Honolulu proposes to ease ambulance strain with help from rideshare companies, but drivers have questions

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A proposal to ease the strain on Oahu’s ambulance crews by enlisting the help of rideshare companies is prompting questions from some drivers.

In December, HNN Investigates told you about the Nurse Navigator program; an initiative that would be tied in with the county’s 911 system.

If a dispatcher determines a call is minor in nature, instead of sending an ambulance, the call would be transferred.

Honolulu Emergency Services director Jim Ireland explains, “The Nurse Navigator would then send a rideshare for the patient to get to an urgent care or a doctor’s office.”

It’s a proposal that caught the attention of many rideshare drivers.

Every day, hundreds of these independent contractors take to Oahu roadways shuttling commuters place to place.

While the Nurse Navigator Program has partnerships with multiple rideshare agencies, including Uber, we’ve learned the company primarily works with Lyft. So we asked Lyft officials what this proposal could mean for Oahu drivers.

Larry Wiss has driven for Uber seven years.

“EMS is medically trained. We’re not medically trained. So to put someone in our vehicle that you know might have a problem already leaves us in a bad situation,” he said.

Wiss says he’s also worried about being exposed to illness.

We took those concerns to officials with the Nurse Navigator Program and were told people with mobility issues, a potentially contagious disease, or anyone who is a potential danger to themselves or others will not qualify for a rideshare transport.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Lyft added, “If something does happen, like a rider getting sick, drivers can reach out to Lyft support to report any issues.” That spokesperson went on to say, “we will work with the driver, so they can clean their vehicle without incurring the expense.”

Wiss also wanted to know if drivers would have to get additional insurance to cover anything that might happen.

It’s a question HNN Investigates was unable to get an answer to.

Instead, officials with Lyft referred us to the company’s online insurance resources page. But it wasn’t clear whether or not more coverage would be needed for drivers assigned to non-emergency medical transports.

HNN Investigates confirmed the Nurse Navigator will obtain a 911 caller’s consent prior to arranging a pickup with a rideshare company.

“Ultimately the patient has a choice whether or not they want to use rideshare,” said Gerad Troutman, National Medical Director for Global Medical Response.

Wiss asked, “What if the driver doesn’t want to?

In a statement, a Lyft spokesperson responded, “drivers have many tools that help them in choosing rides. This includes being able to set area filters, Lyft’s destination filter that will prioritize rides that get you to a specific end location, and the ability to stack scheduled rides in advance.”

Since the Nurse Navigator Program covers the cost of the ride, Wiss was curious whether the company tips.

“Uber takes a good portion of the fare that the customer receives and I don’t think the customer understands that,” he said.

The same is true for Lyft.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Nurse Navigator Program told us, “Lyft just recently introduced a tipping feature into their third-party Business Concierge Portal, and we are actively evaluating if and how we can incorporate that feature.”

That Lyft spokesperson went on to say, “100% of all rider tips go to Lyft drivers; additionally, Lyft is the only rideshare company with an earnings commitment that guarantees that a driver’s weekly earnings will be at least 70% of passenger payments after external fees. If a driver’s earnings are below 70% when the week ends, they’ll get paid an earnings adjustment to make up the difference.”

While the Nurse Navigator program is currently being used in 30 cities across the country, here on Oahu, it’s still unclear when the proposal could become reality.

Right now, the city is still looking into ways to fund the program.

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