The GoWake Access program provides door-to-door, shared ride transportation services to those in the general public who:
- Are age 60 or older
- Have a disability
- Need work-related transportation
- Reside in rural service zones of Wake County
- Participate in a sponsored eligible service (Medicaid, Public Health, Work First)
Please contact your Case Worker for eligibility. For any questions about eligibility, services or transportation in general, please call 919-212-7005 (TTY 800-735-2962).
Download the GoWake Access and SmartRide Rider Guide
How do I get a ride?
To reserve your seat, call 919-212-7005 (TTY 800-735-2962). General public passengers (non-Medicaid) may only call in for trip reservations.
Transportation services are provided Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., excluding holidays.
You must have both the origin and destination addresses available when making a reservation. If you do not have both addresses when you call, your trip will not be scheduled.
Service is available by reservation on a first-come, seat-availability basis. General public riders must call the day before the trip to schedule a ride. Medicaid recipients must call at least three business days prior to an appointment to schedule a ride. If you are planning on traveling outside of the county, it is strongly recommended that you call at least five business days in advance of your trip.
If you need to cancel a trip, call 919-996-3444. Cancellations must be made at least one hour prior to your scheduled pick-up time.
If you are an established Medicaid client, you have the option to call 919-212-7005 (TTY 800-735-2962).
Am I eligible?
Do you need a ride to get to your COVID19 vaccine appointment? GoWake Access can help!
If you have a confirmed appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine and do not have transportation to the site, call GoWake Access at 919-212-7005 (TTY 800-735-2962) for a free ride to and from your appointment. Please call at least 24 hours in advance of your appointment to schedule your trip.
Medicaid Transportation
Adults and children authorized to receive Medicaid transportation can receive transportation option to and from a medical appointment covered by Medicaid. See our Medicaid information page for more information.
Cost: No fare
Elderly Disabled Transportation Assistance (EDTAP)
For adults aged 60+ and children or adults with a disability. Verification for age or disability may be requested by the reservation staff.
Cost: $2 for trips within the same city, or $4 for trips traveling to a different town or city
Rural General Public (RGP) Transportation
For residents of Wake County who live in a rural zone or are traveling to a rural zone
Cost: $2 for trips within the same city, or $4 for trips traveling to a different town or city
Employment
Employment transportation is available to and from a job, or for a job interview. Verification of employment may be requested at any time by the reservation staff.
Cost: $2 for trips within the same city, or $4 for trips traveling to a different town or city
Wake Transit Plan General Public
As a result of the Wake Transit Plan, for residents of Wake County who are traveling outside of Raleigh or Cary are eligible for transportation
Cost: $2 for trips within the same city, or $4 for trips traveling to a different town or city
Medicaid Transportation
Medicaid transportation is available to medical appointments for those who have active Medicaid. For questions of eligibility, please contact your case worker.
To get transportation to and from an appointment, the appointment must be covered by Medicaid. Proof of appointment is required for all Medicaid transportation.
As a Medicaid transportation beneficiary, you are required to notify GoWake Access at least three days prior to your appointment and five days prior for appointments outside of Wake County. Failing to do so can result in denying your transportation. If your transportation is denied for any reason, you have the right to file a written notice within 10 working days, and you have the right to have a local hearing to appeal this decision. Appeal rights are noted at the bottom of this page.
Call Center Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Walk-In Hours:
220 Swinburne St., Raleigh
Monday–Thursday, 9–10:45 a.m. and 2–3:45 p.m.; Friday, 9–10:45 a.m. only
Regional Centers
8 a.m.–4 p.m. (gas card pick-up only)
Modes of Medicaid Transportation
Passes can be mailed to the rider (verification form of Medicaid-covered service is required). Five days notice is required for receipt of tickets. Medicaid recipients can call 919-212-7005 or come in during walk-in hours (posted above).
Gas Card
Gas cards cannot be mailed and must be picked up.
