Hybrid Vehicles For You

Motability Helps Keep the (toyota prius) Disabled on the Move

By Freshoutsourcing

 Most cars weren’t made with the disabled in mind. Dexterity in both of our hands and feet (in a manual car, at least) is required for driving, some measure of strength and flexibility is needed for boarding and wheelchair stowage is a problem. While special adaptations are available, along with wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs), the costs involved may be prohibitive. The UK government has, however, taken steps to change this and thanks to its Motability Scheme more disabled people in the UK and their families now have the opportunity to lease or buy a car tailored to their needs.

The Motability Scheme is currently the UK’s foremost car scheme for disabled people and the idea behind it is simple: disabled people exchange part or all of their government allowance for the car of their choice among 4,000 vehicles. Motability’s Contract Hire program is far and away the most popular, providing customers with a new car of their choosing every three years and a worry-free policy. It includes insurance, personal accident coverage, servicing and maintenance, comprehensive breakdown assistance from RAC, replacement tyres free of charge and free replacements of windows and windscreens. Alternatively, the Hire Purchase scheme is available. In order to be eligible to participate you must be a recipient of the Higher Rate Mobility Component (HRMC) of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS).

Adaptations are also part of the deal, many of them offered at no additional cost as part of the Contract Hire scheme. Some of the most popular adaptations make the driving controls easier to manipulate while others facilitate wheelchair stowage and getting in and out of the car. These include push/pull hand controls, radial accelerators, steering wheel balls, left foot accelerators, easy release hand brakes, infrared controls, electric boot hoists for wheelchair stowage, rooftop wheelchair stowage compartments and swivel seats.

Your dealer can arrange for the installation of many adaptations at the commencement of your lease by means of the Motability Managed Adaptations Programme (MMAP). However, if the adaptation you need isn’t available via MMAP or if you need to add an adaptation sometime in the middle of your lease period these costs won’t be covered by the program.

If a WAV is what you require this can also be provided via Motability, no matter whether you are looking to drive from your wheelchair or transport passengers who use wheelchairs. Over 500 different WAVs are available, each of them standard vehicles that have been converted, and their lease agreements usually have a five year duration. Your WAV will be equipped with either a ramp or a lift to enable you to get in and out, and the floor will be lowered or the roof raised in order to provide the necessary space.

A wide range of car makes and models is available, as well as a lot of great deals. Some, like the Toyota iQ 1.0 3dr, feature low carbon dioxide emissions and an advance payment of 0. From small to estate vehicles, Hondas to Mitsubishis, manuals to automatics, you’re sure to find one to suit your budget, style and needs.

Rick Meyer is a keen fan of Japanese cars and comments on the motability schemes such as Honda, Ford, and Mitsubishi.

Apprenticeship Programs Thriving at Centennial

By Michael McGraw

 As the largest transportation school in Canada, Centennial turns out about 1,000 car, truck and heavy-equipment technicians each year. In a recent article published in the Toronto Star, Chair Alan McClelland is quoted: There are multiple routes that people can take to become a tradesperson.

The article then goes on to describe the variety of apprenticeships offered at our Ashtonbee Campus. The Traditional Apprentice Route is popular for students who have a job where their employer provides on the job experience while they pursue their studies over a three or four year period. Non-Tradional Routes include the MAP 32 option where students receive 32 weeks of classroom training and four weeks of work placement with an employer such as Canadian Tire, Volvo and Freightliner. Block Release MAP Programs work in partnership with GM, Ford, Toyota and Honda and facilitate the training of these companies apprentices in the specific systems and technologies of their employers.

Co-op Apprenticeship Programs offer a two-year diploma course and allow high school graduates to take business and management classes as well as technical apprenticeship courses and work placements for automotive training, truck/coach and heavy-duty trades. Pre-Apprenticeship Programs are designed for people with barriers (such as language or numeracy) who might have difficulty finding employers.

The course offers 12 weeks of language and math upgrading, job-search skills and preparation for technical training. It then moves on to 12 weeks of Level 1 apprenticeship followed by a 12 week work placement. Visit http://www.centennialcollege.ca to find more information about college programs & Toronto degree.

Here the author Michael McGraw writes in detail about the programs of Apprenticeship offered in automotive schools, on automotive training. He further writes about the course and placements.

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Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at 10:47 pm and is filed under automotive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.