Ministry of Heath officials announced that the government has taken delivery of three (3) paratransit vehicles from the manufacturer and the vehicles in question are expected to arrive in Antigua in January 2008. The long-awaited and highly anticipated vehicles will be used to transport the country’s disabled community.

“These vehicles, which were obtained with funds made available by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman through the efforts of our UN Ambassador, Dr. John W. Ashe, will replace the aging vehicles that are now in service, and is part of my government’s pledge, as recently demonstrated in the 2008 budget, to ensure that the quality of life of members of the disabled community is not compromised in any way,” said the Minister of Health the Honourable John Maginley.

The three purpose-built paratransit vehicles, one of which will be used in Barbuda, were manufactured by the US manufacturer, National Van Builders, to specifications provided by First Priority Emergency Vehicles of Manchester, N.J. Each vehicle, which can seat three wheelchair bound passengers with tie downs, in addition to the driver and another passenger, also has a fold-down seat for non-wheelchair bound passengers.

The vehicles are equipped with a lift with its own independent power supply that meets the new US national health and transportation safety administration’s (NHTSA) standards. Some of the major new features of the lift system include an interlock system that prevents the vehicle from being placed in gear if the lift is not in the stowed position. The vehicle must now be running while the lift is in use. In addition the emergency brake must also be set in order for the lift to operate.

There vehicles are also equipped with two platform warning systems - threshold warning and end-flap warning - which are manufactured to the new standards that require the lift to stop operation and sound an alarm when either system is activated. For the threshold warning, the lift base has a pressure sensitive plate attached. If a person or wheelchair touches the lift threshold while the lift is in operation, the lift will stop operating and the alarm will sound. The end-flap warning is triggered when the platform end flap is prevented from stowing properly when the lift is in use. When this occurs the lift will stop operating and the alarm will sound.

Funding for the acquisition of the vehicles was provided by the government of Sultanate of Oman as part of a bilateral cooperation agreement negotiated by the country’s UN Ambassador Dr. John W. Ashe.(Ends)