Accessible Shared Cars Now Available for Wheelchair Users in Roeselare

Roeselare, Belgium, has launched an initiative to provide wheelchair-accessible shared cars, enhancing mobility for individuals with disabilities. The fully electric vehicles can be reserved as easily as standard shared cars.

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Imagine organizing a family party. You want your mother or father there, but they live in a care home and use a wheelchair. If you don't have an accessible car yourself, it often doesn't work out.

Anja Casteleyn of CM, a key proponent of the project, highlighted the challenges faced by wheelchair users in attending family events or accessing social activities. "Imagine organizing a family party," she said. "You want your mother or father there, but they live in a care home and use a wheelchair. If you don't have an accessible car yourself, it often doesn't work out."

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This is a big step forward for wheelchair users. It gives them more control over their mobility. The accessible shared car is also not more expensive than another shared car.

The collaboration with the car-sharing platform MobilizeShare introduces vehicles with a lowered floor, allowing wheelchair users to board smoothly. These cars can accommodate a driver, four passengers, and a wheelchair user, totaling six people. Casteleyn noted that the accessible car is not more expensive than a regular shared car, calling it a "big step forward for wheelchair users" that offers greater control over their mobility.

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Soon there will also be a wheelchair-accessible shared car in Ostend and Kortrijk. We hope to offer such cars in smaller municipalities in the future. This way, caregivers won't have to drive far to get to the car.

Following the successful implementation in Roeselare, similar accessible shared cars will soon be available in Kortrijk and Ostend. CM hopes to extend this service to smaller towns, reducing the need for caregivers to travel long distances to access such vehicles. An existing accessible car in Bruges has been very popular, indicating strong demand for the service.

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In Bruges, we have had an accessible car for a few months now. It is very popular. The initiative is therefore catching on.