Medical travel
Free gas cards for cancer patients
Fuel cost is a documented reason patients miss treatment. Here is where the money actually is.
Do this first
Ask to speak to a medical social worker at the hospital or cancer centre treating you. At hospitals, social workers hold and distribute the gas cards — one health system describes them as “the keepers of the cards”. Patients who ask the billing or financial counselling department are usually told “we don’t do that”, because those staff handle insurance, not transport.
Then apply to Blood Cancer United (for blood cancers: $500 per six months, covering gas, tolls and parking) and Mercy Medical Angels / Angel Wheels (gas cards for longer-distance medical travel).
Why this matters clinically, not just financially
Fuel cost is a documented barrier to cancer care, not a budgeting inconvenience. Reporting during the 2022 price spike found patients skipping and delaying appointments because of gas prices, and the structural problem has not changed. Patients on daily radiation travel five days a week for weeks; dialysis patients travel three times a week indefinitely. In federal Eldercare Locator data, transport to medical and dialysis appointments accounted for 75% of all transportation-related contacts.
Tell your care team
If you are missing treatment because of fuel costs, say so to your oncologist or nurse navigator. It is a clinical problem, and the care team controls access to the funds that solve it. Many patients never mention it.
The hospital social worker: what to say
“Could I speak with a medical social worker? I’m having trouble affording gas to get to my appointments. Does the hospital have a patient assistance fund, gas cards, or a transportation programme?”
Verified examples of how these funds work:
- Munson Healthcare states that medical social workers and case managers identify and approve assistance from its Patient Needs Fund, and gas cards are an explicitly listed form of aid.
- IU Health describes social workers as “the keepers of the cards”, distributing them when they see a need, and says donations often assist with transportation costs.
- Main Line Health / Bryn Mawr has covered gas or grocery gift cards and plane, train or bus tickets from its Patient Assistance Fund.
While you have them on the phone, ask these four questions too:
- Does the cancer centre have its own patient assistance fund? Most designated centres do.
- Can you apply to outside charities on my behalf? Blood Cancer United explicitly allows providers and pharmacies to apply for a patient.
- Is there a parking validation or free parking programme? Frequently yes, and rarely mentioned.
- Can appointments be consolidated into one trip, or any of them done by telehealth?
Bring your appointment calendar, treatment schedule, doctor’s notes and income verification. Having these ready measurably speeds approval.
Blood Cancer United — $500 travel grant
The organisation formerly known as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society now operates as Blood Cancer United. Most other websites still use the old name.
Its Susan Lang Pay-It-Forward Patient Travel Assistance programme is the strongest named gas-covering grant in the country:
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Amount | $500, once within any six-month period, for patient and caregiver |
| Covers | Ground transportation, tolls, gas, parking, car rental, car maintenance and more |
| Does not cover | Food, alcohol, tobacco, clothing, medical or pharmacy costs, international travel |
| Income limit | At or below 600% of the federal poverty guidelines, adjusted by a cost-of-living index based on your ZIP code |
| Eligibility | Blood cancer diagnosis confirmed by a doctor; in active treatment, about to start, in surveillance or in palliative care; US citizen or permanent resident. Insured and uninsured both qualify |
| Apply | Online portal or 877-557-2672. Patients, caregivers, pharmacies and providers can all apply |
Check which funds are open before you apply
Sub-funds open and close constantly. At the time of writing, the National Travel Fund and Pediatric Travel Fund were both listed as closed. The programme states that continuation depends on available funds and may be modified or discontinued at any time. Check the live fund status page rather than assuming availability.
Note also that many sites quote a 500% income limit for this programme. The organisation’s own figure is 600%, cost-of-living adjusted.
There is a companion programme, Susan Lang Pre-CAR T-Cell Therapy Travel Assistance, for patients travelling for CAR-T — worth asking about, since CAR-T centres are few and distances extreme.
Mercy Medical Angels / Angel Wheels
The closest thing to a national gas card programme for medical travel.
- Provides gas cards, plus bus and Amtrak tickets, for non-emergency long-distance medical travel
- For financially disadvantaged, ambulatory patients who need no medical monitoring en route
- Requires a scheduled appointment, physician clearance to travel, and verifiable financial need
- Trips are typically under 300 miles one way and local travel is generally excluded — but exceptions are made case by case, “routinely for cancer patients travelling daily for treatment”
- Apply at angelwheels.org, or call 800-768-0238
Confirm this one is active
No notice of closure was found, but the most recent independent directory listing for Angel Wheels dates from January 2023 and we could not confirm current funding. Call before relying on it, and check contact details on the official site — older directories list a different address.
