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Paratransit vans for Religious Communities

Posted by Kyle Forbush on Dec 15, 2020 2:04:10 PM

Entervan_image_1   PARATRANSIT VAN 

As the average age of drivers who live in Religious Communties continues to rise, the need to provide transportation that can accommodate wheelchairs and scooters also increases. While some look toward public transportation or a car service, many Communities are looking at a more cost effective approach for transporting members who are no longer driving.

This was the conundrum facing one of our CARITAS clients, a community of Women Religious who wondered if there was a more practical way to take their Sisters to doctor appointments, shopping, or just to see the holiday lights.  While car pooling in a normal minivan might work for some, the Sisters who must use wheelchairs are often not able to enjoy these outings. So, here's what we did . . . 

After investigating our options, we found that an effective solution was to acquire a Paratransit Van, which typically is a minivan converted to accommodate one or two wheelchairs. They liked the versatility it offered to transport not only the wheelchair occupants but also 2-3 regular passengers all at the same time. In addition, this vehicle is available to them all the time as opposed to setting up a car service or making arrangements around public transportation schedules. The biggest advantage to them was the long term savings by keeping this type of vehicle in their fleet rather than paying for outside services.

                       BUS_PIC PARATRANSIT SHUTTLE

A less common but also cost effective solution for larger Communities is to acquire a Paratransit Shuttle Bus that would accommodate more wheelchairs as well as passengers similar to the kind of vehicles used by Assisted Living Communities. The advantage with these types of vehicles is their versatility. For example, we have supplied another Community with what in the industry is referred to as an 8+4, or 8 regularly seated passengers as well as 4 wheelchair occupants. This was a great advantage to them as it did not require a special drivers license such as a CDL, and could transport 12 passengers comfortably. As as an extra bonus we configured the bus with a walker storage area for additional convenience.

While serving the transportation needs of Assisted Living Communities for the past 20 years, we have found similar needs and challenges have emerged within Religious Communities.  If you would like to explore your Community's particular situation, please call or email to:

Brad Forbush
Director of Fleet Management
Phone# - 414-813-8036

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