As I got on the accessible bus yesterday I knew why the lifts were usually flaky
By Stephen Pate – The wheelchair vans I regularly use have flaky lifts. They are usually broken, or flaky looking. They stall going up and down.
In the first van of the day, the safety flap was held on by bolts that looked like they would be leaving this earthly scene soon.
The drivers have to nudge them, kick them, whack and the fudge with them to get them up and down.
Now I know the reason. Ricon was selling defective lifts.
Ricon agreed to “a $1.75 million civil penalty and agree to increased oversight by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for continuing to sell defective wheelchair lifts even as it had issued a recall of the lifts to remedy a potential fire hazard.”
“This company’s failure to protect the public from a product known to be a safety risk is absolutely unacceptable,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “Manufacturers must meet their safety obligations, and when they don’t, we will be there with strong enforcement action.”
When I told the accessible bus drivers, they just shrugged their shoulders. They’ve been dealing with the Ricon lifts for years. It wasn’t news to them.
See DOT Announces Civil Penalty, Increased Oversight for Wheelchair Lift Manufacturer
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