Electric scooter advice please

Inforapennyinforapound

I have not posted on this part of the forum before so im hoping the more mature memnbers here can advise please?

I am pulling my hair out :mad:........My Mother is elderly and has had to give up her car recently following a foot operation.She can walk but gets tired quickly.

My question: She has seen people trundling about in those electric scooters and would like to have one.Now,does she have to fit certain criteria or can she just go and buy one whether with or without financail support off social services.

You wouldnt believe the trouble i have had tryoing to get answers(maybe you would)....I have called Age Concern..and a nice young woman tells me to look on their website GREAT!..I have called local Social Services..WASTE OF TIME.....It seems none of these people know anything.They just pass the buck giving you other numbers to call etc.

I am so frustrated:mad:...its a simple question really.

I mean,can i just go and buy an electric scooter to use in town? I guess you need to fit certain criteria first.

I am hoping someone here may have one and offer some guidance.

Thank you for reading

A frustrated Inforapennyinforapound

EdInvestor

Anyone can buy one - indeed anyone can use one.:)

They are sold commercially.

http://www.discountscooters.co.uk/extra/

Edinburghlass_2

I'd suggest she try one in her local supermarket or shopping centre first. Then look at how and where she would go from home to the shops etc, would she be able to get it out of the house herself or where would she store it. Then think seriously if she would actually use it very much as they are an expensive product.

Be_Happy

Bear in mind there are 2 different powers of electric scooter. The small ones do 4 mph and are for pavement use only. You can only travel on roads if crossing between pavements. The larger models travel at 8 mph+ and can travel on roads, but have to be insured and meet safety criteria.

Whatever you do look for them on the internet, the prices are much lower than shop prices.

Watch the weight too if you will have to move them from a car or up steps in your garden. Our small one dismantles, but even then I would struggle to lift it.

As previous poster says, go into a shopping centre with a shopmobility office. You can use these scooters free of charge once you have registered with the office and had your ability checked.

EdInvestor

The battery needs to be charged overnight and can be quite heavy.Make sure she can manage to get it into the house easily. Also it's wise to buy a cover as rain can have a nasty effect on the scooter.

buxtonrabbitgreen

My late mum had one and found it very useful. If you buy new try to get them to throw in the raincover as hers cost £400 !!!
She did only use it for a couple of years sadly. I advertised it for ages after she passed away before I found a buyer and sold the lot for £200.
What I am trying to tell you is that you should pick one up at a bargain price second hand. There are always 4 or 5 for sale in my local paper.
the insurance wasn't expensive.

Elsewhere

Is she registered disabled? She won't have to pay VAT on a scooter if she is. You might like to look at the Motability website which explains about funding from social services http://www.motability.co.uk, and the RADAR website (the people that organise disabled public toilets) have a useful guide to choosing a scoter http://www.radar.org.uk/radarwebsite/RadarFiles/Documents/Get%20Mobile%202007.pdf

Elsewhere

EdInvestor wrote: »

The battery needs to be charged overnight and can be quite heavy.Make sure she can manage to get it into the house easily. Also it's wise to buy a cover as rain can have a nasty effect on the scooter.

Some type of scooter have batteries that are charged in situ - for instance my MIL's scooter has a socket on the steering column.

Inforapennyinforapound

Thanks all.Some very useful information.

The storage is an interesting point.She lives in a ground floor flat but there are a couple of steps down to the communal driveway where she has a lock-up garage.

Having read above posts it seems that she would have to store it in the garage so it seems important that she finds one with a portable battery to recharge it?

Just as a side issue it appears that anybody could buy one of these things and have a bit of fun whizzing around the streets at 8mph!,,,seriously though,this surprises me as years ago one had to be disabled to drive what in essence is an "invalid carriage"?

EdInvestor

Inforapennyinforapound wrote: »

Just as a side issue it appears that anybody could buy one of these things and have a bit of fun whizzing around the streets at 8mph!,,,seriously though,this surprises me as years ago one had to be disabled to drive what in essence is an "invalid carriage"?

No restrictions now - and no real reason why there should be. The likely market is ex car drivers, who all seem to feel completely at sea if they have no vehicle of their own.

Savvy_Sue

Inforapennyinforapound wrote: »

Having read above posts it seems that she would have to store it in the garage so it seems important that she finds one with a portable battery to recharge it?

Does she have power in the garage? If she does, problem solved.