Transport services
A driver who walks you in, waits while you're seen, and carries the shopping through to the kitchen bench.
Getting there is only half of it
Handing back the car keys is the change most people dread, and they're usually right to. It isn't the driving they miss. It's the specialist in a suburb they don't know, the shop that's two buses away, and the Tuesday card game that quietly drops off the calendar.
A taxi solves the middle part of that and none of the rest. It leaves you at a kerb outside a building you've never been in, with a frame to unfold and a lift to find. Our transport is a support worker with a car who arrives at your door, sees you in, stays while you're seen, and brings you home.
What a transport booking covers
- Door to door, not kerb to kerb: the worker comes to the house and walks you in at the other end.
- Loading and unloading walking frames, sticks and folding wheelchairs.
- Waiting through the appointment, and writing down what you were told if you'd like a record.
- Pushing the trolley, packing the bags and carrying the shopping inside.
- Stopping at the chemist for a script on the way home.
- Regular weekly runs booked into the roster so you don't have to ring each time.
Where people ask us to take them
Medical appointments come first: the GP, the specialist, pathology, dialysis, day surgery, the eye clinic that always runs late. Hospital discharge is another common one, where someone has to be there to collect you, listen to the instructions and get you settled at home.
The rest of it matters just as much. The weekly shop. The bank and the post office. Church, mosque or temple. A social club, a men's shed, a lawn bowls afternoon. The hairdresser. A daughter's place across town, or a cemetery on an anniversary. None of that needs a medical reason to be worth a trip.
Who's actually driving
The person picking you up is a trained support worker, not a rideshare driver who happened to accept the job. They're police checked, insured and briefed on your mobility before the first run, and many of them also do personal care or companionship shifts, so the work is familiar to them.
Tell us on the first call if you'd prefer a worker of a particular gender, or one who speaks your first language. Appointments are hard enough without translating your own medical history, and our carers between them speak a wide range of languages.
How transport is funded
Transport sits in the Independence category of Support at Home, the program that replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. Independence services carry a participant contribution worked out from your income and your Age Pension status, and full pensioners contribute nothing towards them.
If your package hasn't come through yet, you can pay privately and book straight away. That's often how transport starts, because a course of hospital appointments won't wait several months for a budget to be assigned.
Booking your first run
Call 1800 434 002 or use the form below. We'll ask where you need to get to, how you manage stairs and car doors, and whether this is a one-off or something weekly. Then we'll tell you what we can do and what it would cost. That conversation is free and nothing is locked in at the end of it.
Other services
- Personal care — help with showering, dressing and getting ready before you go out.
- Companionship — someone to sit with, talk to and get out of the house with.
- Domestic assistance — cleaning, laundry and help putting the shopping away.
- All services
Common questions
Does the driver come inside with me?
Yes, if you want them to. Our support workers walk you from the front door to the car, into the waiting room, and back again. They can sit in on the appointment and write down what the doctor says, or wait outside if you would rather keep it private. That choice is yours and you can change it appointment to appointment.
Can you take a wheelchair or a walking frame?
Walking frames, walking sticks and folding wheelchairs travel with you and the worker loads and unloads them. If you use a powered wheelchair or cannot transfer out of your chair into a car seat, tell us when you call so we can work out what will suit you before anything is booked.
Is transport covered by Support at Home?
Yes. Transport sits in the Independence category of Support at Home, alongside personal care and social support. Independence services carry a participant contribution set by your income and your Age Pension status, and full pensioners contribute nothing towards them. Your quarterly budget is set when your package is assigned.
Can I have the same driver every time?
That is what we aim for, particularly for a regular weekly run. The same worker learns which entrance is easiest, where the parking is, and how long the appointment usually takes. When your regular worker is on leave we brief whoever covers so you are not explaining it all again.
How much notice do you need for a booking?
As much as you can give us. Ring as soon as you have the appointment card rather than the night before, because the earlier we know, the better the chance we can send the worker you already know. Regular runs, like a Thursday shop, get locked into the roster and stay there.
Can I use transport before my package is approved?
Yes. You can pay privately and book from your first call, then move the service onto your package once it is assigned. People often start this way for one specific reason, usually a course of hospital appointments that will not wait.
Enquire about transport
Tell us where you're up to and we'll be in touch. Prefer to talk? Call 1800 434 002.