Sometimes we have customers who want to buy a transit wheelchair but enquire
about transport wheelchairs and end up buying one as they are far more
suitable for their needs. So what is the difference and which should i buy ?

A transport wheelchair is intended to be used for short trips only whereas a
transit model is intended to be used for longer periods and therefore provides
more comfort and has more features including adjustment to ensure that a
decent level of comfort can be achieved.

A transport wheelchair is likely to suit those who need the chair rarely for
trips to the medical centre or hospital. They are sometimes referred to as
porterage chairs or even ambulance chairs. Typically they will have four small
wheels and rely on a carer or attendant to propel the wheelchair.

Because it is likely that the chair will need to be transported, they are
generally made to be lightweight and to fold away easily in to a relatively
small space, making them easy to stow and store when not in use. Some
porterage or transport wheelchairs will actually fold flat so as to occupy the
smallest space possible when not in use.

Due to them having small wheels, many transport wheelchair are supplied with a
lap belt that ensures the occupant is kept on the chair should the wheels get
stuck by an obstacle. There are different levels of refinement but generally
these wheelchairs are kept very basic. Often they will not have arm rests like
a normal wheelchair. This is often the case to make transfers to and from the
chair easier for both the user and the attendant.

Most transport wheelchairs will have removable leg rests that hook on and off with ease. Again this is to assist in the transfer of the user on and off the wheelchair, making standing easier when the leg rests are removed. Some models have brakes but not all, particularly those classed as porterage or ambulance wheelchairs.

Other considerations when buying such a wheelchair are the seat size and chair weight. Essentially there are 3 sizes being:

Narrow – a 17” wide seat – for users under 9 stone in weight
Medium – a 19” wide seat – for users between 9 stone and 20 stone
Wide – a 22” wide seat or wider , often classed as bariatric for users over 20 stones in weight

Ensure that the transport wheelchair that you buy is suitable for the weight of the user. What tends to happen is that the models for larger user heavier because more materials are made in the manufacture and heavier materials, for example steel frame tubing rather than aluminum. The downside of a heavier wheelchair is lifting requires more effort as well as pushing the wheelchair when laden.

If we had to select the best models that we sell it would reflect the numbers sold, so here are our best selling transport wheelchairs:

The Enigma travelchair - which also comes with a useful bag

The Roma Medical transport / porterage wheelchair

The Karma Bluebird - the Rolls Royce of transport wheelchairs

Please note that if the wheelchair you select does not come with a carry bag we sell a good selection of wheelchair bags here. If you expect to use the chair for more than an hour os so it might be worth buying a cushion, you never know how long you may be waiting and we have a good selection of wheelchair cushions here.

Finally if you have any questions or want some advice on selecting the most suitable transport wheelchair please call us on 0800 0556377 / 01803 872020 and we will be pleased to assist.