Buying an accessible vehicle can be a lengthy process.
This is because a wheelchair van or mobile medical van from MoveMobility is customized to your specific needs–whether you need a minivan, a full size van, or a mobile medical van.
Choosing the right accessible vehicle for your organization takes time. You need to make sure the van suits all of your mobility needs.
What happens if you cut corners and purchase an accessible vehicle as quickly as possible? You may end up with a van not right for your passengers.
For example, if you choose a lift when you should have gone with a ramp, 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 2 things:
- What your buying process will look like
- How we determine which van is right for you
Read on to learn all about the process of buying an accessible vehicle from MoveMobility!
Buying an accessible vehicle from MoveMobility–what is the process you’ll go through?
When you decide to go with MoveMobility for your accessible 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 your accessibility needs.
Other accessible vehicle companies may try to sell you a wheelchair van 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. For a preview of the kinds of questions you’ll be asked, click here.
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 it looks like inside and out.
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 resources to give you a deeper understanding of the mobility equipment you will be using.
When you are ready, your account executive will provide you with pricing. 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.
All of our articles can be found on our Resource Centre here on our website.
5. You choose your van
With the helping hand of an account executive, you will 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 its visual appeal. This is especially popular for outreach programs, transit agencies, and adult day care 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 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 $15,000.
If you’re buying a mobile medical van, your deposit will be $40,000. Learn about the different payment options available to you from MoveMobility here.
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.
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 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 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 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.
We also provide training on how to secure a wheelchair into a van and how to use mobility equipment properly.
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 repairs 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 put you 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 the 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 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 accessible vehicle.
Now, you know the 11 steps we will take you through.
Do you have a question about our process? Talk to a MoveMobility expert today.
Or, check out these related resources:
