DAV Vans: transportation for Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) provides free van rides to and from Corporal Michael J. Crescenz medical center at Philadelphia, PA to Veterans who don’t have other transportation options. Find out how to schedule a DAV van ride.
About DAV services
DAV van resources work with county Veterans Affairs directors to provide transportation for Veterans to and from Veteran health care centers for scheduled medical appointments.
These vans transport Veterans from 26 different counties throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and New York. Each month, between 1,500 and 1,700 Veterans receive DAV transportation.
Arrange a ride
If you’d like to schedule a DAV van ride, contact the Hospital Service Coordinator who serves your county.
Please note that DAV vans can only provide rides to ambulatory passengers (passengers who are able to move around without the driver’s help). For information on accessible transportation options, review our other Veteran shuttle services.
| County served | Phone number | Hours and location information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County served | Allegheny County | Phone number | 412-360-6957 | Hours and location information | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.), Thursday and Friday (1st and 3rd); Appointments beginning at 9 a.m. up to appointments beginning at 2 p.m. except Wednesday |
| County served | Armstrong County | Phone number | 724-545-9016 | Hours and location information | Meckling-Shakely Veterans Center |
| County served | Beaver County | Phone number | 724-770-4450 | Hours and location information | Monday and Wednesday – Butler VA Medical Center; Tuesday and Thursday – VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System |
| County served | Bradford/McKean County | Phone number | 814-460-2327 | Hours and location information | |
| County served | Butler County | Phone number | 724-477-5010 | Hours and location information | |
| County served | Clearfield County | Phone number | 814-765-2642, ext. 3008 | Hours and location information | |
| County served | Crawford County (Meadville) | Phone number | 814-337-6077 | Hours and location information | |
| County served | Erie County | Phone number | 814-860-2095 | Hours and location information | Monday through Friday |
| County served | Greene County (Waynesburg) | Phone number | 724-852-5275 | Hours and location information | |
| County served | Indiana County | Phone number | 724-465-3815 | Hours and location information | |
| County served | Lawrence County | Phone number | 724-656-6868 | Hours and location information | |
| County served | Mercer County | Phone number | 724-346-1579 , ext. 3229 | Hours and location information | |
| County served | Somerset County | Phone number | 814-445-1551 | Hours and location information | Tuesday through Friday – VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System; Monday – James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center, Altoona, PA |
| County served | Washington County | Phone number | 1-800-331-5058 | Hours and location information | Tuesday and Wednesday – the western part of the county; ask for DAV van. Thursday and Friday – the Mon Valley part of the county; ask for DAV van. |
| County served | Warren County | Phone number | 814-723-3100 | Hours and location information | |
| County served | Westmoreland County | Phone number | 724-830-3532 | Hours and location information | Monday through Friday |
| County served | Venago County (Franklin) | Phone number | 814-337-6077 | Hours and location information |
| Service Provider | Phone Number | Hours and location information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Provider | Blair County | Phone Number | 814-940-7821 | Hours and location information | |
| Service Provider | Bedford County | Phone Number | 814-623-4848 | Hours and location information | |
| Service Provider | Cambria County | Phone Number | 814-943-8164, ext.5075 | Hours and location information | |
| Service Provider | Centre County | Phone Number | 814-355-6812 | Hours and location information | |
| Service Provider | Clinton County | Phone Number | 570-893-4339 | Hours and location information | |
| Service Provider | Elk/Cameron (rides for vets) | Phone Number | 814-772-2783 | Hours and location information | |
| Service Provider | Huntington County | Phone Number | 814-643-4202 | Hours and location information | |
| Service Provider | Indiana County | Phone Number | 724-465-3815 | Hours and location information | |
| Service Provider | Jefferson County | Phone Number | 814-849-1529 | Hours and location information | |
| Service Provider | Mifflin County | Phone Number | 717-248-6421 | Hours and location information | |
| Service Provider | Somerset County | Phone Number | 814-445-1551 | Hours and location information |
| County served | Phone number | Hours and location information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County served | Belmont County (St. Clairsville) | Phone number | 740-325-1042 | Hours and location information | Monday through Thursday – 2 vans; Friday – 1 van |
| County served | Harrison County (Cadiz) | Phone number | 740-942-8441 | Hours and location information | Monday through Friday, as needed |
| County served | Jefferson County (Steubenville) | Phone number | 740-283-8571 | Hours and location information | Monday through Friday |
| County served | Monroe County | Phone number | 740-213-0058 | Hours and location information | Monday through Friday, as needed |
| County served | Phone number | Hours and location information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County served | Brooke & Hancock Counties | Phone number | 304-527–3410 | Hours and location information | Monday through Friday; Brook County Senior Center |
| County served | Marshall & Ohio Counties (Wheeling) | Phone number | 304-232–0587 | Hours and location information | Monday through Friday; Wheeling Veterans Center |
| County served | Phone number | Hours and location information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County served | Chautauqua, NY | Phone number | 716-672-9883 or 716-792-9462 | Hours and location information | |
| County served | Erie County (Erie, PA) | Phone number | 814-860-2095 | Hours and location information | Monday through Friday |
| County served | Crawford County (Meadville, PA) | Phone number | 814-337-6077 | Hours and location information |
Other Veteran shuttle services
Other Veteran-specific transportation services, including buses, shuttles, and wheelchair-accessible transport, are available to patients. Please contact these providers directly to schedule a ride.
