Reading has two free ways to get to an appointment, but neither brings someone down the stairs. For that, two trained staff can bring the person down seated in a motorized stair chair and hand them off to the ride. It is $200 a visit.

What free rides does Reading have?

The town van is free for residents 60 and over, booked at least 48 hours ahead through the Pleasant Street Center at 781-942-6794. The Link is a newer free, on demand shuttle that runs town wide and also reaches Lahey in Burlington and Winchester Hospital. Book it through the Ride Circuit app or at 781-782-2521. Ride options in Reading.

What goes wrong when families do it themselves?

• A free ride, a missed trip. The shuttle shows up, but the passenger is still upstairs.
• Hurt helpers. A family member carries a parent down and hurts their back, or both slip.
• Coming home after surgery. The ride back from Lahey is easy. The front steps are not.
• The stairlift wait. A curved rail takes weeks and costs thousands, and the appointment is this week.
• Staying in. People stop going out because the stairs feel like too much to ask of anyone.

We can time the stair crew to the free shuttle's pickup.

Who does the work?

Always two trained staff with a tracked stair chair. Care Remedy has served seniors and people with disabilities since 2019 and makes about 30,000 transportation trips a year from our Woburn office, a short drive from Reading. Pairing our stair crew with a free ride keeps your cost to the $200 visit.

What does it cost?

$200 a visit. If you would rather use our wheelchair van, it is $115 each way within five miles, then $2 a mile. Medicare does not pay for stair help. What sometimes does.

What should you tell us when you book?

How many steps inside and out, whether they turn, the ride's pickup time, the person's weight, and manual or power wheelchair. We will give you the rated capacity on the phone.

We serve Reading from our Woburn office. Call 781-957-8076.