Metro Atlanta County Approves Ambulance Fee Hike

The cost of an ambulance ride will soon rise by about 50 percent in a metro Atlanta county.

The DeKalb County Commission decided Tuesday to allow Rural/Metro Corp. to increase the fees it charges for medical transport.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the increase from $500 to $750 for basic transportation brings fees in line with what the service costs in nearby Cobb County.

Officials say fees will increase for all the company’s services, from providing oxygen to responding to calls where no transportation to a hospital is required.

Basic transport fees in the region range from a low of $343 in Douglas County to the $1,628 that Grady Ambulance charges in Fulton County. The basic service costs $975 in Gwinnett County.