The Travelers Aid Society of Pittsburgh runs a program that offers free public transportation to expectant mothers on a low income. If an expectant mother is attending prenatal appointments at 1 of 12 clinics or hospitals in the area, including Allegheny General Hospital, she can apply for free bus tickets from the health-care provider. The tickets are valid for appointments during the pregnancy and for certain appointments after the baby is born.
Trips for Tots is a similar plan to Mobile Moms and applies to low-income women with a child under the age of 18 months. Travelers Aid pays for transportation to the health-care provider for vaccination visits and for sick visits for the baby. The tickets can also be used to bring older siblings along when the baby has an appointment. The tickets are available from four approved health-care providers: Allegheny General Hospital, Lawrenceville Family Health Center, Latterman Family Health Center and UPMC Shadyside Family Health Center.
Travelers Aid also provide a free bus-ticket plan for people with a low income who need to be able to get to medical or dental appointments. To be eligible, a person has to be resident of Allegheny County and be receiving Medical Assistance, Gateway, UPMC For You or Unison. The transportation plan covers non-emergency medical transportation, such as medical appointments, dental appointments, methadone maintenance clinic visits and even transportation from the hospital in the case of an emergency-room visit.
Other members of the family may be able to access free bus transportation in certain circumstances. For example, adults who are taking part in Allegheny County's education and employment training may be entitled to free transportation to and from the training facility or to their work-experience location. If a member of the family is over the age of 65, he can use Allegheny County's free bus-pass system. If a member of the family is disabled, she only pays half the fare on the bus, saving the family some cash. If the family is responsible for a college student, he can ride the bus for free or for a discounted price, depending on the college in which he is enrolled.
