Ross is an accessibility manager at Lloyds Banking Group, a job involving regular travel across the UK. A reliable car is therefore vital.
He says: “Prior to taking delivery of my Mercedes V-Class from Lewis Reed one of the UK’s leading wheelchair accessible vehicle converters I owned two Chrysler Grand Voyagers.
“When the time came to look at changing my vehicle, I did some research on the Mercedes V-Class which I felt was the only comparable vehicle to my ageing Chrysler.
“I soon discovered that Lewis Reed offered a wheelchair passenger conversion of this vehicle and I attended the Naidex disability show NEC where I was greeted on their stand by one of their advisers who informed me that Lewis Reed also had a V-Class drive from version which they would bring to my house for a free demonstration at my convenience. This was fantastic news.”
Ross’s vehicle is fitted with a space drive system which operates wirelessly. The system incorporates two joystick controls, one to power the vehicle and accelerate / reverse and a second from which Ross steers.
“The Space Drive system is just amazing, it makes driving so much easier compared to previous hydraulic joystick conversions I’ve driven,” says Ross.
To enable Ross to access his vehicle easily, his Mercedes is fitted with a side access lift and a four corner air suspension system which is highly unusual and allows users to raise and lower the whole of the vehicle to suit driving conditions.
As part of the conversion, Ross’s Mercedes had a full flat door installed in the front to enable him to easily transfer from the driving to passenger position in his powerchair should someone else wish to drive.Once in the driving position, Ross uses a wheelchair docking station to secure his wheelchair in the driving position.
Additional features of Ross’s vehicle include: a bleeper system for all the secondary controls such as indicators, wipers and so on – plus many standard driver enhancements including 360-degree camera, blind spot indicators, adaptive cruise control, GPS tracker and many more, all of which helps any driver but even more so a disabled driver.
“From day one, everyone at Lewis Reed has been fantastic. Purchasing a wheelchair accessible vehicle can involve numerous assessments, meetings and so on, and no matter how many queries I had, I always received a prompt and friendly response. I would not hesitate in recommending Lewis Reed to anybody looking to purchase a WAV.”
For more information on the full range of wheelchair accessible vehicles available from Lewis Reed call 0151 343 5360 or visit: www.lewisreedgroup.co.uk.
You can also follow Lewis Reed on Twitter: @lewisreedgroup and Facebook: www.facebook.com/lewisreedwavltd
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