WNYIL operates grant and fee-based transportation services for community activities in five of the Western New York Counties.
WNYIL’s transportation program, Independence Express, offers rides for people with disabilities who reside in Erie, Niagara, Wyoming, Genesee and Orleans Counties. Anyone with a disability can participate. We have both wheelchair-accessible vans and minivans for ambulatory riders.
If you are eligible for services from the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and live with a family member in Erie, Niagara, Genesee or Orleans county, you may be entitled to Family Support Services transportation. This program provides up to six (6) round trips per month to wherever you would like to go in our service area at no charge.
Our Fee-For-Service transportation is provided at a cost of $20 each way, plus $0.50 per mile to go wherever you choose. This is much less expensive than any private company that provides door-to-door wheelchair transportation in Western New York. You will receive an invoice in the mail the month after you get a ride.
If you would like to sign up for transportation, please call 716-836-0822, ext. 126 to reach our Intake Office. If your area code is 585, you may call 585-815-8501, ext. 126. You will fill out a short intake over the phone, and then a welcome packet will be sent to you, containing forms that you will need to sign and mail back to us. When we receive those forms, you are then signed up for transportation. We require at least one weeks’ notice to book each trip, but you may schedule rides up to three months in advance. All van seats are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on availability.