Wheelchair accessible taxis are a must-have for any private hire firm or taxi fleet.
They’re vital in helping disabled people lead a normal life, allowing them to go about their daily business regardless of any mobility issues they might have.
In this guide, we’re going to take a look at the things you need to consider when purchasing a wheelchair access taxi, giving you all the information you need to make the best decision.
Buying a wheelchair access taxi is different to buying other wheelchair accessible vehicles for a number of reasons.
The major reason is that you’re not purchasing a taxi for one specific person with individual preferences, but lots of passengers with different medical needs and requirements.
For this, you’ll need a vehicle that will do the job every time, no matter the passenger.
Comfort, Safety, and Size
Your focus should always be on providing optimal comfort and safety for your passengers with a wheelchair access taxi. This also goes for any WAV, but is particularly important in the taxi industry because so many different people will use the vehicle.
To do this, and to cover the broad spectrum of medical conditions disabled people may have, most taxi firms tend to go for larger wheelchair access taxis.
This is a good call as you can fit in heavy and large wheelchairs into a larger vehicle, along with more passengers. You’re therefore catering for support workers and friends, as well as the wheelchair users themselves.
As well as comfort and size, you also need to consider assistive technology for your wheelchair access taxi, specifically regarding the entry and exit of the vehicle.
Assistive technology comes in the form of either a ramp or a lift, with a back or side entrance to help transfer the passenger.
Understandably, most taxi companies tend to go for a ramp option when it comes to assistive technology. This means that the driver is able to help push the wheelchair user into the vehicle if they require it.
Generally speaking, we advise our customers to go for used wheelchair accessible vehicles rather than new.
This is the more popular option with taxi driving businesses because used WAVs simply offer better value for money. The last thing you want to do is spend a fortune on a new vehicle that depreciates in value as soon as you drive it, which can be the case when buying brand new.
Used WAVs are as safe as their new counterparts, and come in a range of sizes and price ranges to suit your budget and requirements.
Get in Touch
If you are in the private hire or taxi driving industry and you’re looking to improve your fleet with the best range of wheelchair accessible taxis, look no further than the Automotive Group.
We have a huge selection of wheelchair access taxis to choose from with styles and technologies to suit every disabled person. We’ve also got an incredible reputation in the UK mobility industry thanks to the services we provide, and are happy to answer any questions you may have both before, during, and after the sales process.
All of our wheelchair access taxis are safe to use and you can even book a no obligation demonstration to test the features of your vehicle before buying.
