What To Look For When Renting A Wheelchair Accessible Van
Do you need to rent a van for a family member, but not sure what you are looking for since you've never used one before? If so, it will help to know what to look for so you know what to expect.
Automatic Ramp
One nice feature to look for in a wheelchair-accessible rental van is an automatic ramp. This will make the process of getting the ramp prepared much easier. All you need to do is press a button to open the door, and the door will automatically open and the ramp will be lowered.
While it may feel like lowering the ramp is something that you can do manually, having an automatic ramp is going to make the process of getting someone in and out of the vehicle in a wheel much easier. For example, you can hit that button as soon as you are parked, and the ramp will start getting into place. It will save you a lot of time since the ramp will be ready by the time you get out of the vehicle
Click In Security System
The wheelchair will need to be locked into place once it is in the van. While low-end vans will have tie-down straps that need to be used to secure the wheelchair in place, those can take a lot of time to manually go through the process every time a person needs to enter or exit the van in a wheelchair.
You'll want to look for a click-in system that allows the wheelchair to essentially snap securely into place so that you do not have to do anything additional. Not only does it save you time, but it reduces the chance of making a mistake by not using tie-down straps correctly.
Size Clearance
Of course, you will want to make sure that the van has enough height clearance for the person that will be using the wheelchair. If they are a very tall person, you may need to take some measurements to make sure that their head is not going to be hitting the top of the vehicle's interior when they are inside.
You'll also want to take measurements to ensure that the width of the wheelchair can fit where you want it to go. If you prefer the person to sit in the passenger seat area next to you, that wheelchair width will need to be small enough to fit within the area. If not, then they would need to sit behind the driver's seat