I am using taxis and worried about costs

Depending on where you live, you might find yourself needing to use taxis sometimes or all the time to get to the hospital and home again. The costs can quickly add up and may be worrying you.

Young Patients Family Fund

The Young Patients Family Fund is available if you normally live in Scotland and if you are the parent or carer of a baby in neonatal care. It can help help with the costs of travel and food while your baby is in hospital.

Travel by taxi will only be considered in certain circumstances. For example, where no public transport is available or a visitor’s medical condition means they cannot travel by public transport.

You need to get your taxi travel approved by the hospital before travelling.

You can make a claim as soon as your baby is admitted to the neonatal unit, and you can claim for costs from your time on the unit up to 3 months after your baby is discharged.

The fund is available for all families with anyone under 18 in hospital and has replaced the Neonatal Expenses Fund.

How else can I save money on taxis?

It may be that you could do one or more of the following to help reduce the cost of taxis.

It’s worth asking the hospital if they have a link with a taxi service that offers reduced fares for hospital patients. Or if you are using the same taxi company on a regular basis, then it’s a good idea to ask them if they could offer a discount.

In some areas there are local volunteer services that may be able to offer lifts. You could try asking staff on the unit about this. Or you might be able to ask friends or family for lifts on some days. Often people want to help but don't know what would be most useful and they might be happy to help in this way.

If you live close enough to the hospital you could consider walking. It’s a personal choice whether it would help, but walking can be very beneficial both for physical and mental health.

If you are using taxis because you are worried about finding parking or fuel costs, then you might find our information about parking and fuel useful for hints and tips.

Do you need help with something else?