Unfortunately, there are several problems with the standard way of doing things that make it more difficult for both attendants and those that they are there to serve. Issues with broken or misplaced wheelchairs, wheelchairs that aren't designed to accommodate bariatric passengers and theft are commonplace. Thankfully, there are new advancements in wheelchair design that can greatly improve the transport experience for everyone involved, including airport administrators who are fighting to cuts costs in our troubled economy.
The issue of broken wheelchairs is an easy enough one to resolve. Most standard wheelchairs feature chrome and vinyl construction, which makes them far less durable than steel-framed, weatherproof transport chairs. The lifespan of these standard chairs averages less than one year! Steel-framed chairs will last far longer and require less frequent replacement. As a result, they tend to have significantly longer and more inclusive warranties. They are also far stronger; steel-framed models are available with wider seats and a weight capacity of up to 1,000 pounds, large enough to comfortably accommodate bariatric passengers.
Misplaced and stolen wheelchairs are another issue. Standard chairs are easy to steal for a number of reasons. For one, their generic appearance makes them difficult to distinguish from privately owned wheelchairs. Self-propelled chairs, while in theory reducing the need for attendants to see a passenger from the wheelchair checkout to the terminal, exacerbate the problem because there may be no one to see to it that the chair is returned to the checkout. Since most of them fold, it's easy for a person to stow the wheelchair in their car's trunk - a taxi driver assisting a disabled passenger may not even realize he's stealing a chair!
Advances have been made in commercial transport chairs that are designed to greatly reduce these problems. Look for distinctive chair designs, perhaps with colored frames, that set them apart from privately owned chairs. Chairs with automatic brake systems can keep a passenger from simply wheeling out of the airport with the chair, since they require an attendant to assist passengers from Point A to Point B. And finally, non-folding transport chairs are essential to keeping them in the airport - without a pick-up truck, most people wouldn't be capable of taking the chairs home with them.
Space constraints can also limit the number of available chairs, which can be a huge problem for busy airports. Wheelchairs, even when folded, take up a great deal of space. One solution to this problem is an investment in a nesting system of transport chairs, which will take up far less space than standard chairs. A nesting system can also be "fenced in" to a particular storage area, much like the shopping cart corrals used in many parking lots. There are also coin-return mechanisms which not only set the chairs apart in terms of looks, but also encourage the chair's safe return to the storage area.
These developments in wheelchair design have made airport transportation a great deal easier on airport staff. The initial investment in nesting, theft-resistant, durable transport chairs will pay off in the long run through reduced repair and replacement costs.
STAXI is the world's leading nestable transport chair system and the number one wheelchair alternative for hospitals and airports. STAXI's are hard to steal, built to last, simple to use and easy to find. Contact at: info@staxi.com Go To www.Staxi.com
Tags: travel, leisure, wheelchair, air travel, recreation, transport wheelchair, patient transportation, passenger transportation, airport transpor