Vehicle Wheelchair Access Issues

One very big issue for wheelchair users is ease of access into and out of vehicles designed for transporting folks with disabilities and those that have special needs. While the latest models of most vehicles are better constructed and designed to permit very easy access, others and most older models are not so easy to navigate.

It can really get into a big deal when you talk to folks about wheelchair accessibility in transportation because it is an area that frustrates many. This is especially so when a vehicle turns up to take you someplace and the ramp doesn't work properly or the access is so small that it really is uncomfortable getting in and out.

What Can Be Done?

The remedy to these situations is pretty simple, but one that will cost money on the part of the vehicle owner or operator. This is something that pulls a lot of people up short because if it's not a charity run organization, then it will be a private business and they base their business on a budget that extra costs would make unprofitable.

Okay, while you might say that someone shouldn't be making a profit out of people's disabilities, you have to realize that the drivers need to get paid if it's their job; mechanics need to get paid for maintaining and repairing the vehicles and management needs to get paid because it's their job too.

So running a business needs to make a profit, which is fair enough.

The Stumbling Blocks

Renting an RV with wheelchair access for example can work out to be pretty expensive in the long run. So when you start talking a thousand dollars for this improvement or another thousand for that upgrade, the operator's eyes are going to glaze over because that cost translated to a fleet of vehicles could put him out of business! That would not be good for anyone as the people who need the transport would go without, the people who work for the business would be out of a job and everyone loses.

So there has to be a solution where vehicles can be made better without incurring costs great enough to put the future of the business in question. There are solutions, but it takes the involvement of the likes of local authorities or large bodies to fund them.

We can get over handicaps and go back to charities and local community driven fund raising that can help to get vehicles improved and help local transportation businesses stay viable so everyone wins. It just takes some imagination, cooperation and action and it is surprising what can be achieved!