- Must be a 5-mile, one-way minimum to receive a gas card for medical appointment;
- Customer with a car, or who has someone who can transport them, but needs assistance with gas;
- Must have proof of an appointment (walk-in hours above);
- Driver must provide current driver’s license, proof of insurance and current vehicle registration;
- If the appointment is outside Wake County the referring physician must fax a DMA-5048 form to Transportation stating the service cannot be provided in Wake County;
- Gas card calculation is based on mileage from home address to medical office and return home. Fuel prices are monitored daily and are subject to change; and
- Must provide DMA-5118 (document below) as proof of attendance from previous appointment.
Van Transportation
- Must call 919-212-7005 at least three working days prior to the appointment (five days prior if appointment is outside of Wake County). UNC (Chapel Hill) and Duke (Durham) trips are based on set shuttle schedule.
- If you have used our Medicaid van transportation before, you can request a trip via our web portal (email not required).
- To reserve a trip, client must have appointment date, complete facility name, address and phone number of the medical office.
- Cancellations must be made at least one hour prior to pick-up time for the beneficiary to not receive a No-Show.
- Ride status checks or cancellations can be made by calling dispatch at 919-996-4444.
No-Show and Cancellation Policy
A no-show occurs when a Medicaid client is scheduled for a trip to a medical service and fails to show up to be transported.
- The client must be ready and at the designated place for pick-up at the time given by the customer service representative. The van driver is only required to wait a minimum of five minutes. After this time, the driver is instructed to leave a no-show tag and proceed to the next destination.
- The client must call the number provided for trip requests to cancel scheduled transportation at least one hour prior to pick-up. Cancellations made less than one hour in advance may count as a no-show, unless there was worthy cause for the cancellation.
- The first missed trip will result in a warning letter informing the client that any further missed trips may result in a suspension of transportation services for a period of 30 days.
- A second missed trip within three months of the first missed trip will result in a final warning letter informing the client that the next missed trip may result in a suspension of transportation services for a period of 30 days.
- A third missed trip within three months of the first missed trip may result in a suspension notice informing the client that transportation services have been suspended for 30 days.
**Critical needs clients, such as those receiving dialysis or chemotherapy, will not have their transportation services suspended.**
Appeal Rights
If your transportation services have been suspended, or if your transportation has been denied, you can ask for a hearing to appeal the decision.
You must ask for this hearing within 60 days (or 90 days if you have a good reason for delay). This hearing is a meeting to review your situation and appeal. If a decision is made that your transportation services being denied was incorrect, new transportation services will be discussed. Please respond, in writing, why you feel this decision should be overturned and include any supporting documentation. Appeal letters can be mailed to:
GOWAKE Access Services
220 Swinburne St.
PO Box 46833
Raleigh, NC 27620-6833
Attn: Anita Davis, Transportation Manager
A local hearing will be held within five days of your request, unless you ask for it to be postponed. The hearing can be postponed (for a good reason) for as many as 10 calendar days. If you think the decision of the local hearing is wrong, contact your DSS county transportation coordinator WITHIN 15 DAYS of receiving the decision of the local hearing, to ask for a state hearing.
If you have any questions regarding this No-Show/Cancellation Policy or Appeal Rights, please contact the Wake County Transportation Call Center at 919-212-7005, and a customer service representative will be available to assist you.
DMA-5118A – Verification of Receipt of Medicaid-Covered Service
DMA-5118B – Verification of Receipt of Medicaid-Covered Service (this version is for medical offices that require beneficiary's consent to release information)
Want to leave a complaint/comment about your trip?
For a commendation or a complaint to be filed, the customer must contact the Consumer Experience Team directly at 919-212-7155. Complaints may also be filed online.
Complaints must be reported within 48 hours of the incident.
Wake County Transportation Complaint Policy
Was there a problem with your transportation?
We encourage anyone to file a complaint within 24–48 hours of any issue. The representative will enter the information into a database and distribute to the appropriate person. We appreciate any and all timely feedback, with as much detail as possible.
