How is this fair?

Hi there!

I've been trying to price the rental on a handicap accessible van, so I can take a small trip.

The going rate is $600 a week and .30 a mile!

How is that not gouging?

A non-handicapped person can rent a vehicle for as low as $20 a day.
The handicapped person, who has to spend more on a day to day basis just to live, is stuck with $85 a day?

Too bad I'm not feeling well today, or I'd be complaining to the FTC and my Governor about this.

I know on site here is a question about what would you do if you won a Million Dollars? I think I'd begin a handicap van rental program at decent rates!

I'm sorry. That does seem rather expensive. I hope you can figure something different out. Maybe there is an organization near you that can provide you with travel arrangements? Good luck.

Wow!
That is ridiculous!

do you have any friends or family, handicapped or not, who can travel with you? that way you could share the costs. and, you're right, it seems to be very, very unfair.

Well, I need the motorized chair for when I get somewhere...or there's no reason to go ... pain and fatigue make it difficult.

I have too many other things on my "list" that this may never be added to it....

It's gouging.
Florida has a law against gouging after a storm.... but this is ongoing gouging imo. They have handicapped people over a barrel with no choices.

I hate being handicapped.

I don't know if it's gouging or not; the $20 a day vehicles "anyone" can rent are cheap, tiny, vehicles that my husband and I don't fit in so on my recent vacation I had to rent a larger, more "luxurious" vehicle. I would think a handicap van, with its lift and any other accessories would be expensive to buy/rent/insure, etc. and the number out there available would be smaller (so the price higher since it doesn't get rented as often so who wants to pay to stock them?).

I think it has to do with being a small group and not any particular gouging. Off-the-rack clothes made in sweatshops are cheaper than designer, one-of-a-kind, tailored clothes. That's just the way it is. I remember when I thought a store having a sale on right handed scissors and not left (I'm left-handed) or men's underwear and not women's was discrimination but it's not; one can buy all the right-handed scissors one wants; it's not the store's problem that you want something else, are "different". No one has to have vans for handicapped people for rent and you can rent all the $20 a day vehicles you want. It's a market place, they can charge what they want for what they are selling. You don't have to buy.

JD, any chance you can go to a neighboring state that might have vans for rent at a cheaper price and get one there? I think Florida is going to be expensive because of demand/more handicapped in the population and likely laws/taxes/insurance, etc. We found it was cheaper to fly to our destination and rent a car than drive our own car (we rented a car exactly like our own at home).

I have a friend who is quadriplegic and owns a great van; do you have any other handicapped friends/associates who may own a van you could borrow/rent privately from them?

That was my next adventure, to see what luxury cars rent for, for yes indeed a handicap accessible van sells for 30-50 k ...

I'm in the southern tip of Florida and my "trip" wouldn't even be as far as the next state

I guess I could fly anyway, and rent a motorized wheelchair for while I'm there. If I go. Too much like work right now.

Ok I checked. A souped up Dodge Caravan is only $75 a day. (Many handicap accessible vehicles are these) But mid sized SUVs and full size cars rent for $50 a day.

As a side note: IDK if it's Federal or Florida law, but when it comes to airport shuttles operated by counties etc at a reduced rate, they have to provide handicap accessible vehicles for use. None of the regular shuttle companies bother, but to have a license to provide other shuttles they have to provide this service to handicap. What they do is pay a regular cab company who has handicap access. vehicles, the full fare, while charging handicapped people regular shuttle rates. They find this cheaper than maintaining their own handicap vehicles. (Often the cab company tries to make me pay full rate, and the foreigners or visitors that don't know any better will end up paying $70 for a $20 ride through the shuttle.)

I'm pretty sure that this is something the Attorney General of Florida would like to make more fair... that of rental fees for handicap access. vehicles. I also know the companies charge extra for a service dog, which is illegal to do, so I have a foot in the door with that.

Sigh.
Thanks for reading and replying. I really appreciate not feeling so alone in this dilemma.

