shared vehicle, so many families use community transport for routine trips and a paid provider for time-critical appointments.

Can I hire a wheelchair-accessible vehicle?

Yes. Wheelchair-accessible vehicle hire is offered by equipment providers, and some transport operators hire out modified vehicles between bookings; start with equipment hire and sales. If you travel seated in your wheelchair, confirm the vehicle has a hoist or ramp and compliant restraint points, and that the driver is trained to use them. Often, booking a provider that already runs accessible vehicles beats hiring: ask about the fleet first.

Can I get my own vehicle modified?

Yes, and it is funded separately from transport itself. Vehicle modifications cover hand controls, a hoist or ramp, wheelchair restraints, a swivel seat, or a raised roof, and they sit under assistive technology in an NDIS plan rather than under transport. The sequence matters: an occupational therapist or a driver-trained OT assesses what you need and writes a prescription, the NDIA approves the funding, and only then does an installer do the work. Modifying first and claiming afterwards is the common way people end up out of pocket.

Two practical points. A modification to a vehicle you do not own needs the owner’s written consent, and most installers will ask for it. And the assessment itself is a separate line item from the hardware, so budget for both: see assistive technology assessment for how that step works and what it costs.

Availability

Carevo lists transport providers across 8,918 suburbs nationally, drawn from a pool of 34,600 registered NDIS and aged care providers on the platform. Coverage and response times differ by state and provider, tracked against the criteria explained in the ranking above. If transport is one part of a broader care need, see Support at Home for coordinated aged care packages or the Commonwealth Home Support Programme for entry-level aged care support that can include transport. If the goal is getting out and about, not just the trip, community access support is the closer fit.

Getting to appointments when you no longer drive

Losing a licence or the confidence to drive is the point at which most people first need this service, and the options are not obvious.

Community transport is the cheapest. Councils and community organisations run subsidised pre-booked services, usually a shared bus or car, funded through CHSP and state programs. Fixed timetables and advance booking are the trade-off, which makes it good for routine appointments and shopping and poor for anything time-critical.

Taxi subsidy schemes run in every state and territory, subsidising part of the fare for people who cannot use public transport because of disability. Wheelchair-accessible taxis are available under the same schemes. Eligibility and subsidy percentage vary by state, and you apply through your state transport department rather than My Aged Care.

Support worker driving costs the most and delivers the most: the worker takes you door to door, comes into the appointment if needed, and helps with bags and equipment. Under the NDIS that is the worker’s hourly rate plus Activity Based Transport for the vehicle at an agreed rate (NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27).

Volunteer driver programs exist through many community organisations and cost little, but capacity is limited and booking windows are long.

Most people end up using two: a cheap option for routine trips and a paid provider for anything that cannot be missed.

What to confirm before you book

The return leg. The most common failure is transport that gets someone to a hospital appointment and cannot collect them when it overruns. Ask explicitly how an unpredictable finish time is handled.

Door to door, or kerb to kerb. These are different services. Someone who needs help from the front door to the vehicle should not be booking a kerbside service.

Equipment. If you travel seated in your wheelchair, confirm the vehicle has a hoist or ramp, compliant restraint points, and a driver trained to use them. A vehicle that can carry a folded wheelchair is not the same thing.

Notice period. Community transport commonly needs 24 to 48 hours; some services need longer for a first booking.

Who pays for waiting time. Ask whether the meter runs while the driver waits, because a two-hour appointment can cost more in waiting than in travel.

How this page is compiled

The provider rankings and figures on this page come from Carevo platform records, including provider registrations, measured response times and coverage, together with the cited official sources. Carevo is an Australian platform that connects families with NDIS and aged care providers. Carevo does not deliver care itself.

Funding sources and checks

Check the current NDIA pricing arrangements and Support at Home program rules for the proposed service. Funding depends on the approved support and available budget; a Carevo listing is not approval. Confirm availability and a start date directly with the provider.