VSL or taxi transports are often employed for non-urgent movement between health facilities, medical appointments or reeducation courses. Furthermore, they serve to address shortages of suitable emergency vehicles in urban settings.
VSL are only permitted with an approved medical transport prescription from a doctor, with Caisse primaire d’assurance-maladie (CPAM) covering the costs incurred from transported activities.
As a rule, VSL or Taxi transport fees cannot typically be reimbursed until an entity with sufficient numbers of vehicles operating as VSL/Taxi has obtained an ADS from CPAM and secured its use through local insurance-maladie offices. Any company seeking access to such authorization may apply for one or more ADS through local agencies of insurance-maladie.
VSL and Taxi differ considerably, yet one key distinction lies in their emergency services being nearly equivalent. Yet transports performed via VSL or Taxi differ significantly from emergency ambulance transports in that passengers do not benefit from permanent assistance during their trip, unlike when using an ambulance which provides first aid equipment; this may help to shorten wait times considerably.