Special Transportation Services (STS) is a form of transportation in Sweden which provides transportation services for handicapped individuals. Special Service Vehicles (SSV) are designed to accommodate wheelchairs, and are driven by personnel who pick up the passengers at home or work. This report deals with the safety factors during movement into and out of the SSV. Attention is placed upon the risks involved for wheelchair users who use a ramp as compared to those who use a hydraulift. In most cases, the lift is the most comfortable way to enter and exit the vehicle. However, most lifts do not have security rails, which increases the risk of falling off the platform. Also, manual lifting of the passenger and of the wheelchair creates additional risks of personal injury to both the passenger and the assistance personnel. This method is not analyzed in this study. In order to increase the security for the passenger, a study was conducted at the University of Gothenburg investigating actual events in a transportation service situation. Problems were discussed with passengers and service personnel and experiments were performed with ramps and hydraulic lifts. The major results of the study are that both ramps and lifts can be designed so as to provide adequate safety. Measurements are given for the ramps, lifts and vehicles in order to allow for both the wheelchair user and an assistant. This report contains Appendices 1 and 2: Specifications of Eight Different Wheelchairs and Tables Describing Components from the Primary Experiments, respectively, and a Bibliography. /UMTA/
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