A Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) enables a person to move into the vehicle while seated in their wheelchair. This saves the problem of transferring the individual out of their wheelchair and into the car, as well as loading the wheelchair and it helps reduce long-term shoulder damage associated with normal vehicle transfers. It requires a vehicle with a flat floor and with adequate internal height to accommodate a person sitting in their wheelchair. The person accesses the vehicle via a ramp or lift while sitting in their wheelchair, and either remains in their wheelchair as a passenger or driver, or transfers onto a seat inside the vehicle.
Easy Drive Western Cape (0824524639), Shoprider (012 6531817) and Advanced Vehicle Engineering (021 5512717) can do a lowered floor conversion on a panel van such as the VW Caddy, where a section of a floor is lowered and a ramp is fitted to give easy access into the vehicle. These come with the option of a shorter ramp in combination with a lowering suspension, or a longer ramp with the standard suspension.