| Service provider | Phone number | Hours and location information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service provider | VA Transportation Dispatch (Wheelchair Vans) | Phone number | 412-822–1635 | Hours and location information | |
| Service provider | James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center, Altoona, PA | Phone number | 814-940–7838 | Hours and location information | VA shuttle to Pittsburgh; 2 buses Monday through Friday |
| Service provider | Butler VA Medical Center | Phone number | 724-287–4781 | Hours and location information | 2 buses Monday through Friday |
| Service provider | Mercer County Community Transit | Phone number | 724-981–6222 | Hours and location information | |
| Service provider | Erie VA Medical Center | Phone number | 800-274–8387 | Hours and location information | |
| Service provider | Fayette County (Uniontown) | Phone number | 724-430–1299 | Hours and location information | 2 buses Monday through Friday |
| Service provider | Holidaysburg Veterans Home | Phone number | 814-696–5221 | Hours and location information | |
| Service provider | Johnstown, PA | Phone number | 814-539–3863 | Hours and location information |
| Service provider | Phone number | Hours and location information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service provider | Washington County (Marietta) | Phone number | 740-568–9009 | Hours and location information |
| Service provider | Phone number | Hours and location information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service provider | Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, Clarksburg | Phone number | 304-623–3461, ext. 3221 | Hours and location information | 2 vans Monday through Thursday; 1 van on Friday |
Local transportation options
Many medical centers and clinics are also served by other local transportation services. To find those, review the transportation services information for the facility you want to visit.
Guidelines for using DAV vans
DAV van passengers are expected to follow certain guidelines, established by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the DAV National Headquarters. These guidelines include the following:
- All riders must be ambulatory (able to board and exit the van without the driver’s help).
- The DAV van driver is only allowed to stop the van for rest stops, emergencies, and to pick up and drop off passengers. Passengers should not ask the driver to make side trips to take care of their personal business.
- Passengers are not permitted to smoke, chew tobacco, drink alcohol, use foul language, or bring weapons, drugs, or any illegal substance on the van. Van drivers are not required to provide transportation to any Veteran who is intoxicated, abusive, or who poses a threat to the driver or other passengers.
- Passengers should not do anything to distract the driver.
- Passengers should wear seatbelts at all times. Any passenger who refuses to wear a seatbelt will be denied transportation.
- If a Veteran needs another individual (for example, a caregiver) to ride in the van with them, they need to get authorization from their VA attending physician or VA-certified nurse practitioner.
- Veterans being discharged or granted passes can ride on a DAV van during the van's trip back to its home county only if space is available. The Veteran must be ready to leave when the van leaves the VA medical center.
- Veterans should be dressed and ready to leave for the hospital at the time specified. Drivers can’t wait for Veterans who aren’t ready to leave at the appointed time.
- Veterans can only bring with them items that they can hold on their lap or store under the seat.
- The DAV van is not an emergency vehicle. The driver may refuse to transport any Veteran who appears to be too ill to ride the van.
- Veterans who use the DAV Transportation Network will not be eligible to receive reimbursement for travel expenses.
(M-1, Part 1, Chapter 25, July 8, 1991)