Renault Group, cars adapted for persons with disabilities
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In line with its purpose, Renault Group is committed to promoting accessible, inclusive mobility to all. Its subsidiary, Qstomize, is specialized in cars for disabled. It has developed unique industrial know-how in the transformation of vehicles for the transport of people with disabilities, such as WAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle). Its expertise provides cars adapted to a wide range of disabilities.Today, over a billion people on the planet live with a disability, representing 15% of the world’s population. In France, there are 9.7 million people with disabilities, either officially recognized or faced with persistent health problems that reduce their mobility. These situations are made all the more difficult by the fact that these people and their families are often faced with obstacles that limit their mobility, thereby restricting their social interaction and integration into society.,Qstomize addresses both professionals and private individuals, to remedy this type of situation. Discover the testimonies of Françoise, Sébastien, Michel and Pierre. They tell us how using Renault Master and Kangoo WAV has transformed their personal and professional lives on a daily basis.
BY Nicolas Soutumier
Sébastien, driver for Mouv’Idées - © François Susset / Planimonteur
Using WAV to transport people with disabilities
Michel Giabiconi, Mouv’Idées CEO - © François Susset / Planimonteur
As he does every Monday morning, Sébastien goes to Mouv'Idées, a company specialized in transporting people with reduced mobility located in Gardanne, near Marseille (France), to collect his disability vehicle, a Master WAV. After a few years working as a cook, he has now become a driver, and finds fulfillment in a profession that involves service and contact with others. This morning, he has to pick up a woman in a wheelchair and accompany her to the Les Acacias shelter, which provides education, training and accommodation for disabled people. At the end of the week, he will return to the shelter to pick her up and take her home to spend the weekend with her family. Sébastien is now part of the family too, as he is the lady's regular driver.
Because it's not the person who has to adapt to the vehicle, but the vehicle that has to adapt to the person, notably through car conversion, the Master equipped with a wheelchair accessible ramp makes everyday mobility easier.
"Public transport is not always adapted to people with reduced mobility. As a Mouv'Idées driver, I accompany people with disabilities, picking them up from their homes and accompanying them to their activities. I'm there for their comfort, to meet their mobility needs in their daily lives, and that's a real source of pride for me," explains Sébastien.
Help for people with disabilities: mobility at the heart of the regions
With a fleet of over 200 vehicles, including Renault Master WAV and Clio designed and fitted out by Qstomize through car conversion, Mouv'Idées accompanies disabled children, teenagers and young adults to school or university in the Bouches-du-Rhône department. The company also provides on-demand transport services for the elderly, frail or disabled, taking them to their place of work or personal activities (leisure, sports, shopping, health, etc.). In all, Mouv'Idées transports 400 young people and 200 adults every day! A significant impact in making mobility accessible to the most disadvantaged and developing access to school, work and leisure for people with reduced mobility.
A step towards inclusive mobility, where disability and car use are no longer incompatible. Freedom of movement is made possible by the involvement of the employees and the expertise of Qstomize in transforming vehicles and adapting them to individual needs.
Pierre, pensioner - © François Susset / Planimonteur
"We are at the service of disabled people, and through our activities we try to make their daily lives more pleasant. Our Master vehicles are adapted to transport people with reduced mobility. Thanks to their access ramp, mounting rails and individual, folding and removable seats, they can accommodate several wheelchairs and meet the specific needs of each disability," explains Michel Giabiconi, Director of Mouv'Idées.
Car conversion for people with disabilities
Kangoo TPMR - © Sébastien Staub / Prodigious Production
For Pierre, a 77-year-old railway pensioner, life changed dramatically when his wife Françoise suffered a stroke 7 years ago. Now hemiplegic, she can no longer walk and has great difficulty expressing herself. Getting around together is a complex task. When they travel to their country house in the hinterland of Nice, Pierre has great difficulty lifting Françoise into the front passenger seat, before stowing the wheelchair in the boot. His back pain was getting worse, and he noticed his wife's discomfort on every trip. Pierre decided to find a solution by purchasing a Kangoo WAV, equipped with a retractable wheelchair accessible ramp under the body. From now on, he can seat Françoise directly in the passenger compartment with her wheelchair.
More comfort for her, less physical effort and fatigue for him, as well as appreciable time savings. The Kangoo WAV that changed their lives was ordered from the Renault network and fitted out by Qstomize
Rafael Tréguer, Qstomize CEO - © François Susset / Planimonteur
"The fact that I can stay in my wheelchair is really an advantage in terms of comfort, I'm more comfortable and I now share a more convivial space in the cabin with the other occupants. It makes travelling with my husband to our country house and to medical appointments a lot easier, it's really changed my life," Françoise explains.
"I particularly like the layout of our Kangoo because, unlike other adapted vehicles, the ramp doesn't get in the way. When it's not in use, it's hidden under the floor of the car. This allows us to use it in any condition, and its ease of use is a big advantage for my disabled wife and me," adds Pierre.
"For almost 40 years, Renault Group has been developing a complete range of vehicles adapted to the mobility of people with reduced mobility. Today, its subsidiary Qstomize relies on a team of 330 specialized employees. The Group is the only carmaker in Europe to have developed this activity on an industrial scale. We are particularly proud of our expertise in promoting more inclusive mobility," concludes Rafael Tréguer, Qstomize CEO.
Questions about the car conversion possibilities and corresponding prices for buying or fitting a car adapted to a disability? Need advice on what you need to drive around in an adapted vehicle? Explore Qstomize's wide range of customisations for professionals and private customers alike, here.
Qstomize in figures:
1,000 WAV vehicles produced per year
300,000 conversions per year
13 satellite sites in 6 countries
330 employees