Buying an accessible vehicle for healthcare and transportation can be a lengthy process.
This is because wheelchair vans and mobile medical vans from MoveMobility are customized to meet your specific needs–whether you need a minivan, a full-size van, or a mobile medical van.
Choosing the right vehicle for your organization requires some careful considerations to make sure it suits all of your client’s mobility and medical needs.
What happens if you cut corners and purchase a vehicle as quickly as possible without thinking about things like mobile medical van customization and what medical equipment to get installed?
Or, what if you choose a lift when you should have gone with a ramp in a wheelchair van? Some of your passengers who use walkers or canes may not feel comfortable using the lift. As a result, they could miss important outings.
At MoveMobility, we take the time necessary to find the right van for you.
In this article, you’ll learn two things:
- What your buying process will look like for wheelchair accessible vans and mobile medical vans
- How we determine which van is right for you
Read on to learn all about the process of buying an accessible/mobile medical vehicle from MoveMobility!
What’s the process of buying an accessible vehicle for mobile healthcare and/or transportation from MoveMobility?
When you decide to go with MoveMobility for your accessible/mobile medical vehicle, there are 11 steps we will take you through from the initial phone call to your van being in your driveway.
1. We call you/you call us
The process begins with a phone call.
Either you can click here and fill out the information to receive a phone call from us, or you can call 844-951-3808 to set up a meeting with an account executive.
During this initial phone call, your account executive will provide you with a “needs analysis” by asking you a variety of questions to narrow down what van you need.
2. We book a meeting
Following the first phone call, your account executive will book a time to meet with you over Zoom to further discuss: your organization, your passengers, and their accessibility needs if you’re looking for a wheelchair van.
If you’re looking for a mobile medical van, your account executive will gather more information as to what type of mobile medical program you’re running. Based on that, you’ll be provided with more information on the different types of mobile medical units we offer.
Other accessible vehicle companies may try to sell you a wheelchair van or mobile medical unit over the phone, but we find a “face-to-face” format allows us to get to know you and your needs better.
3. You have a Zoom meeting and remote van tour
At this point, your account executive will help you narrow down the type of van you need. Once they’ve narrowed down the van you need, they will give you a remote “tour” of the van you’ve chosen so that you can see what the interior and exterior look like.
4. We send you articles, pricing, and other resources to help answer all of your questions
Following your Zoom meeting and van tour, your account executive will send you a list of articles and other helpful resources to give you a deeper understanding of the mobility equipment you’ll be using.
When you’re ready, your account executive will provide you with pricing information. Prices fluctuate over time, so it’s important to remember that if months pass between you receiving a quotation and you confirming your order, the price of your van may change.
For more information, take a look at our articles on the cost of a mobile medical van and the cost of a wheelchair van.
5. You choose your van
With the helping hand of an account executive, you’ll find the van that’s right for you.
At this stage, you may be wondering if you can choose your van’s colour. Van colour options vary based on what is available at the time of placing your van order. White is the standard vehicle colour, however, on rare occasions, other colours may be available.
Many organizations choose to add full decal wraps or decal designs to their vans to improve their visual appeal. This is especially popular for outreach programs, transit agencies, and adult daycare programs. We can assist you with decal design packages.
Once you’ve decided on a van, your order will be entered into our system.
6. You sign paperwork and provide a deposit
After you choose your van, our Customer Care Team will be in touch with the paperwork to sign and will start the process of gathering your deposit information. What does this process look like?
- The paperwork is sent to you electronically, via email
- The documents can be signed electronically or you can print and sign if you need signatures from others
- The signed paperwork and deposit are required to confirm your order (this means your order is not confirmed until we have the paperwork and deposit)
If you’re buying a wheelchair van, your deposit will be $25,000.
If you’re buying a mobile medical van, your deposit will be $50,000. Check out our article on the payment options available from MoveMobility to learn more about them.
Once we have your deposit, your vehicle will be put into our production schedule.
7. You will get a VIN number and we will start building your van
Once your deposit and signed papers are received, you will be assigned a VIN number. Then, we will put your van into our production schedule.
This is where the process will slow down on your end.
While it only takes about two weeks for us to convert a van, we will likely have other conversions scheduled ahead of yours. The entire process from when you first place your order to when you receive the van typically averages between 4 and 6 months.
Our Customer Care Team will provide you with a delivery timeline which can take between two to eight months, depending on how busy our schedule is.
8. Final payment before delivery
As your van gets closer to being completed, our Customer Care Team will reach out to you to arrange the final payment. Your van will be paid for in full before it leaves our facilities. Delivery to you will not be arranged until final payment is received.
This is an important step in the process as it can delay your van’s delivery. It’s important to begin working on arranging the final payment early so that you can receive your van as quickly as possible.
9. Once payment is received, your van is delivered to you
The process of delivering your accessible vehicle to you consists of 3 main steps:
- Step 1: Your van is secured on a truck or a trailer and is most likely driven by a MoveMobility truck driver.
- Step 2: We will deliver the van to your specific location*.
- Step 3: Once we arrive, we will unload your van and give you your keys.
*Please note: the process of delivering an accessible vehicle to Ontario can take longer because we process your licensing/registrations through OMVIC on your behalf. That information needs to physically be looked after at an OMVIC office by our Mississauga staff.
All other provinces do their own licensing/registrations.
*If you live in a remote location, we may not be able to deliver your van to your exact location. Instead, we will deliver it as close to you as we can get. See our article on delivering accessible vehicles to remote locations here.
10. You are provided with resources on how to operate all the components in your van
Sometimes, your driver will need training to be able to drive our vehicles safely. We can provide you with links to tried and true training courses we trust.
If you’re getting a wheelchair van, keep in mind that we also provide training on how to secure a wheelchair into a van and how to use mobility equipment properly. We also have a video about this that you can check out below.
Our MoveMobility driver who delivered the van to you will also be able to give you an overview of the vehicle. You can ask any questions you have about how the vehicle is operated.
11. You get access to maintenance and repair resources
We offer maintenance and repair resources through our Customer Care Team.
If you’ve purchased a vehicle or van conversion from us and there seems to be an issue with the vehicle, reach out to our Customer Care Team.
They will help you determine what the issue is and how it happened. From there, they can help you get in touch with a mechanic–or, we can troubleshoot the issue over the phone or via Zoom together.
While this system isn’t the same as visiting a traditional service center, our Customer Care representatives are professionals in their field.
They are subject matter experts when it comes to accessible vehicles, and are always ready to help you figure out an issue remotely or through a repair facility.
Click here to learn how to get service on your accessible vehicle if something goes wrong.
Buying an accessible vehicle for healthcare and transportation from MoveMobility: your next steps
You came to this article to learn what process you’ll go through when you partner with MoveMobility for your next mobile medical unit or wheelchair van.
Now, you know about the 11 steps that are involved in the purchase process.
Do you have a question about our process? Talk to a MoveMobility expert today.
Or, check out these related resources:
