Wheelchair Lifts
On this page: Internally Mounted Lifts, Under Vehicle Lifts
Wheelchair lifts are the key to enabling you to bring your clients in and out of your wheelchair accessible van, shuttle or bus. Whether you are in the business of transporting wheelchair users or just need to have a lift in your motor coaches to meet ADA requirements, there are lifts specifically designed to fit your needs.
Commercial wheelchair lifts have evolved to provide the optimum combination of strength, stability and safety features. Since commercial wheelchair lift applications have to work with many different operators and many different wheelchairs and wheelchair users, there are many models to choose from.
The type of vehicle being used, the frequency of use and the layout of seats and wheelchairs in the wheelchair van or bus will have a significant influence on the most appropriate choice of wheelchair lift.
Internally Mounted Lifts
Internally mounted lifts occupy space in the passenger area of the vehicle…typically inside of a dedicated wheelchair lift door. When stowed, the lift platform is vertical, sitting just inside the door so as to take up as little space as possible inside a wheelchair van or bus. In general, an internally mounted lift will take up around 18” of space inside the vehicle and are approximately 56” high.
Internally mounted lifts are the most commonly used lifts in commercial wheelchair van and minibus applications. Internally mounted lifts are most beneficial when there is a need for a high frequency of use. Internally mounted lifts are typically less expensive than under-vehicle lifts.
One downside to an internally mounted lift is that the platform can block the driver’s view through the side or rear window in a wheelchair van application. The manufacturers of wheelchair lifts have responded to this with innovative split platform lifts that drop below the wheelchair van window height when they are stowed for driving.
Under-Vehicle or In-Floor Lifts
Just as their name implies, under-vehicle/in-floor wheelchair lifts are mounted underneath the wheelchair van or bus at the main passenger entry way. Since in-floor wheelchair lifts do not require space inside the vehicle, they are popular in applications where transporting wheelchair users is less frequent and in situations where it is not practical to have a dedicated wheelchair-user entry way. Large transit applications, tour buses and van shuttles will often use an in-floor wheelchair lift to meet their wheelchair transport and ADA requirements.
Under-vehicle/in-floor wheelchair lifts are typically more expensive than internally mounted lifts because they also include the cost of a “housing” that protects them from the elements. Generally, under-vehicle/in-floor wheelchair lifts are more complicated in design. Additionally, a wheelchair van or bus must have further modifications made to it in order to accommodate this style of lift which can also add to the cost.
VCI Mobility carries the following commercial wheelchair lift manufacturers: