There are several external companies that rent mobility scooters a.k.a. electric wheelchairs, electronic convenience vehicles, ECVs for use at Walt Disney World.  Here is a quick reference of tips for deciding which type of scooter to select and which company to rent from:

• Select a company that has several models to choose from.  Everyone is not the same size, so just like a shoe, different people need different sizes and fit.
• Most rental companies only offer one or two different models.  This makes it easier for them! Less parts to keep in stock for repair, less training and knowledge needed for the staff for maintenance and repair.
• If a company touts that they have been in business 10, 20 + etc. years, you will want to make sure the scooter they are renting you is NOT THAT OLD!  Older rental scooters have been seen at Disney World with the renter carrying with them a charger the size of a car battery!
• Make sure their website has plenty of pictures and videos of the scooter models they rent. Nothing is better than a video of the actual models both being ridden around and if they are transportable, videos showing you how they disassemble and reassemble.
• Do you need to transport your scooter?  If you will be transporting in a car, once again make sure you see a video of how it fits into a car and make SURE the car is truly a car and not a MINI VAN with the entire back area folded down and check the total weight of the scooter!
• If you are staying on property, you may want to select one of the new specialty on-property models with the larger wheels and big luxury seat which equates to a much more comfortable ride. However, if there is a chance that you might want to take a taxi to a local shopping area or a restaurant off-site, still consider a transportable model that will fit in a taxi trunk but make sure it is truly lightweight and transportable.  Most all mobility companies are now stating their scooters are transportable but forget to mention that they weigh 100-200+ pounds!
• Ensure the scooter has a quick charge capacity and charges from flat in about 5 hours.  Once again this capability is an additional cost to the scooter rental company but imperative to you the renter.   Many times you will get in late from a day at the parks and might only have a few hours between coming home at night and going back first thing in the morning.  You want to make sure the scooter you rented has the latest technology and that includes the capability for quick charging.

Lastly, make your reservations as early as possible to ensure you can get the scooter model and type that best suits your needs.  You typically can cancel up to 48 hours before arrival without penalty so, if your vacation plans change you can adjust or cancel your reservation if need be.

If you have a scooter of your own, or have rented before elsewhere, you probably know what to consider for your Orlando scooter rental.  However for those of you who don’t own one or have never rented a scooter in Orlando, here are the top items to consider:

1. Make sure you don’t have to put up with a wet seat!  Florida is hot and summer season is rainy season.  Make sure your rental scooter has a water repellant, vinyl, seat.  Many scooters that are rented have the less expensive cloth seats and while they are sold as more comfortable in the heat, reality is you cannot wipe them dry when caught in one of the afternoon thunderstorms that rolls through (and cools things off a bit) and you end up sitting on a wet seat.  Ick.
2. Ensure you have enough battery power!  Scooters are built by manufacturers for individual’s, not rental companies and an individual using it for their personal use aren’t driving around huge area’s for 12 plus hour days. If you start out at 8 am to get to the theme parks by typical opening time of 9 am and go till a midnight closing, that is 15 hours of battery power needed.  Make sure the rental company quotes battery usage time.
3. Size does matter!  The older technology scooters are all very heavy, about 200 pounds.  The heavier the scooter, the larger the batteries needed, the more weight the scooter has to move (person and batteries) which all contributes to making the scooter heavier – it is a vicious cycle.  Older technology, lighter weight scooters which were built with transportability in mind are small, really small.  No extra foot room and if you are larger in height or statue you look like a giant riding on a kids tricycle.  New technology scooters provide room, usually more leg/floor room than the older, heavier scooters and are lightweight.
4. Don’t get roped into the sunshade canopy.  Florida is sunny, theme park paths go in all directions: north, south, east & west.  It is estimated that a sunshade canopy will provide shade less than 5% of the time which is not worth the problems they can pose and they do not protect you from the rain. Issues include when going indoors such as the great theme park shops, the canopies tend to get caught on items higher up on shelves and clothing racks. Imagine Mickey hats raining down around your ears (pun intended:)).
5. Using your scooter basket.  All scooters come with baskets.  All older versions have them on the front which many people like but when they are on the front they have to be smaller.  Newer technology versions have them on the back and can optionally put one on the front if you so desire.   If you aren’t sure about basket placement for the rental you are considering, call and ask and if you want it on the back versus front or vice versa, or want the to have both, just call and ensure the company you rent a scooter from in Orlando will accommodate your request. Recommendation:  Ask for both and therefore you have your choice!

Most importantly, make sure the orlando scooter rental company has detailed descriptions and videos of the actual scooter model you are going to rent on their website.  Watch the video and make sure that is the best model for you!