Renault Group, cars adapted for persons with disabilities

Transporting the most vulnerable on a daily basis

As he does every Monday morning, Sébastien goes to Mouv'Idées, a company specialized in transporting people with reduced mobility located in Gardanne, near Marseille (France), to pick up his Master WAV. After a few years working as a cook, he has now become a driver, and finds fulfillment in a profession that involves service and contact with others. This morning, he has to pick up a woman and accompany her to the Les Acacias shelter, which provides education, training and accommodation for disabled people. At the end of the week, he will return to the shelter to pick her up and take her home to spend the weekend with her family. Sébastien is now part of the family too, as he is the woman's regular driver.

"Public transport is not always adapted to people with reduced mobility. As a Mouv'Idées driver, I accompany people with disabilities, picking them up from their homes and accompanying them to their activities. I'm there for their comfort, to meet their mobility needs in their daily lives, and that's a real source of pride for me," explains Sébastien.

Providing tailored mobility solutions at the heart of local communities

With a fleet of over 200 vehicles, including Renault Master WAV and Clio, Mouv'Idées accompanies disabled children, teenagers and young adults to school or university in the Bouches-du-Rhône department. The company also provides on-demand transport services for the elderly, frail or disabled, taking them to their place of work or personal activities (leisure, sports, shopping, health, etc.). In all, Mouv'Idées transports 400 young people and 200 adults every day! A significant impact in making mobility accessible to the most disadvantaged and developing access to school, work and leisure for people with reduced mobility. Freedom of movement made possible thanks to the involvement of the company's employees and Qstomize's expertise in transforming vehicles and adapting them to individual needs.

"We are at the service of disabled people, and through our activities we try to make their daily lives more pleasant. Our Master vehicles are adapted to transport people with reduced mobility.

Thanks to their access ramp, mounting rails and individual, folding and removable seats, they can accommodate several wheelchairs and meet the specific needs of each disability," explains Michel Giabiconi, Director of Mouv'Idées.

Offering tailor-made support

For Pierre, a 77-year-old railway pensioner, life changed dramatically when his wife Françoise suffered a stroke 7 years ago. Now hemiplegic, she can no longer walk and has great difficulty expressing herself. Getting around together is a complex task. When they travel to their country house in the hinterland of Nice, Pierre has great difficulty lifting Françoise into the front passenger seat, before stowing the wheelchair in the boot. His back pain was getting worse, and he noticed his wife's discomfort on every trip. Pierre decided to find a solution by purchasing a Kangoo WAV, equipped with a retractable access ramp under the body. From now on, he can seat his wife directly in the passenger compartment with her wheelchair. More comfort for her, less physical effort and fatigue for him, as well as appreciable time savings.

"The fact that I can stay in my wheelchair is really an advantage in terms of comfort, I'm more comfortable and I now share a more convivial space in the cabin with the other occupants. It makes travelling with my husband to our country house and to medical appointments a lot easier, it's really changed my life," Françoise explains.

"I particularly like the layout of our Kangoo because, unlike other adapted vehicles, the ramp doesn't get in the way.

When it's not in use, it's hidden under the floor of the car. This allows us to use it in any condition, and its ease of use is a big advantage for my disabled wife and me," adds Pierre. 

"For almost 40 years, Renault Group, through its subsidiary Qstomize, has been developing vehicles adapted to the mobility of people with reduced mobility.

Thanks to the expertise and passion of its 330 employees, Qstomize designs, produces and sells a complete range of vehicles that can accommodate from 1 to 5 wheelchair passengers. The Group is the only carmaker in Europe to have such a specialized activity on an industrial scale. We are particularly proud of our expertise in promoting more inclusive mobility " concludes Rafael Tréguer, Qstomize CEO .