VW conversion is bull's eye with the elderly
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dal and could be a little disconcerting at first. However, I soon became used to this vehicle.
The Volkswagen LT31 highroof van is particularly well suited to this application as its square box-load area allows full use of all available space. Interior cleaning should prove easy — there is an almost total absence of nooks and crannies where dust can collect.
It is easy to get at the carpet interior trim — grey from the floor to waistline and beige from the waistline to the ceiling — with a vacuum cleaner — and it appears restful, warm and is sound deadening ...
I returned to the Carshalton day centre and then took two full loads of passengers back to their homes. My new passengers, too, liked the vehicle; some wanted to swop the VW for their regular minibus!
The value of the wheelchair lift was particularly apparent at the end of the day. I was impressed at the cleanliness and ease of operation of the all-electric lift, although I did find that the bridging plate was difficult to lift into place as it was flush with the vehicle floor.
The lift is manufactured by Stowalift Ltd, of Hitchin, Hertfordshire. It has a capacity of 225kg (5001b) — more than enough to take the heaviest passenger on a wheelchair together with an attendant. The lift itself weighs only 80kg (1751b) and takes a mere 190mm (7.5in) of load space. An overload clutch prevents the safe working limit from being exceeded.
The platform can also be held at any height simply by letting go of the control. The lift is also claimed to need "virtually" no maintenance and when fully lowered in the stowed position is almost rattle free.
Our vehicle was fitted with seat belts, fire extinguisher and first-aid kit, but was not built to Minibus Act specifications. A version to meet the Minibus Act requirements is available for an extra £260. The vehicle I tried costs £10,000 to buy and comes from Help the Aged complete with road tax for a year. The minibus project organiser arranges insurance and a minibus permit or disabled certificate if required.
Our appraisal vehicle has since been presented to the Welwyn and Hatfield District Council and is already being used to carry elderly and disabled people to lunch clubs and day centres in that area. Half of the £10,000 cost of the vehicle was met by a Windfall Lottery run by the District Council and half by Help the Aged.
In conclusion, I would say that the VW LT31 Robin Hood Help the Aged minibus is both a pleasing and practical vehicle. The base vehicle, the high-roof LT31, is now proven in service and is well backed by the MANVW dealer network. It is easy to drive and holds the road well.
Despite frost-damaged roads, none of my passengers commented on the bumpy surface — a fact that suggests the VW leafspring suspension coped with the bumps so well they did not notice them.
From the routine maintenance point of view the inside engine cover could make some tasks a little awkward although a flap in the cover made daily checks easy.
The Robin Hood conversion transformed the roomy van into a comfortable bus and I found no sharp edges or hazards to worry the passenger. The highroof vehicle's 6ft 1in headroom makes life easier for passengers, drivers and attendants, The side sliding-door also proved an advantage in getting the passeng ers as near as possible to their homes without creating too much of a hazard to pedestrians or other vehicles.
The two-litre petrol engine gives a lively and unfussed carlike performance and is as happy doing the start/stop house-today centre or hospital journeys as it is on a faster trip to the coast.
The VW LT31 is 2,665mm (8ft 9in) high, 5,290mm (17ft 5in) long, and 2,050rnm (eft Sin) wide — small enough to go through the narrowest of roads. However, volunteer drivers should remember the vehicle height when entering car panl with height restrictions an must also watch out for sl called environmental width re trictions.
From just a day's test drive found the passengers' appreci tion of the vehicle very evide and gratifying. The South Ca shalton Day Centre reguh driver, Geraldine, also four little to criticise on the bu which is an obvious and tangib result of charity appeals. At i price, ready for the road, the V' is a practical and value f money solution to many of ti needs of the elderly.