Large group wheelchair vans can be handy to have in nursing homes, schools, community centres and various other organisations. The selection process involved in choosing a larger scale wheelchair van is quite different to choosing a personal or individual mobility vehicle, as you will need a wheelchair van that is versatile and easy to use by passengers of various different abilities. In order to carry multiple mobility challenged passengers at once, sometimes for long day-trips, you will need a mobility vehicle that is space efficient and designed for comfort.

The wheelchair van you choose needs to be easy to use, from alighting the vehicle to securing mobility aids and driving with passengers, in order to provide the most enjoyable experience possible. Many community centres purchase accessible buses with the main purpose of providing easy transport for sightseeing trips and holiday excursions, making it even more important to find a mobility vehicle that provides comfort and safety to all passengers and the driver.

Make sure that your mobility bus is fitted with suitable safety restraints that are safe to use with a variety of different mobility aids. You may have to check before each trip that every passenger has a mobility device that has been approved for use in a moving vehicle. If this is not the case, you can instead use a wheelchair van with inbuilt ergonomic seats and ample storage space for mobility devices. One feature you should look out for in community wheelchair vans is a low floor. Low floors make manoeuvring mobility devices onto and around the vehicle much easier.

If purchasing a mobility vehicle for your community organisation seems too complicated, you may consider hiring out mobility vehicles for special events or specific uses. This allows you to choose the wheelchair van that suits the event the most, whether that is a single passenger car for a short trip, or a multi-passenger bus for a major excursion. If you are planning to use your accessible bus for a long trip to the country or coastal destination, it may be worth spending more on a rented vehicle that is extra comfortable.

Purchasing a dedicated community wheelchair van can, however, be extremely beneficial for your organisation's members and visitors. Although accessible services are available in most forms of public transport, they can be infrequent and inconvenient for the mobility challenged passenger. By offering a specialised accessible bus service you can help your members out when they need to get somewhere off the beaten track.