Trade the ambulance for a cab?
On Thursday morning San Antonio City Council approved a $50,000-a-year partnership that will allow a Yellow Cab to give you a ride to the hospital as a non-emergency EMS patient for free.
So how would this work?
Emergency crews will respond to a call and assess the situation.
"If we get there and see that person does not need an IV, they're not in an emergency situation; they only need a ride for evaluation. Then we're going to look at calling a cab for them," San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told KENS 5.
Hood told KENS 5 they have used cabs for some time. The taxis average about 1,500 cab rides a year, while ambulances make about 2,800 rides a year.
Hood said the cabs decrease the paramedics' workload, increasing their availability in the process.
"If you look at the workload, it's very efficient," he added.
It's efficient for San Antonio residents' pockets as well. According to EMS' billing site, an ambulance transport fee is $1,000 at the baseline, and another $12 a mile on top of that.
"We're not in the business of making money, we're not a private ambulance company," Hood said. "We're a fire department that provides emergency transportation so whatever means necessary to get someone to a destination of a healthcare center that's what we want to do."
The cabs will be available 24/7 for EMS, and will need to pick up the patient within 30 minutes of the request to get them to the doctor in a timely manner.