Your Guide to Transporting a Mobility Scooter

Wheelchairs and scooters allow people with mobility challenges to travel and experience life to the fullest. If you or someone you know is considering getting a mobility scooter, you might have some pressing questions, including how you can transport your scooter. Our expert guide shares how to easily transport your mobility scooter when traveling, both for your daily commute and long-distance travel.

Jan 28, 2025

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Your Guide to Transporting a Mobility Scooter

The Importance of Safely Transporting Your Mobility Scooter

Mobility scooters are long-term investments, meaning you must protect and maintain them to get many years out of them. Mobility aides are an essential part of people's lives since 12.2% of people have mobility challenges that make walking or climbing stairs difficult. These issues can be temporary, such as from an injury or surgery, or permanent.

Part of ensuring that you take proper care of your scooter means transporting it safely and correctly. Here are some of the main reasons why adequate transport is critical:

Insurance: Depending on your insurance coverage, some insurance companies may only let you file a claim when you can prove that you took proper measures to secure the scooter and safely transport it.
User safety: Loading and unloading large objects like scooters can cause serious injury if you don't do it correctly or use equipment to assist. Proper electric scooter transport reduces the risk of accidents.
Damage prevention: Taking the time to learn how to properly transport your equipment also offers greater protection against damage. Improper transportation can cause your scooter to fall off vehicles or sustain mechanical damage.
Legal compliance: Some areas may have rules in place for how you need to transport mobility vehicles like scooters. In these cases, you need to ensure that you follow all regulations and transport your scooter accordingly.

Transporting a Mobility Scooter by Car

Since mobility scooters — even compact ones — take up space, it's helpful to have larger cars with more space, like vans or SUVs. You can then disassemble and transport a mobility scooter via your car in multiple ways, including:

Placing it in the trunk: If you have a mobility scooter that folds up small or have a car with a large trunk, you can easily transport your scooter in your car.
Putting it in the backseat: If you have a smaller trunk, you can also transport your scooter by placing it in the backseat. As an extra safety precaution, you can strap it in to prevent it from sliding around during the drive.
Using lifts: Your vehicle can be fitted with a scooter lift. In some cases, all you have to do to load the lift is drive on. The motor lifts the scooter and secures it so you can transport your scooter anywhere.

Some mobility scooters, like WHILL's Model Ri 3-Wheel, can be disassembled quickly and don't require lifts or hoists for you to transport them via car, making them accessible and user-friendly. The Model Ri is designed with transportability in mind, allowing you to disassemble your scooter and store it in your vehicle in less than ten seconds.

Transporting a Mobility Scooter by Plane

While transporting your scooter by car may be the most common method, you may need to find alternative solutions when you're traveling long distances via plane. An average of 1.5% of scooter transportation via plane ends up with incident reports, so taking the time to do everything correctly from your end makes it easier for the airline to perform safe transportation.

Here is how to transport a mobility scooter via plane:

Research the airline: Different airlines have different rules about transporting mobility devices. If you want to transport your scooter via plane, you need to ensure that you comply with their procedures and package it correctly.
Find details about your scooter: It's also helpful to find information about how big and heavy your scooter is and which batteries it uses, as some airlines may have limitations on these factors. Knowing this beforehand can help you select a suitable airline.
Contact the airline: Before your flight, contact the airline to let them know that you require transport for a scooter. They will have the most accurate and up-to-date information to help you know precisely what you need to do to ensure safe transportation.

To make the process easier for yourself and the airline, consider investing in WHILL electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters, which are Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved for air travel.

Transporting a Mobility Scooter by Public Transport

If you use public transport, you might have some concerns about how you can transport your mobility scooter. Mobility scooters are a big benefit because they act as a mobility aid and a mode of transportation, but if you need to travel long distances, you should know how to safely get your scooter onto public transport.

People who regularly use public transport should remember this when searching for a scooter. Consider the following factors when selecting a scooter that's easy to transport via buses and trains:

Size and weight: The smaller and lighter your mobility scooter is, the easier it is to transport via public methods, especially since they need to be narrow enough to fit onto ramps. Some trains and buses have maximum measurements and weights, so look for a scooter that doesn't exceed this.
Ease of movement: When you are in confined spaces, it's critical to have a scooter that's easy to turn and get into a safe position.
Stability: Your scooter must be stable enough to withstand the constant movement, braking and acceleration of vehicles. Your brakes must also work correctly to prevent it from moving around unplanned.
Assembly and disassembly time: Public transport is fast-moving, so the quicker you can assemble and disassemble the equipment, the easier it will be for you to use public transport with a mobility aid.

5 Tips for Preventing Damage During Transportation

Regardless of how you plan to transport your mobility scooter, you must ensure that you do so safely to avoid damage to your equipment. The following tips can help you take proper care of your scooter:

Ensure proper charging: You should always charge your scooter battery before transporting it to ensure you can use it once you arrive at your destination.
Invest in padding: Items like pillows can keep your scooter secure to avoid jostling and prevent superficial damage like scratches or dents.
Double-check that it's secured: Use strong, high-quality straps to secure the scooter, and take the time to check that everything is in its correct place before transport.
Weather protection: If your scooter is on the outside of a vehicle — like on the top or back — you should get a cover to protect it from rain and dust.
Take your time: Whether you're loading or unloading, assembling or disassembling, you should ensure you don't rush the process, as this can lead to mistakes. Instead, take your time to ensure that everything is in place.

Get the Perfect Lightweight Mobility Scooter for Travel

At WHILL, our mission is to redefine mobility by enabling those who use mobility aids, such as scooters, to live full lives and travel with confidence. Traveling with a scooter is much easier if you have a lightweight and portable scooter designed for your travel needs.

We're here to help you find the perfect lightweight scooter to make traveling easy, convenient and fun. Whether you are going on a short trip or your dream vacation, our Model Ri 3-Wheel Mobility Scooter is expertly designed to provide the perfect travel experience. Schedule a test drive or find a retailer near you to experience all we have to offer!

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