Mobility Scooters in Billings, MT
Looking for a mobility scooter in Billings, Montana — to buy or to rent? Billings is Montana’s largest city and the medical hub for a vast stretch of the northern plains, set in the flat Yellowstone Valley beneath the sandstone Rimrocks. For a scooter rider it has real advantages: miles of paved trail, a senior bus pass for six dollars a month, and a state that expanded Medicaid. It also has a Montana winter — softened, now and then, by a chinook that can melt the snow in an afternoon. This guide covers the fares, the trails and the Rimrocks, the chinook, Montana’s Medicaid and the work rule that now comes with it, and the models that suit it. Polaris Mobility earns a commission on qualifying Amazon purchases through links on this page.
- Rated ~25 mi range
- Folds for the car & winter storage
- 10″ wheels, 6.2 mph
- ★ 4.4 rating
Billings gives you something worth having range for: miles of connected paved trail along the Rimrocks and down toward the Yellowstone. The Glashow has the longest rated range of our four, so a real morning out is on the table, and it folds to store warm through a Montana winter and lift into a car in a spread-out Western city. Two honest caveats: its 265 lb limit is the lowest here, so check it fits you, and it has fewer owner reviews than the Golden below. If you want maximum stability and a brand service network — worth more when the next big city is hours away — the Golden Buzzaround EX is the sturdier alternative.
On Medicare or Montana Medicaid? Read the funding section first — the state expanded, with a new work rule.
A six-dollar monthly bus pass — from age 62
Six dollars a month for unlimited travel is close to free, and the discount opening at 62 helps too.
- MET Plus is the door-to-door service. MET Plus (also called MET Special Transit) is the ADA paratransit for people who cannot use the fixed-route bus, and it is built around older adults getting to medical appointments and errands; the fare is $3.50 per one-way ride. Eligibility is certified separately, so start it before you need it.
- A scooter plus a six-dollar pass is a strong combination in a spread-out city: own the scooter for the trail and the trips you make yourself, and let the bus cover the distance for almost nothing.
- Confirm the current single-ride fare with MET, as fares change.
Paved trails, the Rimrocks, and the chinook
- The valley is flat; the Rims are the view. Billings sits on the flat floor of the Yellowstone Valley, so your day-to-day riding is level. The Rimrocks — the sandstone cliffs above town — are the scenery and the setting for the rim-top trail, not a climb you make on a scooter.
- The chinook is Montana’s wild card. A chinook — a warm, dry wind off the mountains — can raise the temperature dramatically in an hour and melt the snow away, turning a frozen week into a surprise riding day. Watch the forecast: a chinook is a chance to get out, but it also brings strong gusts, so favour sheltered, cleared stretches when it is blowing hard.
- Otherwise, plan for cold. Store and charge the scooter indoors, wipe off road salt, and keep to ploughed, sanded paths in a deep freeze — and take the six-dollar bus on the days the weather wins.
Montana expanded Medicaid — and the new work rule
- 65 or older? You are on Medicare, and the work rule does not touch you. Part B may cover a scooter if a doctor confirms the need and you use a supplier that accepts Medicare (Medicare.gov). In an older city like Billings, that is a large share of readers.
- Under 65 with a disability? Montana Medicaid covers disabled adults through pathways beyond the expansion group, and can pay for medically necessary equipment such as a power wheelchair or scooter through an enrolled provider. Apply, and ask about durable medical equipment.
- Under 65, expansion group? You may qualify on income, subject to the community-engagement rule above — so learn it, keep your documentation, and do not assume you are shut out.
Because Medicare and Medicaid work through approved suppliers, a scooter bought on Amazon is a separate out-of-pocket purchase — the right choice if you do not qualify, or would rather not wait. Confirm current criteria directly, as they are changing.
Renting vs. buying a mobility scooter in Billings
In a flat, spread-out Western city with miles of paved trail and an older population, an owned scooter does real work, and buying within a season is usually cheaper than renting.
- Keeps costing you. A travel scooter runs roughly $100 to $200 a week depending on model (Scootaround), so a month of regular use is several hundred dollars.
- You hand it back — it never becomes yours.
- Not fitted or sized to you.
- Reasonable for a summer visit to the trails.
- Pays for itself fast. A one-time purchase; after a few weeks of what renting costs you are ahead — and you keep the scooter.
- It folds and stores warm, ready for the trails when a chinook or the spring opens them up.
- It comes apart for the car — essential in a spread-out city where you drive to the trailhead.
- And it may be funded. If your need is medical, Medicare or Montana Medicaid may cover an approved device.
Bottom line: if you live here, buy — a scooter with the range for the Rimrock trails and the fold to store it through the winter, backed up by a six-dollar bus. Check first whether Medicare or Montana Medicaid will fund it.