It doesn't surprise me at all. Everything that is for the "disabled" is more expensive. Try doing a renovation, its absolutely ridiculous some of the costs out there, just to make it accessible. In my opinion it should be less, as a cost break not more, but there are greedy people who take what they think they can get.

The fact is that the government considers travel a luxury. Not a real necessity.

Local governments are responsible to provide necessary trips to the disabled community. Necessary = doctor visits, hospital visits, and pharmacy. City or town grocery stores usually have one or two stores that can pick up disabled people once or twice a week to grocery shop. That's it.

Airlines do make some changes, to make the experience less dramatic for the disabled, but they've got a ways to go. Different airlines have different policies on transfering disabled customers into aircraft seating. Last on and last off the plane. Catheter is necessary.

That's what I know. My boyfriend is paraplegic ~ my disability is memory & major depression.

It's not fair. Just like I spend $1,500 for ONE hearing aid because I'm totally deaf in one ear (with the hearing aid I can hear noise but not clear sound) so that I don't get run over when out walking because I didn't hear a vehicle (nearly happened to me three times). Or the ridiculous cost of things like deaf smoke alarms and alarm clocks. None of which are reimbursed by my health plan because "that is not your primary disability" (for the disability plan in Canada).

What about taking Greyhound? They have buses that you can ride right up into and be strapped in like a passenger, but still sitting in your wheelchair.

In the USA we have a program that "gives" equipment like TDDs and light flashers connected to landline phones etc. for the hearing impaired.

My disability ins hasn't bothered to hear ME when I rant that I need a hearing aid and a masker (two ears, ) and when I try to go to the ENT for them, they say they're not authorized (they are) and to call the claim adjuster, and I'm not allowed to do that since there are lawyers involved, and the lawyers say, yes, they're authorized make the appointment, and the ENT says no, not authorized call the adjuster before we can make an appointment... and this is going on for over 10 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a service dog who hears the doorbell for me. My first service dog was the first one in Florida to be trained to alert for sirens and emergency vehicles because I was so often the ONLY vehicle in the intersection wondering what was going on ... and being narrowly missed by a fire truck or police car whizzing by

Right now I'm having it out with my iPhone since I think it isn't ringing for incoming calls. Normally my dog brings it to me when it rings, and he hasn't...so I think it's the phone's problem. But I moved the notification to a BARK just to be sure. (this is my 3rd iPhone in 5 months, and it's having a battery problem like the other two did...but it does notify for missed calls and voice messages.)

Well, on the topic of the wheelchair van ... in my data collection I was told that my (mom's) wheelchair is one (only?) that will not accept the quick lock installed in vans and busses...it has to be hooked and strapped in. No way can I do that.... so I need a different (new) w/c too.

When I traveled by airplane and cab ... oh the stories I could tell about all that NONE of it was fair, unless you were "in the know" and held the people's feet to the fire. It took a lot of my energy and much more time, but I always ended up having the services at the proper rate. (Well, once, the first time, they did charge more for the transportation of my service dog. )

Sigh. Ok, I can here my pain T say, nothing in life is (technically) "fair" and no where is there any notice that life is supposed to be fair. That's a non sequitur.

I've resigned myself to not obtaining a vehicle at all. I can't do anything about it presently, so it's time to just let it go and wait, IF.

I had a few good weeks and was thinking about taking a mini-vacation to Central Florida, but have set that aside too. I would really like to go up around the holidays, but, sigh ... I can do without. That will make it two years in a row I didn't do anything really for "me."

I did see my orthodontist and urged them to counter their billing being put into the same stipulation with my vehicle and chair request. No reason for that as he's an authorized doctor in his own right. Would allow them to set a bad precedent, imo.

Anyway ... I guess I won't be going anywhere except to local doctors, and if I do go out of town, I'll have to pay for the handicap cab and fly instead.

I'll think about things better when I'm out of this strange pain flare.