We have all visited the Emergency room at least once in our lives, whether it be for ourselves, for a family member or close friend. Visiting the emergency room can be traumatic for three main reasons; first, there is the excruciating worry for our condition, second is the constant voice in the back of our minds if we will we make it there on time or not, and third, what will the cost of the visit be. And if it’s a dying emergency, will you need to take an ambulance or an Uber?

We won’t be wrong if we say that the commute to the nearest urgent care is not for the faint-hearted. In Houston TX, urgent care facilities or hospitals are only a 10 to 15-minute drive away.

The ambulance system does play an extremely important role here. The prompt notification of an incident to the ambulance service and their rapid arrival on the site is crucial in determining the success of the treatment. Per Department of Health regulations, an ambulance should arrive at life-threatening calls (Category A) within 8 minutes of dispatch. An Uber can also arrive in that same time frame. So which type of transportation do you choose, an Uber vs an ambulance. I guess that depends on if your emergency is life threatening or not.

Take an Uber vs Ambulance to the Emergency Room

Uber is a taxi service that provides rides to a number of destinations at affordable rates. This ride service is available not just all over Houston, but it’s all across the globe. Since its beginning, Uber vs Ambulance has been used as a ride to the ER by people and the number of such users has steadily grown from hundreds at the beginning into millions these days.

Why People take an Uber vs ambulance

• Not everybody has a car. Battling the crush and hassle of public transport can be impossible for sick or injured people so riding the bus or the subway is out of the question in most cases. So unless one has his own vehicle to make the drive, Uber vs ambulance call service seems to be the best option to reach the emergency care centers with the most ease.
•  It is convenient. Uber vs ambulance can be easily accessed to with a smart phone so they are easy to use. Also, since the rides can be booked in advance, they are even more facilitating for users.
• It is cheap. An Uber vs ambulance service can charge you anything between a couple of hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars for a single ride! Uber, however, has fixed charges depending on the distance traveled which is extremely affordable.
• A ride back home. If you have visited and ER and they send you back home feeling better but not quite well enough to drive yourself back home, an Uber vs ambulance is your best bet. The ambulance cant take you back home right?

In a press release, a representative of Uber said, “We’re grateful that our Uber services have helped people get to where they are going when they need to the most.” 

Several emergency centers like SignatureCare are even partnering with Uber to provide premium pick and drop services to patients in case of emergencies. One important thing that should be noted, however, is the fact that Uber is just a ride that will take you to your destination. It can never truly replace an ambulance. This is primarily because Uber does not come with the necessary equipment or trained paramedical staff to provide relief nor will it always take you to the right place. By the latter, we mean that you might opt to go to a particular facility only to realize the service you need isn’t available there and you will ultimately have to call an ambulance to get to the right place.

The statement released by Uber further said, “Uber is NOT a replacement for medical professionals. In the event of a medical emergency, Uber encourages you to dial 911.”

Using Uber for ER visits should be your chosen option only if the emergency is not life threatening. If it is life threatening, it is wise to call 911 and request an ambulance. Some health facilities have their own ambulance services available including SignatureCare Emergency Center.

An important question that arises is: Are these ambulances services enough? We know that we all have heard numerous stories or seen on the news how someone lost his/her life because the ambulance couldn’t reach in time. How an innocuous injury or disorder turned into a life threatening medical crises because of delayed treatment. Such incidences may be more news bulletins for most of us or perhaps another excuse to ‘blame the establishment’ but the truth is they are akin to a nightmare for the people who actually suffered through them.

What makes it a certainty that you won’t have to experience it too? Nothing. So, the next question that should arise in our minds is: What can we do? What can we do to solve this problem and how can we deal with such a situation when it presents itself? Uber vs Ambulance?

Stay safe.