Provincial Assisted Transportation Program
What is assisted transportation?
Assisted transportation refers to safe, affordable, and reliable rides where trained staff or volunteers provide door-through-door support for older adults and others with mobility, cognitive, or social barriers. Unlike standard transit or taxi services, assisted transportation includes:
- Personalized help from inside the home to inside the destination (not just curb-to-curb).
- Light mobility support, such as with walkers, parcels, or wayfinding inside facilities.
- Escort or wait-and-return options to ensure clients reach and complete their appointments safely.
- Community connection, linking riders to health care, social programs, and essential daily-living needs.
The goal is to help people maintain independence, dignity, and access to essential services when traditional transportation options are limited.
What is Healthy Aging Alberta’s Provincial Assisted Transportation Project?
The Provincial Assisted Transportation Project is a province‑wide initiative coordinated by Healthy Aging Alberta to expand access to assisted transportation in urban, rural, and remote communities. Through local non‑profits and municipal partners, the project supports older adults to maintain independence and access critical services.
We focus on:
- Medical and health‑related appointments
- Daily living needs like groceries, banking, and pharmacy
- Social and wellness connections, including programs, events, and community supports
What makes it different: door‑through‑door support, trained drivers/escorts, safety protocols, and connections to local community services
Who is it for?
- Older adults (55+)
- People with mobility or cognitive barriers to travel
“It is such a domino effect, and you then become that trusted service that nobody can duplicate. It’s huge because it doesn’t only affect the people that you serve. It supports their families.”
– Provider, Assisted Transportation
Why it matters
Alberta’s population is aging rapidly. More than 725,000 Albertans are over 65 today, and this number is expected to nearly double by 2051. Many want to age in place, but limited transportation—especially in rural and remote areas—creates barriers to health care, groceries, and social connection.
Transportation is a critical social determinant of health. Without it, older adults are more likely to miss appointments, face food insecurity, experience isolation, and lose independence. The Provincial Assisted Transportation Project addresses these risks by ensuring affordable, reliable, and appropriate rides are available across the province.
With investment from the Government of Alberta, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services, Healthy Aging Alberta is funding and coordinating community-based assisted transportation programs across the province.
Current funded communities include:
- Barrhead
- Crowsnest Pass
- Driftpile Cree Nation
- Edson
- Foothills County/Diamond Valley/High River/Okotoks/Nanton
- Fox Creek
- M.D. of Greenview
- Legal, Bon Accord
- Hanna
- Warner County/Milk River/Coutts
- Northern Sunrise County
- Oyen/Special Area #3/Acadia No. 34
- Provost/M.D. of Provost
- Siksika First Nation
- M.D. of Smoky River
- Spirit River
- Sundre
- Three Hills/Kneehill County
- Vulcan
Get in touch
For more information, please contact:
Lauren Slavik
Provincial Community Support Services Manager
Email: lauren.slavik@healthyagingalberta.ca