The Role Car Rental Companies Play in Ensuring Accessible Vehicle Availability
Australia is a big and beautiful country that every Australian deserves to see and experience, but travelling isn’t as straightforward for some people as it is for others. Wheelchair users need wheelchair accessible vehicles, however accessing these vehicles isn’t always easy. This is where rental car companies can step in and play a key role making our wonderful country more accessible – to the benefit of both wheelchair users and car rental companies.
Why Not Everyone Who Needs a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Can Get One
In an ideal world, everyone who needs an accessible vehicle would have one, but unfortunately that’s just not possible for all people. The reasons for this include:
Wait Times on Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles
The demand for wheelchair accessible vehicles is growing, which is leading to increasing wait times for people who are in the process of buying a new car. While some people can access courtesy cars or already have an old car they can rely on, not everyone waiting for a vehicle can find one to use while they wait.
Travelling With a Wheelchair
Not all destinations are reached by driving a car, people travelling long distances for pleasure or business will often choose to fly to save time. But when they exit the plane, they will need a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Their own vehicle is at home, so they need to rely on car rental companies to provide them with the vehicle they need.
Affordability & Need
Not everyone can afford a wheelchair accessible vehicle, and not everyone needs a wheelchair accessible vehicle often enough to justify the purchase. This leaves them without a car to call their own, but still with the occasional need for one.
The Advantage of Hiring a Wheelchair Accessible Car
For people unable to secure a wheelchair accessible vehicle for themselves, or who do not currently have access to their vehicle, being able to hire a wheelchair accessible vehicle is vital – this is why there’s always a market looking to rent wheelchair accessible vehicles. Renting these cars also comes with many advantages, including:
Convenience
Sourcing a wheelchair accessible vehicle via a rental company takes a lot of the hassle out of obtaining a car – no need to worry about the car quality or maintenance, insurance is completely covered, and the car pick-up and drop-off locations are usually easy to get to. This makes short or long-term rentals a great option for people without their own vehicle, certainly better than trying to borrow one from private owners or needing to organise taxis for every outing.
Price
The price consideration for renting a wheelchair accessible vehicle changes depending on the accessibility needs of the family hiring the vehicle and the reasons they don’t currently have a wheelchair accessible vehicle of their own.
People Waiting for Their Own Vehicle
People who have bought their own wheelchair accessible vehicle and are waiting for their new
car to be ready will need a long-term hire vehicle as their daily needs likely require 24-hour access to a car. While this isn’t a small expense, it is more cost effective and convenient than organising a taxi for every out-of-home task. People in this situation represent a great opportunity for car rental companies to both help a member of their local community and secure a loyal, long-term customer.
People With Only Occasional Need for a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle
Some people only need a wheelchair accessible vehicle every now and then. If all they need is a lift to and from a one-day event, then hiring a taxi would be the less expensive and more
convenient choice. But, if there’s a week in which each day requires the use of a car, then hiring
vehicle for that week is well worth it.
Hiring a car for these occasions is also more cost effective then buying a vehicle, as the price of the car, plus registration, plus insurance, plus servicing is more than the cost of hiring a vehicle once every couple of months.
Having rentals available for people with the occasional need for a car will help rental companies
gain a new repeat customer.
The Role Car Rental Companies Can Play
Rental car companies need to have a fleet of wheelchair accessible vehicles if they are to assist people in need of them and take advantage of the business opportunity they represent.
There are two ways rental car companies can help people access wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Building and Maintaining a Fleet
People can’t hire a wheelchair accessible vehicle if car rental companies don’t have the fleet to support their needs. This means that companies need to have the cars available across all their locations and in numbers that can support the growing market. Once they have the cars, they need to ensure they’re properly maintained to stay safe for their customers who need them – Automobility can support this as we offer national service support for all our vehicle conversions. While there will be short term costs associated with building and maintaining a fleet of wheelchair accessible vehicles, the long-term gains to be made through loyal, repeat customers are great.
The Resale Market
When it’s time to update the fleet with newer vehicles, those old wheelchair accessible vehicles can be sold as used cars in Australia’s large second-hand market. Selling the cars has the dual benefit of injecting some extra cash into the car rental company, and assisting people who have an immediate need for a vehicle and/or don’t currently have the resources they need to purchase a new car tailored to their needs.
Automobility, Enabling Life’s Journey
If you’re in the market for a new wheelchair accessible vehicle, make sure to get in touch with Automobility. With over 20 years of experience manufacturing wheelchair accessible vehicles, our customers trust us to provide them with a vehicle that works for their specific needs. To learn more about what we do at Automobility, make sure you check out our blogs and read about our mission.
