Mobility for U® is St. Louis’ premier wheelchair accessible transportation service, renting ADA approved, wheelchair accessible minivans to families who need to safely transport their loved ones, providing them freedom from confinement.
Visionary Mike Flotken founded Mobility for U® in 2011, when his own parents could no longer be safely lifted in and out of automobiles.
“Both of my aging parents were in wheelchairs and we, their children, were faced with their daily care which included transporting them to doctor’s appointments, shopping trips and family events,” Mike remembers. “It didn’t take long for us to realize that safely lifting them from their wheelchairs into regular automobiles to take them to these important events was rapidly becoming more difficult.”
Mike saw the need to develop a safe, easy, and economical way to provide seniors and people with special needs the freedom to enjoy life. He was introduced to a company that rented large, old trucks equipped with hydraulic lifts. The commercial vehicles were being used to load wheelchairbound people so that they could be transported to various venues—but the trucks were hard to drive, difficult to maneuver, and required a lot of planning to use.
“I was also aware that with the population of the United States becoming older at the estimated rate of 10,000 people per day, there was a virgin market for a company to simplify this transportation concept and make it available to the public for rent,” Mike says.
Mike found a company that specialized in adding the equipment he was looking for to ordinary minivans. Though such a system was available, no one knew of its existence. Mike then purchased a couple of Toyota Sienna minivans, sent them to BraunAbility®—one of the largest wheelchairaccessible-van conversion companies—and began promoting the concept, making the updated minivans available to families that truly needed them.
Today, Mobility for U® rents easy-to-drive, Toyota Sienna minivans that are equipped with the latest state-of-the-art BraunAbility® automatic ramp systems, which make it extremely simple for a wheelchair-bound individual to travel to doctor’s appointments, shopping trips, family reunions, weddings, family events, vacations—activities are limited only by the imagination of the client. Mobility for U® is available for shuttling to and from the airport, train, and bus station.
“It seemed as though each customer brought new challenges and opportunities to Mobility for U® and I was eager to satisfy the individual needs of these clients,” Mike says.
Mobility for U® now offers Chauffeur/Companion Service where a certified home-healthcare worker drives the van for the client and can provide that extra assistance needed by the family.
“These experts added a new dimension to our service,” Mike says. “Now our customers can receive help and assistance with eating, toileting, and companionship.
Mike is associated with a variety of assisted living centers, nursing homes, hospitals, rehab centers, and hotels in order to provide the wheelchairbound individual with complete access to activities.
Mike invites you to visit their website, www.Mobility4U.com to view an assortment of instructional videos showing how easy it is to operate a Mobility for U® van. Or, call their office 314-873-6814 for additional information and reservations.
