Limo Service for a disabled 18 year old in Los Angeles

[cove]

We need to get a Lincoln Town car limousine to do runs from Los Angeles to San Diego,Las Vegas and probably San Francisco for a wheel chair bound young lady who is paralyzed from the waist down.
If there is a First Class wide bodied plane that runs to San Francisco from LAX where they can handle a paraplegic passenger that would be a great help.

Your thoughts would be appreciated and the travel timing is this September.

I will pass all your replies on to my associate who is providing the travel.

 

[Mak404matt]

We need to get a Lincoln Town car limousine to do runs from Los Angeles to San Diego,Las Vegas and probably San Francisco for a wheel chair bound young lady who is paralyzed from the waist down.
If there is a First Class wide bodied plane that runs to San Francisco from LAX where they can handle a paraplegic passenger that would be a great help.

Your thoughts would be appreciated and the travel timing is this September.

Hi Cove,

I am in no way affiliated with them, but LACarService have always done the right thing by us

A good price, and were fine for what they were.

 

[freepyjamas]

Cove, we travel everywhere with our 16yo daughter, who is paralysed from the chest-down.

Re flying, any airplane is no trouble at all. Make sure to ask that she keeps her own wheelchair right up to the plane... what they then do is transfer her into an aisle chair which they keep on board during the flight. Her wheelchair goes into the hold (if you're very lucky they may be able to squeeze in onboard - more likely in first, and preferable because they've been known to damage chairs in the hold) and is then brought to the door of the plane upon disembarkation.

We've done this in all kinds of planes, mostly in Y, sometimes in J. Using the bathroom is the only tricky bit, but that won't be an issue on a short flight.

You don't need a wide-bodied plane because they won't let her use her regular wheelchair on board anyway... they'll make her sit in an aisle chair which the FA's or special assistance staff have to push to her seat. So any plane is fine.

Note that if you're in Y, they'll want to board you first, and you'll also be last to get off. But in F I imagine they may let you off early... provided the ground crew are quick-smart with the wheelchair, which they're often not.

Re car transfer, any car will work provided you can stick the wheelchair in the boot. But because cars with high ground clearance don't allow for a straight transfer from chair to car seat, try to avoid an SUV. A Lincoln town car should be absolutely fine, especially if she's got a wheelchair that folds up with removable wheels. Probably the perfect car for a wheelchair user is a station wagon/estate... but they're not very popular in the States. But put it this way: we use NYC taxi's no problem, so a Limo will work fine. Just remember, if you want to have her transfer herself into the car with no lifting, go a car with the least amount of ground clearance.

Oh, one last thing: never take this girl to Bali. We tried it with our daughter once, and even though the airline knew we were travelling with a wheelchair passenger, the airport was hopeless and helpfully didn't arrange for an aerobridge so I had to carry my daughter down the slippery metal steps to the tarmac in the rain. And do it all again on the way up a week later. A bigger issue with loss of dignity than anything else, but to be avoided.

Any other questions, just fire away.

 

[cove]

Yes I was thinking a Prime Time/Super Shuttle van would be a No as they are harder to get into due to their height off the road. The taxis in Los Angeles can be a bit variable but are mostly ok. The limo service will be a great start.
I read Disney In A Wheelchair and was heartened by the scooters that can be hired and the idea that a lot of rides are a YES.
Las Vegas in September will be pretty hot but they did spend several trillion dollars to impress travellers.
San Francisco is a fantastic sight seeing spot with views ,views and views so that would be good in a limo and we have done that ourselves twice.

 

[freepyjamas]

AVOID super shuttle vans. While the height is an issue, the big problem is there's a vertical metal pole that runs floor-to-ceiling in the main doorway, making it bloody difficult to get in and out of (we tried in the US this year). They do an accessible version, but that means the wheelie has to wheel up the back in a ramp and sit on her lonesome. Fine for a quad in a motorised chair, but not for a girl who's perfectly capable of getting into a regular car.

Please let us know how you get on in San Fran, re the wheelchair. Would love to take the girls there sometime, so would be interested in any accessibility feedback from you.

Might do Disneyland/San Fran as a Year 12 reward... just quietly I think I'd like most of the rides too

 

[cove]

At Disney a wheelchair is as good as a FastPass to get to the front of the lines so it can be a real time saver when Disney is busy.
Yes those vans are a No, so it is a taxi for short runs and the Town Car for the longer runs.

 

[Shelf]

Re flying, any airplane is no trouble at all. Make sure to ask that she keeps her own wheelchair right up to the plane... what they then do is transfer her into an aisle chair which they keep on board during the flight. Her wheelchair goes into the hold (if you're very lucky they may be able to squeeze in onboard - more likely in first, and preferable because they've been known to damage chairs in the hold) and is then brought to the door of the plane upon disembarkation.

We've done this in all kinds of planes, mostly in Y, sometimes in J. Using the bathroom is the only tricky bit, but that won't be an issue on a short flight.

You don't need a wide-bodied plane because they won't let her use her regular wheelchair on board anyway... they'll make her sit in an aisle chair which the FA's or special assistance staff have to push to her seat. So any plane is fine.

Note that if you're in Y, they'll want to board you first, and you'll also be last to get off. But in F I imagine they may let you off early... provided the ground crew are quick-smart with the wheelchair, which they're often not.

My eldest (6yrs old) is in a chair, we've had similar experiences as quoted.

I would be keen to hear if you find a suitable company for transport

 

[Flying Senior]

The most important piece of advice I can give is make sure you speak with Special Assistance well ahead of your flight date.
Make sure they are well aware of what is required and refresh this with them right up until the day before your flight.
Also whoever is travelling with the young lady should take some tools with them so as to be able to make running repairs on the chair. They frequently arrive up from the hold damaged in some way -whether it be a domestic or an international flight.
Use her own wheelchair or pressure relief cushion on the airline seat and ask for the Tors harness.
Resist the temptation to restrict fluid intake to avoid bathroom trips as all you get is dehydration. There is special underwear available for long haul flights which is most effective.
Above all ensure her dignity is maintained at all times. I am sure she will have a wonderful trip. Our good wishes go with her.

 

[freepyjamas]

^
Great advice. Never leave the allen key at home. Although I reckon from LAX to SF, you can get by without using a pressure cushion on the plane.

Also, handy to have contact details for an emergency wheelchair repair outfit in the city you land in... most big US cities have them, and will come to you to fix anything in an emergency.

On an aside, a couple of years ago while flying Delta, baggage handlers from LAX - NY broke our daughter's chair and it needed total replacement (gaffer tape and a replacement chair got us through the holiday) and Delta was GREAT about it... absolutely no hassles, and no problems despite us wanting to replace her old chair with a different model. Given these things can top 5k, I was very impressed with how quickly and efficiently they were onto it.

 

[MAX_1]

This is a very impressive thread. I feel the care and love in every contribution.

 

[cove]

Thanks everyone for the replies which have helped my friend get a better understanding of the issues when travelling with a young person who has a wheelchair and needs some special assistance. It will be a great trip that is being organized.