How to book a Kela taxi
Each region have two service providers from which customers can book taxi rides reimbursed by Kela. You can choose from which one to book your taxi. As an exception, if you are in the Åland Islands, contact the operator directly to book a taxi.
Please be aware that if you book a taxi in some other way, Kela cannot reimburse you for the trip.
- Call your regional dispatch centre by 2 pm the previous day. See phone numbers of the dispatch centres.
- you can book the trips that you know you will make in the next 14 days all at the same time.
- The dispatcher will tell you when the taxi will pick you up. You can also choose to receive a text message when a taxi has accepted your booking. The text message also includes the driver’s phone number. The taxi must arrive within 15 minutes of the agreed pick-up time.
- You should call the dispatch centre also if you need a taxi unexpectedly or forgot to book a taxi on the preceding day. In such situations, the trip to the healthcare provider must be made at the latest within 2 hours of the booking. In Lapland, the time limit is within 3 hours of the booking at the latest. The trip back home must be made at the latest within one hour of the booking.
- If the taxi does not arrive at the agreed time, call the same dispatch centre again.
- If the details of your trip change or you wish to cancel a transportation request, call the dispatch centre immediately. If you do not cancel, you may be charged the cost of the trip.
- Remember to present your Kela card or ID to the driver before the trip begins.
- That way you will get reimbursed straight away and will only have to pay a copayment of up to 25 euros.
Information you should provide when calling the dispatch centre
When you book a taxi, you will be asked for the following information:
- your reason for using a taxi (you are unable to use public transport for health reasons or for lack of suitable public transport options)
- your name and personal identity code
- your pick-up address
- your destination (e.g. hospital)
- latest possible time of arrival at the place of treatment
- any assistive devices you use and whether you need to stop at the pharmacy
- any person accompanying you
- the phone number where you can be reached.
Travel to a private healthcare provider
You can only get reimbursement for trips to a private healthcare provider if the treatment you receive there is reimbursed by Kela.
Payment voucher, service voucher or rehabilitation
If you have a payment voucher or a service voucher from your wellbeing services county, you will get a reimbursement for travel costs to the healthcare provider that treated you. The taxi service must be notified of the service voucher or payment voucher when the taxi is ordered. Travel costs will also be reimbursed to rehabilitation arranged by Kela.
Customers with the right to a familiar taxi driver
If you have the right to a familiar taxi driver, book your ride directly with the taxi operator or the driver. Read more about familiar taxi driver.
Customers with a hearing or speech impairment
Customers with a hearing or speech impairment can book a taxi by sending a text message
Dispatch numbers
Calls to your regional dispatch number are free of charge.
See below for a region-by-region list of the phone numbers for the dispatch centres. If you do not know which region your home municipality is in, look it up on this list (PDF, in Finnish).
Calls to the dispatch centre are recorded for quality assurance. Kela may sometimes check a transport request afterwards. The information you provide over the phone will not be used for any other purpose than as required to arrange the trip and to process your reimbursement. Kela is the data controller within the meaning of the EU General Data Act Protection Regulation.