Who needs mobility support in Billings
18.4% of Billings residents are 65 or older — 21,738 people out of 118,321 — above the national 16.8%, making this an older city than most. On disability, Billings reports 14.5%, above the national 13.0%, and in line with Montana’s 14.3% (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023, 5-year).
Both figures point the same way, and they are amplified by geography: Billings is the medical hub for an enormous, thinly populated region, so it draws older and disabled patients from across eastern Montana and beyond, far more than its own population suggests. For them the city works well in the ways that matter: a flat valley floor, seven miles of paved trail, a six-dollar monthly bus, door-to-door MET Plus, and a state that expanded Medicaid. The constraints are the winter and the distances, and a scooter with range that folds for the car answers both.
Best mobility scooters for Billings (2026)
Picks weighted for miles of paved trail, folding and warm winter storage, a car boot, and a service network that matters when the next big city is far. Specs are per manufacturer listings; confirm current details and price on Amazon.
| Model | Wheels | Max rider | Top speed | Owner rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glashow S1 Folding ★ Top pick | 10″ (4-wheel) | 265 lb | 6.2 mph | 4.4★ (46) |
| Golden Buzzaround EX Sturdiest | 9″ (4-wheel) | 330 lb | 5.0 mph | 4.7★ (verified) |
| Aotedor Lightweight Best on a budget | 7″ | 300 lb | 3.7 mph | 4.5★ (277) |
| Pride Go-Go Sport | 3-wheel | 325 lb | 4.7 mph | 4.4★ (109) |
4.4★ (46 ratings) · 10″ wheels · rated ~25 mi range · 265 lb limit
Why Billings: the longest range for the seven-mile Rimrock and Skyline trails, and it folds to store warm through the winter and lift into a car. Check the 265 lb limit, the lowest here.
4.7★ (verified owners) · 9″ wheels · up to 330 lb
Why Billings: the highest rating and capacity here and a brand service network that counts when the next city is hours away, with four-wheel stability. Comes apart for a car boot.
4.5★ (277 ratings) · folds compact · up to 300 lb
Why Billings: the cheapest and most owner-reviewed here, light to lift and easy to store indoors — a good budget fit for shorter trips and the flat valley floor.
4.4★ (109 ratings) · compact · up to 325 lb
Why Billings: a tight turning circle for indoor use — shops, the hospital, clinic corridors — where a Montana winter keeps you. Four wheels are steadier once you are out on the trail.
Watch: the Buzzaround EX, our sturdiest pick
An independent walkthrough of the Golden Buzzaround EX — the sturdiest alternative to our folding top pick — showing the four-wheel frame, seat, controls and how it comes apart to transport.
Video: Golden Buzzaround EX review (YouTube). Polaris Mobility is not affiliated with the reviewer.
Compare more 4-wheel models · full catalog
Billings mobility scooter FAQ
How much is the bus for seniors in Billings?
Almost nothing on a pass. Billings MET Transit gives a discounted fare to riders 62 and over, people with a disability, and students, and the senior/disabled monthly pass is just $6.00 against $22 for the regular pass. For door-to-door trips, MET Plus (MET Special Transit) is the ADA paratransit, built around older adults getting to appointments and errands, at $3.50 per one-way ride; eligibility is certified separately. Confirm the current single-ride fare with MET.
Can you ride a mobility scooter on the Billings trails and the Rimrocks?
On the paved trails, yes, and they are good. The Swords Rimrock Park path and the Skyline Trail connect for about seven continuous miles of paved trail along the rim, with big valley views and a route down toward the Yellowstone River — well suited to a scooter with the range for it. Billings itself sits on the flat valley floor, so day-to-day riding is level; the Rimrocks cliffs are the scenery and the setting for the rim-top trail, not a climb you make on a scooter. Watch for chinook winds, which can melt the snow and open the trails but also bring strong gusts.
Does Montana Medicaid cover a mobility scooter?
It can, and Montana is better placed than the non-expansion states because it expanded Medicaid in 2016, covering adults up to about 138% of the federal poverty level. There is a new catch for the expansion group: as of July 1, 2026, most members aged 19 to 64 must complete about 80 hours a month of qualifying community engagement to keep coverage, though exemptions exist. Either way, Montana Medicaid can pay for medically necessary equipment such as a power wheelchair or scooter when a doctor documents the need through an enrolled provider, and disabled adults may qualify through other pathways. If you are 65 or older, Medicare is your route instead.
What is the best mobility scooter for Billings?
Our top pick is the Glashow S1 Folding, because Billings offers miles of connected paved trail along the Rimrocks and toward the Yellowstone, where range is the feature that matters, and it folds to store warm through a Montana winter and lift into a car in a spread-out city. Its trade-offs are a 265 lb weight limit, the lowest of the four, and fewer reviews than the Golden Buzzaround EX, which is the sturdier alternative with a brand service network — worth more when the nearest big city is hours away. On a budget the Aotedor is a genuine choice for the flat valley floor.