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In 1979, Rod Surrage from Guildford in Surrey, father of two and a keen sportsman and musician was involved in an horrific hang-gliding accident which left him a C3 quadriplegic. Friends rallied round and soon a charity was set up to help him. The first thing they acquired was a lift-equipped minibus to help him get about.
Within a short space of time Rods friends were being approached by other individuals and families where one member was a wheelchair-user, to request the use of the van, and the concept of Wheelchair Travel was born.
For the first 8 years it grew and prospered as a registered charity run by Trevor and Dawn Pollitt on a purely voluntary basis, however in 1987 the workload became so great that Trevor quit his job as a sales representative to run the operation full time turning it into a limited company and changing its name. They have now become a unique and well respected transport service solely for disabled people with an annual turnover in excess of £500,000. They specialise in wheelchair-accessible cars and minibuses offering both self-drive rental, and private hire / transfer and tour services.
As well as domestic clients Wheelchair Travel has built a reputation worldwide with the majority of clients coming from North America, where disabled travellers visiting the UK can hire an adapted car or minibus at Heathrow or Gatwick airports.
All Wheelchair Travel minibuses are diesel automatics that have power lifts, wheelchair securing apparatus, safety harness and up to 7 seats, all with lap and diagonal seat belts. (The company also has smaller Fiat Doblo accessible vehicles for rental that will carry one wheelchair-user and two passengers).
Station wagon/estate and hatchback cars with permanently fitted-hand controls for disabled drivers are also available to rent on long or short term hire, something which no other car rental company in the UK offers. The large cars are also fitted with left-hand controls for non-UK drivers, and some even have left-foot throttle for post-polio or amputee clients. Vehicles can be delivered to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted or Manchester airports, the clients hotel or literally anywhere in the country.
Their wheelchair taxi/tour service uses luxury lift-equipped minibuses and they have also added 2 brand-new accessible Mercedes that will take 16 able bodied passengers, or 10 sitters and 4 wheelchair users. They will undertake simple airport /ship/ hotel transfers, or full day tours of London and other cities.
The company can also provide the rental of wheelchairs, scooters, chargers, ramps, voltage converters and mobile phones. They also offer free advice on sight-seeing, accommodation and onward travel. For further details contact Dawn or Trevor Pollitt at Wheelchair Travel, 1 Johnston Green, Guildford, Surrey. GU2 9XS. UK.
Tel +44 (0) 1483-233640 or fax +44 (0) 1483-237772
Wheelchair Travel Ltd.