TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Mobility

On-Demand Wheelchair Rentals Launch in Seattle and San Jose

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Bird-branded electric wheelchair superimposed over Seattle skyline.
Image courtesy Bird.

There’s a new, more accessible way to move around Seattle and San Jose, thanks to the expansion of a new program by Bird and Scootaround.

Bird’s exclusive On-Demand Accessible Mobility program enables disabled people to find, reserve and pay for a selection of accessible vehicles using a custom rider interface available only in the Bird app.

Bird riders in Seattle and San Jose benefit from exclusive discounts and have unique access to a variety of accessible vehicles including the WHILL Model Ci2, a popular power wheelchair. Bird says “these vehicles offer greater independence to those with mobility issues by helping them navigate hills and long distances in a city.”

Bird’s On-Demand Accessible Mobility program, which first launched in New York City in 2021, has expanded to more markets including San Francisco, San Diego and Yonkers. More cities, including Chicago, will soon be added to the list as the company expands its exclusive partnership with Scootaround to serve at least 15 markets in 2022.

To read more about Bird’s new wheelchair rental offering, see the Bird website.

Tampa International Airport Testing Self-Driving Wheelchairs

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Line of power wheelchairs at Tampa International Airport.

Innovative power wheelchair manufacturer Whill has a new customer: the Tampa International Airport. TPA is the latest airport to trial its AI-powered mobility devices to help passengers with reduced mobility navigate throughout the terminal building.

The pilot program, which ran from mid-November through December 10th, came at an important time as maintaining the necessary staffing levels for wheelchair assistants has been challenging during the pandemic. The powered wheelchairs offered passengers greater independence than they might otherwise have received through traditional airport wheelchair assistance services.

To read more about this innovative solution, read the article from The Points Guy.

Revolve Air Wheelchair Promises to Be A Game Changer

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Two of the most often-reported frustrations about air travel with a disability are delays in receiving wheelchair assistance and damage to personal wheelchairs.

Italian designer and inventor Andrea Mocellin hopes to remove those pain points with his latest invention, a new wheelchair called Revolve Air. What sets the Revolve Air apart from other manual wheelchairs is its small size and portability – the chair’s folding wheels allow it to collapse into a small form factor that can be stowed in an airplane’s overhead bin.

The chair has the same 24-inch wheels as most manual wheelchairs, meaning that it can still propelled easily by the user, but the innovative design allows the chair to be condensed down into a size that is 60% more space-saving than other folding wheelchairs on the market.

Revolve Air was the winner of the Audience Award at TravelAbility’s LaunchPad held on April 1, 2021. To learn more about the Revolve Air wheelchair, see this article from NewzHook.

Splish-Splash! Beach Wheelchairs Truly Make Oregon Beach “Free For Everyone”

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A close-up view of Haystock Rock and its resident tufted puffins are now accessible to wheelchair users, thanks to new beach wheelchairs in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The city’s long, sandy coastline is among the most beautiful in the state.

Visitors can rent the beach wheelchairs for free, checking them out from the nearby police station. Officers will keep watch over the visitor’s personal mobility equipment, which is safely stored inside the station.

“It’s making our beach, which is free for everyone, free for everyone,” said Pooka Rice, the outreach coordinator for the Haystock Rock Awareness Program in Cannon Beach.

OUR TAKE: Cannon Beach is the latest city to make an investment in beach accessibility, and its new beach wheelchairs will make it possible for disabled visitors and residents to enjoy the sun and sand!

For the full text of the local news report, see the original article.

New Product: A weather-proof, foldable electric wheelchair will debut at LaunchPad

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Folding electric wheelchair with a slate-colored metal frame.

The TravelAbility Summit’s LaunchPad event shines a light on new products that can make a difference in the accessible travel market. A new product, the FOLD & GO MagSHOCK wheelchair, will debut at LaunchPad later this year.

The portable wheelchair features a magnesium frame and is 100% weather-proof, meaning its users will have the freedom to operate the mobility device in rain, sleet or snow. Despite its compact size, the chair is powerful, capable of handling rough terrain and hills with a slope of up to 25 degrees.

To learn more about this new wheelchair, click here.

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