Scooter Bug Wheelchair Rental?

[mindy lou]

It looks like my 15 year old son will need a wheelchair for our upcoming trip. I see that ScooterBug has a 18" compact wheelchair and a 20" lite transport chair. Does anyone find one better/more comfortable for using in the parks? Or easier for pushing (in late August heat) and getting around? DS is about 5'5" and 135 lbs for reference. He is slightly bigger than me, so I might have to delegate more of the pushing to him this trip (5 years ago I did 90% of the pushing, and we had a pediatric chair).

Are the chairs in good condition? I wasn't thrilled with the chair we rented on our last trip, but there weren't many options for a pediatric size.
Anything else I should know?

Thanks!

 

[MinnieMSue]

Well I rented 2 20 inch light transport chairs for my parents. Both are heavier than your son - my mom by just a bit. They fit fine. I did get a 4in cushion for my dad as he needed it to get up and has back issues (and every other joint). That helped him and my mom was fine with nothing. The chairs were very old looking but had good wheels. They worked fine but like I said very old. They did have the big wheels in the back - often transport chairs have 4 small wheels which would be bad. They were left with bell service and we signed for them when we arrived at the resort and then when we departed left them with bell services. No issues with them. They were very used and worn looking but functioned fine and no tears or anything. My dad stayed in his almost all the time and for every ride that he could. My mom could walk some. The hardest thing was for me to push my dad up the ramp onto the bus. The wheels seemed to almost be the width of the ramp and it was hard as he is about 200lb or so. We had them one hour less than 4 days and they only charged us for 3 days which I thought was nice. They were the most inexpensive that I found. I was happy with it but like I said they were clearly very old chairs tho no issues with them.

Edit to add -The 18 inch would probably fit him I would guess but I have not seen one. My parents both had plenty of room especially my mom.

 

[RoseGold]

A transport chair has all small wheels, he can't push himself at all.

I would think about going to your local mobility store and renting something there. The airline will transport it with the strollers, and you get an Uber XL or ride one of the accessible resort buses. And you might need it at the airport.

With this route, you could also consider something like a power chair. This would add transportation complication, but might make your life easier and actually be fun for him.

 

[mindy lou]

Well I rented 2 20 inch light transport chairs for my parents. Both are heavier than your son - my mom by just a bit. They fit fine. I did get a 4in cushion for my dad as he needed it to get up and has back issues (and every other joint). That helped him and my mom was fine with nothing. The chairs were very old looking but had good wheels. They worked fine but like I said very old. They did have the big wheels in the back - often transport chairs have 4 small wheels which would be bad. They were left with bell service and we signed for them when we arrived at the resort and then when we departed left them with bell services. No issues with them. They were very used and worn looking but functioned fine and no tears or anything. My dad stayed in his almost all the time and for every ride that he could. My mom could walk some. The hardest thing was for me to push my dad up the ramp onto the bus. The wheels seemed to almost be the width of the ramp and it was hard as he is about 200lb or so. We had them one hour less than 4 days and they only charged us for 3 days which I thought was nice. They were the most inexpensive that I found. I was happy with it but like I said they were clearly very old chairs tho no issues with them.

Edit to add -The 18 inch would probably fit him I would guess but I have not seen one. My parents both had plenty of room especially my mom.

Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences!

 

[mindy lou]

A transport chair has all small wheels, he can't push himself at all.

I would think about going to your local mobility store and renting something there. The airline will transport it with the strollers, and you get an Uber XL or ride one of the accessible resort buses. And you might need it at the airport.

With this route, you could also consider something like a power chair. This would add transportation complication, but might make your life easier and actually be fun for him.

DS driving a Power chair anywhere, but especially WDW would probably not be safe for anyone

Thanks for the local suggestion though, I will look into it and see how it compares cost wise. He definitely won't need it for our small, local airport, but may at MCO depending on his ankle recovery and how he is physically feeling (POTS)

 

[Evita_W]

Gold Mobility also rents regular wheelchairs, not sure how comfortable they are, but given how good they are with scooters, I would imagine they are good too.

 

[BethCPTSD]

DS driving a Power chair anywhere, but especially WDW would probably not be safe for anyone

Thanks for the local suggestion though, I will look into it and see how it compares cost wise. He definitely won't need it for our small, local airport, but may at MCO depending on his ankle recovery and how he is physically feeling (POTS)

Hi Mindy Lou!
Haha, you made me laugh with your comment about your son driving a powerchair!

I completely understand what you mean though! I wanted to share with you that I have POTS too though I've somehow gone into remission. I used a powerchair for 3 years whenever outside the house and (I realize I don't know the details of your son's condition) but it really helped me. I also wanted to say that it didn't take me very long to figure out how to use it and the freedom it allowed me rather than using a manual chair, was really incredible. If you happened to reconsider a powerchair for your son for WDW, it might make a huge difference for both him and you/your family. It also allows a lot more independence. For me, using it at the parks was life changing/trip saving! I really think renting one and practicing how to use it at your lodging place (maybe starting in a parking lot if it's not busy, or in a quiet area that's a bit open) could be sufficient practice to get along really well in the parks.

The only potential issue I see (and others can correct me if I'm wrong) is that I think someone said a long time ago that some rental places won't rent powerchairs to people who don't use them on a regular basis. (And maybe age is a factor??) But that doesn't mean it's not worth checking into! I just thought I'd share my experience in case in were helpful.

Whatever accommodation you choose, I hope it's really effective and you all have a fabulous time! Best of luck to your son. I hope he gets some relief from his symptoms.

Take care,
Beth

 

[SueM in MN]

Many of the rental places will only rent power wheelchairs to people who are experienced at driving one.
And many will only rent power devices (ECVs or power wheelchairs) for use by people over 18