The GoWake Access staff will follow up with the appropriate persons to correct and resolve the issue. The customer will also receive a letter verifying that the complaint was filed and what the corrective measures are.
If dissatisfied with the resolution, then customers may appeal actions taken on complaint resolution within 7 days of the date of the resolution notification by addressing the transportation manager in writing at the address below. The appeal should include all relevant information.
Wake County Human Services
Transportation Manager
220 Swinburne St., Raleigh, NC 27610
Public Notices
None at this time
Rider Rights and Protections
Title VI Notice to the Public
Wake County Human Services operates its programs and services without regard to race, color, and national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Any person who believes he or she has been aggrieved by any unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI may file a complaint with Wake County Human Services.
For more information on the Wake County Human Services civil rights program, and the procedure to file a complaint, call 919-212-7155 (TTY 800-735-2962), email psnelling@wake.gov or visit our administrative office at Wake County Human Services: 220 Swinburne Street, Room 2161, Raleigh NC 27610.
A complainant may file a complaint directly with the Federal Transit Administration by filing a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, Attention: Title VI Program Coordinator, East Building, 5th Floor – TCR, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. 20590.
If information is needed in another language, call 919-212-7155.
Civil Rights Protections
GoWake Access is committed to operating transportation programs and services without regard to disability, race, color, or national origin, in accordance with applicable federal statutes.
- Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
Americans with Disabilities Act
It is the policy of Wake County Transportation to abide by all provisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and US Department of Transportation (DOT) implementation regulation found at 49 CFR Parts 27, 37 and 38 as amended, in the delivery of transit services that are open to the public and prohibits discrimination based on disability and sets specific requirements that transit agencies must follow.
Wake County ADA Policy
Reasonable Modification Public Notice
GoWake Access is committed to ensuring a reliable, accessible experience for all customers. If, due to a disability, you are not able to fully use GoWake Access's programs and services because of a policy or procedure that has been established, you may submit a request for a modification of the policy or procedure. To request a modification, complete a Request for Modification of Policy/Procedure Form, which is available online at or by calling 919-212-7360 (TTY 800-735-2962). All requests for reasonable modifications to GoWake Access policies or procedures will be considered on an individual basis. Please note that GoWake Access may be unable to accommodate requests for modifications which would:
- Result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the service;
- Create a direct threat to the health or safety of others, and;
- Create an undue financial or administrative burden.
Requests for modifications might also not be granted if the director determines that the service can be fully used without the requested change. In the event that a barrier to access exists, but the requested modification cannot be granted, GoWake Access will, to the maximum extent possible, assist in determining other possible actions that might be taken to provide access to its programs and services.
Transportation Advisory Board
The Wake County Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) is a forum for citizen suggestions and complaints concerning fares, routes and schedules. It also serves as an advocacy group for public transportation services and reviews service provision and transit policy recommendations. The TAB reviews and makes recommendations on minimum performance standards for the system. The TAB also explores emerging issues in public transit and works with staff on solutions.
TAB Meeting Calendar
The Transportation Advisory Board meets bi-monthly. Beginning April 2020, until further notice, all GoWake Access advisory board meetings will be held remotely. Meetings can be joined via Microsoft Teams with no login required. Join Meeting via this Teams Link
Please make your intentions to speak known by sending an email containing a brief summary of your comments to Nikki.Abija@wake.gov at least 48 hours before the meeting. To ensure that we hear from as many people as possible during public comments, each speaker gets 3 minutes. Staff will give a 30-second warning after which the speaker will be muted.
Future Meetings
- October 2, 2024
- December 4, 2024
- February 5, 2025
- April 2, 2025
- June 4, 2025
TAB Minutes
TAB Presentations
Local and Regional Providers
Providers
Below are other paratransit providers within and surrounding Wake County. Please contact the specific agency with questions about its services.
Want to Drive for GoWake Access?
View openings and apply for jobs working with GoWake Access.
Interested applicants may also apply in person at the operations facility Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.