How NEMT Software Benefits Your Drivers 

Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) drivers are in high demand because of an aging population and their growing need for transportation to and from healthcare appointments.  

This demand means that retaining drivers is a crucial part of your business.  

Technology plays a central role in retaining drivers and enhancing business operations. NEMT software bridges the communication gap between dispatcher, driver, and driver and passenger, removing many of the frustrations drivers face. 

The key benefits drivers gain from NEMT software are reporting and optimization, automated billing, NEMT driver applications, enhanced GPS technology, and streamlined communication with passengers. 

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at each of these features and how they benefit your drivers and your business. 

Reporting and Optimization 

NEMT software allows you to run reports that provide invaluable insight for optimizing your business.  

The more you know about routes and rides, the more informed your decisions will be.  

This data-informed approach benefits your drivers, too, because improved strategies help them provide better rides and increase efficiency. 

For example, if your reports signal that one of your drivers drove twice the distance of any other driver, you’ll want to dig into that statistic.  

Why is that?  

You might discover that the driver’s rides weren’t optimized for their location, allowing you to make adjustments that benefit you both. 

The best businesses constantly refine and evolve their processes.  

Drivers want to work for innovative organizations that make their work more straightforward and efficient. When you use metrics and critical insights, you help everyone who works for you reap the benefits. 

Automated Billing 

In the not-so-distant past, collecting ride payments could be time-consuming and headache-inducing.  

Drivers and riders handled transactions manually, with paper records and cash exchanges that often resulted in errors.  

These manual transactions created an unnecessary burden on transportation businesses, not to mention the additional liabilities for drivers with large sums of cash in their vehicles. 

NEMT software gets rid of this cumbersome, disorganized process.  

Digital automated billing takes the pressure off drivers to figure out fares, creating a trail of payment histories. Drivers don’t have to demand payment at the end of every ride. 

Automated billing also makes it easy for drivers to get paid quickly. The money for rides goes straight to them and doesn’t require cash to exchange hands.  

Digital payments mean quicker paydays with less hassle. 

NEMT Driver Apps 

Driver apps are the main benefit of NEMT software for drivers.  

If desired, a driver app can be accessed through mobile devices and connected to a modern car’s Bluetooth system.  

The app is a feature of NEMT software that makes it easy for drivers to view their daily trips, schedule new rides, and make any necessary adjustments throughout the day.  

It’s also a direct communication tool between the dispatcher, driver, and passenger.  

NEMT drivers work in a fast-paced environment, so the importance of driver apps cannot be overstated.  

Driver apps verify the location in real time and help drivers make informed decisions about routes to get passengers to their destinations on time. They help drivers deal with issues as the fleet and dispatchers are only a message away. 

An app’s ability to collect timestamps, odometer readings, and GPS location data for every trip leads to better routes and more efficient decisions in the future.  

They also notify passengers when their ride is arriving and provide a place for passengers to get real-time updates. This helps drivers stay on schedule and assist the most people they can daily with rides. 

Enhanced GPS Technology 

Nothing is more frustrating for a driver than a slow route or wrong turns.  

With NEMT software, drivers avoid these pitfalls. Optimized GPS is designed to find the quickest, most efficient routes for every trip to avoid traffic jams, accidents, poor road conditions, and more. 

GPS tracking also allows you to monitor your fleet of drivers.  

This also benefits drivers because GPS tracking helps dispatchers be proactive when discovering a route that is not on a schedule.  

Once dispatchers know the root cause of the issue, they communicate internally with your team and externally with your customers to develop a solution.  

This can help prevent further delays for passengers scheduled for routes later in the day. 

The real-time information between dispatchers and drivers makes everyone’s lives easier and more efficient.  

When drivers and dispatchers work together to glean insights from updates on traffic and scheduling, it leads to better decisions.  

By making route adjustments and communicating with your riders, your team enhances customer satisfaction and keeps your vehicles and drivers prompt and reliable. 

Streamlined Communication with Passengers 

Every driver needs a feature that makes communicating with passengers easy. Speed of communication is crucial in the NEMT business.  

Drivers and patients feel better when communication is readily available and straightforward. 

NEMT software allows for phone calls, alerts, and instant messaging to happen in real time while maintaining privacy. All communication occurs through the mobile app, so neither your drivers nor your riders have their private phone numbers exposed. 

The availability of this feature acts as a reliable safeguard in case drivers need to communicate with passengers before or after the ride.  

In this way, NEMT software increases the effectiveness and efficiency of communication between drivers and riders, improving the experience for both sides. 

The Bottom Line 

NEMT software benefits drivers because it streamlines parts of the job that used to be cumbersome and possesses features that make the job easier than ever.  

Drivers can focus on efficiently getting passengers from their pickup to their drop-off location. They don’t need to worry about collecting cash payments or figuring out how to avoid an unexpected delay on their route. 

NEMT software can play a significant role in increasing your drivers’ satisfaction and motivation, as well as improving the experience of your riders—ultimately helping you improve your retention rates for both. 

Software solutions like Tobi make it easier to enhance your NEMT business and provide superior service to clients. Contact us today to learn more about how Tobi can help take your business to the next level.