Can Emergency Medical Transport Be The Future For Uber?

When people have a medical emergency, it’s almost a given that an ambulance would come pick them up and bring them to the hospital. However, it seems there’s a rising trend where some people are calling up Ubers instead, at least according to one study. Apparently, this is to avoid the steep fees that an ambulance transport would incur, but the development does pose some interesting questions.

Now, it’s important to note that this research paper talking about this trend is still up for peer review. As such, it’s worth taking the data presented with a grain of salt. On that note, it’s also interesting to consider the possibility that people are using Ubers more than ambulances to get to hospitals because of how much they charge.

It would appear that using an ambulance to transport patients to hospitals can come with costs of up to $1,000. This is a huge amount of money, especially for those who are already struggling to make ends meet. In contrast, taking an Uber to the emergency room would only cost passengers a few dollars.

With regards to just how many people are actually choosing to ride Ubers instead of ambulances, the researchers estimate that there’s at least a seven percent reduction in the number of patients taking the more expensive rides across 43 states. One of the co-authors of the paper, David Slusky from the University of Kansas spoke with Futurism about their findings and said that it’s actually a positive development.

“I think it’s, in general, a good thing,” Slusky said. “Certainly, we can think of cases where it’s a worrying trend, but in general, it’s a good thing.”

On the other hand, there is also the matter of choosing to ride an Uber to the hospital appropriately. If it’s safe to do so and the patient is not in immediate danger, forgoing an ambulance ride makes sense. It doesn’t if the patient is bleeding to death.