Allied Mobility have assisted Edinburgh Zoo in obtaining a new vehicle to make it easier for zoo visitors with restricted mobility get around.
Although it is ideal for wheelchair or scooter users and their families, it can also be used by any visitor with limited mobility, including those reliant on walking sticks or crutches.
The new vehicle is able to carry four people including a wheelchair passenger to most locations throughout the Zoo. Visitors requiring the service will be given a number which they can call when the vehicle is required throughout the day. This means that guests can be picked up and dropped off anywhere on the main path through the park, allowing for a much more personalised visit to the Zoo.
Barbara Smith, Managing Director for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said:
“We are always keen to offer our visitors the best experience possible and the new mobility vehicle now allows us to provide visitors with restricted mobility a more tailored service than ever before. Unlike previous Zoo shuttle methods, the vehicle’s compact size means that visitors can now be picked up or dropped off in more locations around the Zoo, which means guests can view the animals at their leisure without worrying about sticking to a shuttle timetable.
“We would love to thank Allied Mobility for their support and for providing Edinburgh Zoo with one of their brand new mobility vehicles. This new service is just one of many steps in the future of Edinburgh Zoo as one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions.”
Edinburgh Zoo’s new wheelchair accessible vehicle was manufactured by Glasgow-based Allied Mobility. Allied has grown to become the UKs leading supplier of specialist, converted vehicles. Established in 1993 by brothers Gerry and Michael Facenna, the company now employs over 400 people.
In 2013 Allied Mobility managed to grow its wheelchair accessible vehicle sales by 13%. This continues an upward trend for Allied Mobility, whose share of the wheelchair accessible vehicle market has risen year on year, from 27% in 2010 to 40% last year. This period of growth has also seen Allied’s workforce expand with the creation of more than 60 new jobs. This takes their current staff total to an all-time high of 438.
Allied Mobility co-chairman, Gerry Facenna, added:-“Edinburgh Zoo is a fabulous family attraction and it would be such a shame for disabled people to miss out on all it has to offer. We were delighted to be able to help out by providing one of our accessible vehicles, which I hope will be kept really busy over the years ahead.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
