An accessible minibus so the whole group travels together
An accessible minibus means the people who use wheelchairs ride with everyone else, sharing the chat and the view. Getting the layout right before the day makes all the difference.
Layouts and space
Accessible minibuses usually have 10 to 16 seats plus spaces for wheelchairs. Mercedes builds the Sprinter Mobility for passengers with restricted mobility; one version has ten passenger seats, a driver's seat and a single wheelchair space.
Each wheelchair space uses room that would otherwise hold bags. If your group has suitcases as well as chairs, a second vehicle for luggage may help, and folded frames and cushions count as luggage too.
For one traveller and a companion
If just one wheelchair user and a friend or carer are travelling, an NTA-licensed wheelchair-accessible hackney can be simpler. It has to take a wheelchair user plus at least one adult passenger, is booked ahead like any hackney, and can pull up at a front door that a minibus can't reach.
Typical features
- Smaller groups can use NTA-licensed wheelchair-accessible hackneys, built for at least one wheelchair user plus one adult passenger
- Sprinter configurations include 10+1 seats plus 1 wheelchair space
- Sprinter Mobility: Mercedes minibus for passengers with restricted mobility
Planning each stop
Care homes, seniors' clubs, pilgrimage groups and families arriving at the airport all book this vehicle. When everyone on board is a vulnerable person, the driving counts as relevant work, so Garda vetting is required; a care home will want that confirmed first.
Check step-free access at every stop. Ask each venue where the minibus can set down near the entrance, and whether the route from there is level. Brú na Bóinne and Glenveagh both run their own shuttles from the visitor centre, so ask about the shuttle's access before you book.
Questions
How many wheelchairs can an accessible minibus carry?
It varies by layout. One Sprinter version has one wheelchair space with ten passenger seats; ask for the exact layout on your quote.
Can passengers stay in their wheelchairs?
It comes down to the chair and how the vehicle is fitted. List each chair, manual or powered, and say who can transfer to a fixed seat.
Is there space for luggage?
Less than in a standard minibus, because wheelchair spaces take up the room bags would use.
Other trips we arrange
- Getting your colleagues there and home again
- A school tour parents can relax about
- Travelling to the match as one team
- Getting everyone to the wedding, and home after the party
- Golf trips without the driving
- Your own day out, at your own pace
- Travelling together on pilgrimage
- Travel where everyone in the group comes along
Request an accessible minibus
Share the route, the headcount and the types of chair. We pass the details to a licensed partner operator, which quotes a suitable minibus and driver.
Request a quote or call 35312659159