You may choose to transfer to the car seat or you may prefer to stay on your chair. You may even prefer a combination of the two. Either way, making the process as easy as possible will make a huge difference to your lifestyle. The whole idea is to create a mechanical solution which makes the process of entering a vehicle, not only possible, but physically easy.
Bill Georgas
Consultant engineer + owner of PME
Ride on - Wheelchair travel
Ramps, chair lifts or even specialist vehicles are some of the options available to get you, on your chair, on board. Once there, positioning and securing the chair for travel is the next challenge. If you want to drive as well, there are additional modifications that are necessary. You can even ride your chair on to the vehicle and then transfer to a car seat, inside the vehicle.
Or take a seat - Transfer options
You may prefer to use the existing car seats, either as driver or passenger. PME provides a range of solutions, including rotating and/or elevating seats, slings and transfer boards. Normally, transferring to a car seat necessitates the stowing of a wheelchair - see below for more on this.
Chair storage
For people who choose to travel in the vehicle seats, stowage of a wheelchair often becomes an option. Solutions range from completely automatic to manual and/or assisted, and include:
- Boot mounted Loader: A state-of-the-art system that retrieves your wheelchair from your door and stores it in the boot
- Roof mounted Loader: A simple and reliable solution for independent storage of wheelchairs on the roof
- Boot mounted Hoist: A hydraulic crane hoist to assist in storage of wheelchairs and scooters in the boot
Have it both ways - Dockable seats
One other option is dockable wheelchair/vehicle chairs, where the car seat disconnects from the vehicle and attaches to a wheelchair trolley to become a wheelchair. In this scenario, the client is transferred into and out of the vehicle with the chair included. The chair is then secured to the wheelchair framework or the vehicle.
Self drive
Driving yourself requires special attention to access. You may choose to transfer to the drivers seat, or drive from your own wheelchair.
What do you want to do?
At PME, we’re not just about getting you mobile; we are focused on helping you achieve your own lifestyle goals.
- Want to drive your family and friends around?
- Need your roof racks or boot space for other purposes?
- Prefer to use a heavy powered wheelchair?
- Need to make a quick getaway?
We will come up with optimised access and storage solutions so you can do the things that you want to, in a style that works for you.
