Travel and Mobility Scooter Rentals in Canada

This summer I visited Halifax, Nova Scotia. I knew that it was a rather hilly city as most coastal towns are. I last visited approximately a decade ago, so I was not sure about what strides had been made to  create accessibility. I decided to play it safe and rent a scooter for the duration of my trip.
I travel a lot and in most countries I have been able to rent the equipment rather than trying to transport it from my home country. In Canada, I found it very easy to rent and arrange delivery of the mobility devices at my destination prior to my arriving. That is on the one hand, but on the other, even with a mobility device rented it  does not mean that all places will be accessible. So, as you plan your trip realize that it is not always possible to get everywhere you would like to go. For those of you who use mobility devices, I know this is not news.




I rented this scooter from MediChair Halifax . They were very accommodating and dropped off the scooter as promised in one of the suburbs of Halifax and picked it up as promised at a different location. I was visiting 3 different places, so this was perfect for me. I did not have to worry about getting to a specific place and picking up, transporting, making sure of a drop off before my flight. It was very simple and reasonably priced. I was travelling for 3 weeks, but had to take a contract for one month. Even with having to pay an extra week, it was well worth it as I was able to come and go at my own convenience. There is a caveat that I had friends that transported the scooter when we were being tourists. It was too heavy for me to handle , but my friends or the concierge at the hotel were more than able to quickly assemble it for my daily outings. While I was at the hotel downtown, it saved me the cost of cab fare that more than covered the rental cost.

As in most travel, I had to plan ahead to rent the scooter, but it worked out so seamlessly that I would recommend this to all of those people who may need a scooter temporarily at their destination.

Things to consider:
1. How long are you staying in one place?
2. What modes of transportation are you using during/ throughout your trip? ( some do not allow batteries )
3. What have you budgeted for transportation? ( rental vs taxis etc.)
4. What type of terrain is at your destination and how much sightseeing will you be doing?
            note: terrain may include- hills, cobblestone, no curb cutouts, slippery material when wet,       steep sidewalks, entrances on slopes, stairs going into establishments, etc.
5. Do the tourist attractions you want to see already have mobility devices for use?
6. Will you be reliant on public transportation or do you have private means of mobility?
7. How much independence will you have/ want to have at tourist sights?

Some of this may be old news for you seasoned travelers, but it is just a recollection of things I did on this particular trip.