A care home outing, and a lift that does not take the chair
A care home books a coach for residents to visit a garden. The activities coordinator mentions on the phone that two residents use wheelchairs. The office notes "2 wheelchairs" and books your accessible coach. On the day, one of the wheelchairs is a larger powered chair that is too heavy for the coach's lift, and the second wheelchair space is taken by a removed seat that was never put back.
One resident cannot go. The coordinator is upset, the resident is more upset, and the office learns that "2 wheelchairs" was not enough information.
Accessibility details are complex and recorded as a word
Accessible travel depends on specifics: the type and size of the wheelchair, whether the passenger stays in it or transfers, how many wheelchair spaces the vehicle has as currently configured, the lift's limits, and access at the pick-up and destination. A booking note cannot carry all that.
- Accessibility needs are taken as a note in a phone call.
- Wheelchair type, size and weight are not asked.
- The vehicle's current configuration (spaces, seats removed) is not recorded.
- Lift and restraint details are known to regular drivers only.
- Access at the pick-up and destination is not checked.
Whether a vehicle and its equipment are suitable for a particular wheelchair is a judgement for your trained staff and the manufacturer's limits. We make sure the information is collected and seen.
Getting it wrong on the day hurts people
A passenger unable to travel on a trip they were looking forward to is the worst outcome of this problem, and it is avoidable with the right questions. Groups that include wheelchair users, such as care homes, day centres and disability clubs, are loyal customers when things work and quick to go elsewhere when they do not.
Your accessible vehicles are valuable, and using them well matters. A mismatch means either a wasted trip for the accessible coach or turning away work you could have done.
Accessibility built into the booking
We build accessibility into enquiries, allocation and the driver's job.
- The enquiry form and the office's phone script ask the questions that matter: how many wheelchair users, type of wheelchair (manual or powered), approximate size and weight if known, whether they stay in the wheelchair or transfer, and any other access needs.
- Each accessible vehicle has a record of its lift's rated limits, its wheelchair spaces as currently configured and its restraint system, kept current when seats are moved.
- Allocation checks the booking's needs against the vehicle's current configuration and lift limits, and flags anything that does not fit or needs a conversation with the customer.
- Pick-up and destination access can be recorded: level ground for the lift, parking space for deployment, drop-off points.
- Seat reconfiguration tasks are created for the yard when a booking needs more wheelchair spaces than the vehicle is currently set up for, with a check before the vehicle goes out.
- The driver's job shows each wheelchair user's details and the access notes, and allocation prefers drivers trained on that vehicle's lift and restraints.
| Question | Before | With accessible booking |
|---|---|---|
| How many wheelchair users? | A number in a note | Recorded with each passenger's needs |
| Will the lift take the chair? | Assumed | Checked against the lift's limits |
| Are the spaces configured? | Unknown until the day | Reconfiguration task if needed |
| Access at the venue | Not asked | Recorded with notes for the driver |
| Driver familiar with the lift | Chance | Preferred in allocation |
The same care home outing, booked with the questions
The coordinator is asked the questions on the phone. One resident uses a manual chair, the other a large powered chair, and the coordinator gives its approximate weight. The allocation check shows the powered chair is within the limits of your newer accessible coach but not the older one, so the newer coach is allocated, and a task is raised to restore the second wheelchair space.
The driver's job shows both wheelchairs, the powered chair's details and a note that the garden has level parking near the entrance. Both residents go on the trip.
Are accessible bookings a gamble?
- Wheelchair needs are recorded as a number in a note.
- You do not ask about wheelchair type or size.
- Accessible vehicles' current seat layouts are not recorded.
- A passenger has been unable to travel because the vehicle did not suit.
- Only certain drivers know how each lift works.