Parking at hospitals

Ask about concession and patient rates

Most major public hospitals in Australia have a patient parking concession rate for people attending regularly for treatment. This may be a discounted daily rate, a monthly pass, or validation for a set number of hours per visit. These concessions exist but are rarely advertised at the parking gate.

Ask at the reception desk of the department you attend (day oncology, radiation oncology, specialist outpatient clinic) whether a patient parking concession is available. Ask the same question at the hospital's patient services or patient relations desk. If you find one, ask how to register for it and how to access it each visit.

Some hospitals also have a limited number of accessible or reserved parking spaces for patients with specific needs. If mobility is an issue, ask whether these are available and what documentation is needed to access them.

Scout surrounding streets

Many inner-city hospitals are surrounded by residential streets with unrestricted or two-hour parking within a reasonable walk. On a good day, this costs nothing. On a day when energy is low or the weather is bad, it is less suitable, but it is worth knowing the area.

Use Google Maps satellite view to check the streets around your hospital before your first visit. Note where time-limited or unrestricted parking is available. On the days when you have the capacity to walk a few extra minutes, this saves money and reduces the stress of finding a hospital car park space.

Consider public transport

If your hospital is well-served by public transport and the person receiving treatment is well enough to use it, public transport is often cheaper and less stressful than driving and parking. Many major hospital campuses have direct bus routes or are near a train station.

Concession card holders (including pensioners and Health Care Card holders) pay reduced fares on public transport in most Australian states. If you have a Pensioner Concession Card, use it.

On days when a taxi or rideshare is more practical than driving and parking, compare the total cost of rideshare versus parking. For short trips, the rideshare cost may be similar or less, with the significant benefit of door-to-door travel and no parking stress.

Volunteer driver programs

Many hospitals and cancer support organisations run volunteer driver programs that provide transport to and from regular appointments for people with serious illness. These programs are free or available for a small contribution.

Cancer Council runs a transport to treatment service, but it is organised state by state and is not offered everywhere. Their transport page links to each state and territory, and 13 11 20 will tell you what runs near you. Your palliative care social worker, the hospital social work team, or your treating team's nurse coordinator will also know about programs operating in your area. Ask early, as there can be waiting lists for popular services.

Use your disability parking permit

If the person with the terminal illness has an Australian Disability Parking Permit (ACROD permit), it can be used in designated accessible parking bays at the hospital and in surrounding streets. In many states, permit holders also receive extended time limits in metered parking zones.

If you do not yet have a permit and mobility has become an issue, see the parking permits guide for how to apply.

Keep receipts

Keep receipts for all parking costs related to medical appointments. The general tax offset for medical expenses ended in 2019, so these are not something you claim back at tax time, but they do matter for financial assistance and reimbursement programs. Some state patient transport assistance schemes cover reasonable transport and parking costs for eligible patients. See the treatment centre logistics guide for more detail on transport assistance schemes.