Wheelchair-friendly Ford Transit becomes Taxibus

The new Ford Transit is in operation as a wheelchair-accessible minibus with long-time all-Ford operator Chelmsford Taxibus.

Eleven examples, based on the Ford Transit 350 long-wheelbase diesel model, are now on the road in Essex. The vehicles are fully compliant with European M2 level of disabled transport.

Chelmsford Taxibus is one of the UK’s leading specialists in transporting children and adults with special needs. It is contracted to Essex County Council to provide support for the Essex ambulance service and it also undertakes private hire work.

The new Transit models have been adapted by a specialist bodybuilder and are supplied with twin side-loading doors and fitted with additional roof ventilation and tracks to accommodate up to 11 Abacus high-backed saloon seats. Rear wheelchair access is provided by a 2.5m portable ramp.

The vehicles can operate in a number of configurations, accommodating a maximum of four wheelchairs together with four seated passengers. A further 35 Ford Transit 12-seater minibuses are due for modification for Chelmsford Taxibus.

“A lot of thought has gone into the layout of the new Transits,“ said Chelmsford Taxibus’s founding director Kevin Knightbridge. “It's the perfect spec – when we showed the new Transits to Essex County Council, they were impressed.”

“We’ve looked at alternative vehicles but there’s nothing else that can cover all our needs,” said Kevin, “It drives more like a car than a van and that’s important for passengers as well as for the drivers”

Chelmsford Taxibus has been all-Ford since the company began in 1980. Today it operates 110 vehicles, 85 of which are Transit minibuses, almost all wheelchair-accessible. It also runs 25 cars and MPVs, mainly new Ford Focus, C-MAX, Mondeo and Galaxy, for its minicab and chauffeur services. A sister company Excellent Connections operates a further 100 Ford passenger vehicles at UK airports.