The comfort factor: One of the most frequently asked questions we receive in the transport center is ”How comfortable is the ride?”
Many patients / clients who do not like to fly or cannot fly must travel by ambulance or an extended van. An Ambulance, A Limo, a shuttle van, an SUV an RV does not provide the same ride as a Motor Coach. The motor coach is built on a special chassis with a very long wheelbase (316”) which gives the same smooth ride as a tour bus. Coaches are made to provide comfort for long distance trips and are not like an ambulance or van, which is for short distances. Coaches have independent front suspension that gives a more stable ride and eight air bags that cushion the bumps to provide the smoothest possible ride. At twice the weight of an RV and four times the weight of an ambulance, the motor coach smoothes out the roughness of the road. Ambulances are many SUV’s are built on a truck chassis with no air suspension system and thus have a”hard” ride.
The medical coach is specially designed for the client traveling long distance, which means they must have a smooth ride, a hospital-type bed with bed rails that allows the client to sit up or recline. The aisle must be wide enough for a stretcher to on and off-load the client. A full size bed with a special hospital mattress for bedsores instead of a hard metal stretcher with a 3-inch pad on an ambulance adds to the comfort of the trip. Clients can sit up in bed and watch the scenery out of a large bay window vs. looking out the back of an ambulance or van lying on a stretcher. The on-onboard private bathroom is more comfortable and more accessable than getting out of an ambulance or van to use a public restroom. Other important amenities on a long cross-country trip are a TV with the option to watch movies on a CD player. A microwave and refrigerator makes for hot and cold drinks, fresh foods, and snacks. An added benefit is to have a relative ride along with you which is not possible in back of an ambulance and most extended vans do not have room for a comfortable recliner seat. The coordinators describe the MedCoach as just like being at home but you are in a “home on wheels”. So, how’s the ride? “The smoothest we can make it”. Soother and more comfortable than any other way to travel by ground. Coaches are made for comfort.
