Ozark Regional Transit has recently purchased, and has incorporated over the past month, five new vehicles to replace aged vehicles in its fleet. These vehicles are purpose-built, and will be exclusively-used, for the paratransit, curb-to-curb service.
All older paratransit vans in the fleet are standard minivans with a wheelchair-accessibility conversion. These MV-1s - built by the same company that builds the Humvee Vehicle - are designed wheelchair-accessible and meet or exceed ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) vehicle guidelines.
Two wheelchairs can now be transported at a time, in lieu of only one in older vehicles. Alternatively, one wheelchair-bound passenger plus three ambulatory passengers can comfortably ride.
“We’re adding additional vehicles to accommodate the growing need for curbside wheelchair-access,” reported Joel Gardner, ORT executive director, “but more importantly, we’re adding more access to public transit per vehicle! This is going to step up our game and make each trip more cost-effective as we accommodate more requests for the service.”
Larger openings are designed into the MV-1, allowing access for larger individuals, with larger wheelchairs, that are inaccessible with older vehicles in the fleet.
