Rideshares are being used as an ambulance, drivers have safety concerns

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (InvestigateTV) - As rideshares become a routine part of daily life, some drivers say the job can taken an unexpected and dangerous.

In some cases, they tell us they’re being used to transport people with serious and medical needs, without the training or equipment to do it safely.

“I looked back and I had a better look at what was going on and they were visibly struggling to breathe,” said James.

“I had a woman who had fallen in her house and her son had to help lift her into my car and I had to bring her to the hospital,” said Josh.

Both drivers wanted to conceal their identities, fearing repercussions from their companies.

But they both tell the story of a growing problem — people using rideshares as a substitute for an ambulance, in many cases because it’s less expensive. Situations these drivers admit they are not trained or qualified to handle.

“I got them to the ER and I ran and called the nurse and they came out with a wheelchair and you know, got them out,” James said.

James questioned why would someone call an Uber over an ambulance. “You know, that’s the failure in my opinion.”

For Joes, he was concerned over the safety of the passenger and how he had no way of helping beyond driving.

“I don’t know how to make sure that my passenger, who came into my car, that her leg would be positioned correctly so as not to further injure her after her fall.,” Josh said.

And it’s not just Nashville. A 2019 study by the National Emergency Medical Services Information System, or NEMSIS, found that there was a 7% decrease in ambulance volume in cities that have Uber.

“So, the interesting thing is that there really is no alternative to get from one facility to another that isn’t an ambulance. They have to drive themselves or find someone else to,” said Patricia Kelmar.

She is a senior director of healthcare campaigns for the Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocacy organization.

She has seen the struggles and the debt patients can get into when insurance companies decide what qualifies as emergency transportation and what doesn’t. It often leaves patients with a tough decision.

“I might be on some medications that make me dizzy. So, I should have a professional drive me to a new location. I don’t want to pay a $6,000 ambulance ride for my transportation, but I do want to get to the other facility safely,” said Kelmar.

The drivers we spoke with believe a solution could start with rideshare companies. Why can’t there be a descriptor simply called “medical?”

They say it would provide a level of transparency that would allow them to accept or reject rides. But that’s just one possible solution. The question remains: what to do about people using Uber as ambulances.

“I feel like within the last 5 or more years where people are realizing, like, oh, if I need something even as desperate as medical attention, like I can use this service,” James said.

These drivers - and others - tell me they get these rides a lot.

They also tell me they are worried about the legal issues they could face if one of these rides goes wrong. Uber has been contacted for a statement, and they have yet to respond.