The Road To Recovery misconception
Road To Recovery does not give gas cards
Many websites claim the American Cancer Society’s Road To Recovery programme provides gas cards. It does not. It is a volunteer driver programme offering free rides to cancer-related appointments. Availability is highly geographic and it does not operate everywhere.
It is still worth calling 1-800-227-2345 (24 hours) to check availability in your area — a free ride is better than a gas card if you cannot afford fuel at all. ACS also runs Hope Lodge lodging assistance.
Other programmes worth applying to
| Programme | What it does |
|---|---|
| Patient Advocate Foundation — Total Assist | As of 1 July 2026 the PAN Foundation merged into PAF, launching a combined platform called Total Assist. Grants can cover transportation, housing and food. Do not rely on old PAN Foundation pages or fund lists |
| CancerCare | Limited financial assistance for treatment-related costs including transportation, plus free professional counselling. Funds are disease-specific and close frequently |
| Lazarex Cancer Foundation | Clinical trial participants only. Reimburses travel for patient and a companion for the duration of the trial. Does not cover ordinary treatment travel |
| Compass to Care | Paediatric cancer. Helps with transportation, parking and gas, and arranges travel logistics for families |
| American Kidney Fund | For dialysis and transplant patients: $200 per 365 days through its Safety Net grant, which lists transport to dialysis as a typical covered expense. Apply through your dialysis centre social worker or call 800-795-3226 |
| Regional cancer funds | Nearly every state has one or more. The Oregon Cancer Foundation, for example, gives gas cards directly to patients in treatment, recently finished, or in hospice. Ask your social worker which exists locally |
| Ronald McDonald House / Joe’s House | Lodging near treatment, which removes the need to drive daily — often worth more than a gas card |
Sources
- bloodcancerunited.org, Susan Lang Pay-It-Forward Patient Travel Assistance programme pages.
- angelwheels.org and Mercy Medical Angels programme listings; seniornavigator.org directory entries.
- American Cancer Society Road To Recovery programme description via OncoLink.
- Patient Advocate Foundation / PAN Foundation merger notice, effective 1 July 2026.
- kidneyfund.org safety net grants page.
- Hospital patient-assistance fund pages: munsonhealthcare.org, iuhealth.org, giving.mainlinehealth.org.
- Eldercare Locator transportation data report, Administration for Community Living.
Every figure on this page is taken from the programme's own published material or a government document. Where sources disagree or a figure could not be confirmed, we say so in the text rather than guessing. See how we verify.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
How do cancer patients get free gas cards?
The most effective route is asking a medical social worker at the hospital or cancer centre, because at hospitals social workers hold and distribute the gas cards from patient assistance funds. Ask for social services, not the billing department. Alongside that, apply to Blood Cancer United for a $500 travel grant if you have a blood cancer, and to Mercy Medical Angels / Angel Wheels for gas cards for longer-distance travel.
Does the American Cancer Society give gas cards?
No. The American Cancer Society's Road To Recovery programme provides free rides from volunteer drivers, not gas cards, and it does not operate in every area. Many websites get this wrong. It is still worth calling 1-800-227-2345 to check availability, because a free ride solves the problem completely if you cannot afford fuel at all.
How much is the Blood Cancer United travel grant?
$500, once within any six-month period, covering treatment-related travel and lodging for both the patient and a caregiver. Covered costs explicitly include gas, tolls, parking, car rental and car maintenance. Household income must be at or below 600% of the federal poverty guidelines, adjusted by a cost-of-living index based on your ZIP code. Note that many other sites quote 500%; the organisation's own figure is 600%.
Is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society still called that?
No — it now operates as Blood Cancer United, at bloodcancerunited.org. The travel assistance programme is unchanged in substance, but searching for the old name may lead you to outdated pages with incorrect income limits. The application line is 877-557-2672.
What help is there for dialysis patients?
The American Kidney Fund's Safety Net grant provides $200 per 365 days in most states, and lists transport to and from dialysis as a typical covered expense. It is paid by debit card or direct deposit, so it can be spent on fuel. Apply through the social worker at your dialysis centre, or call 800-795-3226. Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation is also worth pursuing, since dialysis means three trips a week indefinitely.
Can someone else apply to these programmes for me?
Yes, and it often works better. Blood Cancer United explicitly allows patients, caregivers, pharmacies and healthcare providers to apply on a patient's behalf. Ask your social worker or nurse navigator whether they will submit applications for you — a provider-submitted application arrives with the clinical documentation already attached.