Low Floors, High Expectations: Meet Equess
Public transit can be challenging for people with disabilities. One company makes buses and vans to combat this issue.
Written by Alex Reale
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Taking the bus can be an effective way to save money and reduce your carbon footprint. But not all buses are built equally. Though that city transit bus down the street seems to be
accommodating everyone
, it’s not a perfect option for those who use wheelchairs.Jerry
, the car ownership super app
looks into one company that goes the extra mile to improve transportation for people with disabilities.Public accommodation comes up a bit short
All public buses must, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), be fully equipped for all manner of passengers. This means that they must provide accommodations such as assistance features—for example, lifts and wheelchair straps—enough time for entering and exiting, and priority seating, says
The Mobility Resource
.But there is a difference between accommodating and welcoming, and this is where ARBOC, a Middlebury, Indiana-based company, comes in. ARBOC builds low-floor buses and vans, which stand in contrast to traditional high-floor public transit options. Though buses with high floors are perfectly accessible to those in wheelchairs, the process can be cumbersome.
Said ARBOC CEO Don Roberts in
Metro Magazine
, “Accessibility for people in wheelchairs used to mean that they are always put on a lift, put up in the air and pushed inside. This puts them in a spotlight, so to speak. The other passengers would see them sitting there waiting to be loaded.”ARBOC wanted to give people with disabilities easy, smooth rides that didn’t make them into spectacles. So the company built several buses and vans that do just that.
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Equess provides another option
ARBOC’s low-floor bus “Equess” is designed to adhere to its creed, “equal access for everyone.” Equess employs what ARBOC calls “low-floor technology,” which means that the bus itself is lower to the ground. The ramps that unfold from this lower vantage point thus have a pleasantly low slope, actually improving on ADA requirements.
The entrances are 39 inches across, so wheelchairs have plenty of clearance on both sides to enter comfortably. Once inside, wheelchair users have their pick of six seating areas, and 33 other passengers will also have space. And in case you were worried about surprise steps in the back, rest assured—Equess will not ask you to take any steps down or up. With Equess, the “to” part of “A to B'' is an accessibility dream.
An electric Equess, too
ARBOC wasted no time in converting the Equess into an electric vehicle as well. With the Equess Charge, all the accessibility features of the original Equess remain, but the engine gets a makeover.
This e-version of Equess, like most EVs, reduces maintenance costs and loses the emissions. And the bulky battery, often the nemesis of spacious interiors, is placed on the roof, which means that Equess Charge can still fit the same number of passengers as its gas-powered sibling. Your comfortable, accessible ride awaits you.
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