Scooter Rental

MsDisney5 · Dec 7, 2016

Hello All.
We are going in January with my BIL who is disabled. I had said to them that I would look into rental places for them. I have looked into Walker Mobility and Apple. Does anyone have a preference? I saw on ScooterBug Mobility that they say they only hold a charge for 3-4. Walker and Apples scooters hold a better charge don't they? Do you have a recommendation on who we should book with? What if we need to charge while in the parks?

As you can see this is new to me. And I am not sure they have thought about it yet.

Bete · Dec 7, 2016

You can get a scooter with two batteries. One that you can rent is Pride Victory. This scooter will last a very long day even with a heavier person. It is a travel scooter and therefore portable, but it's heavier. It has more room and a better chair. Of course, they cost more.

The one battery models I have found to last 6 hours for a medium to heavier person. It can go 8 hours for a lighter person. Pride to go is the typical model. This is an average. If you get an old scooter with an older battery you may not get the typical results.

If you are diligent with turning the scooter off at parades, fireworks, park shows, and when using transportation like the buses the battery will last better.

Some people will charge the scooter in the parks during a meal. Topping the battery off is not really recommended. It ruins the battery.

The Hunchback · Dec 7, 2016

I have used Walker Mobility for many years. Their scooters hold a charge for 8 plus hours. Their service is excellent as well. Their scooters are water resistant which most of the others are not.

gap2368 · Dec 7, 2016

as fair as the battery lasting all day if you remember to turn off the scooter when you are stoped ( even if it is 5 minutes while you decide what to do next waiting for some one to come out of the bathroom EXTRA ) you will save your battery.

stenmarks · Dec 7, 2016

My travel agent recommended Walker Mobility, and I've read many good reviews of their company. I ultimately chose a manual wheelchair because the battery life worried me (in general)...plus my hubby is willing to push!

Selket · Dec 9, 2016

I rent the portable scooter from Buena Vista Scooters and it lasts me all day without needing to recharge (that's over 12 hours typically). I am able to park and walk around usually but for our July trip I was mostly scooter-bound and it still lasted. Talk to the scooter company and they can suggest models based on your needs and the person's weight.

Restrasz · Dec 12, 2016

I have used apple scooters for my last 4 trips. We only had a problem one time and the company quickly resolved it. My scooter this year looked awful but had the best battery life ever! We forgot to charge it after a full day in the animal kingdom and it made it another full day at EPCOT. It was the pride scooter. Sometimes apple gets a bad rap but is less expensive and you even get a discount when using more than once.

Poohlet · Dec 15, 2016

Recently had a TERRIBLE experience with Walker Mobility. When scooters died we were told there was no one available after 8pm to assist us and that if we left the scooter in the park we would be charged an additional $75 per scooter. The one scooter was not holding a charge at all (which we could not have known), and apparently the other died due to a common circuit breaker issue that should have been explained when it was dropped off to us. At least this was the response I got the next day when I did get to speak with someone in the office.

Once we returned home, I did send them an email (over a week ago) with all of the details of the initial call and the concerns with how their evening services had addressed the problem at hand. I was simply looking for reassurance that no other guest would have the same experience my husband and I had, and have not even had the consideration of a response.

I would never recommend them to anyone...I do recognize that any company can have issues with equipment, but their total lack of response to my concern is unacceptable in my opinion.

FortForever · Dec 16, 2016

Just got back from my 4th week of renting from Apple over the years. I have had great experience with them every time. We always do 11-12 hour days of park hopping and have never had a battery die on me, or even run low.

Last week, I had a brand new scooter from them. That surprised me, as my previous couple of rentals from them have looked a bit beat up ... just scratched up from use, but function was fantastic. I don't even bother carrying the charger with me to the parks, as I know they have excellent battery at Apple.

One night last week, I forgot to plug in my scooter overnight. I plugged it in for a couple of hours in the morning and still got a full day out of it with no loss of power.

Make sure you reserve somewhere soon. I tried to rent a second one while I was at Disney and none of the preferred vendors had any availability for over a week. We ended up paying much more to rent the second one, by the day, in the parks. Although the Disney one that we rented in the park functioned well, it was GIGANTIC! Not something that is great for navigating the crowds at the parks.

MaryLovesPoohBear · Dec 17, 2016

I've rented from Walker a couple of times. Both times they were wonderful. The scooter lasted all day. Their customer service, dropping off and picking up, was great.

I did have them drop off the night before. That night, I read the instructions on charging, and I made sure that I brought the charging cord with me, to the parks.

Make sure you note the operating hours of your scooter rental company. It may come in handy if something happens.

bcinohio · Dec 22, 2016

We just got back from a trip that we rented a scooter from Buena vista Scooter. It was our first time. I was worried about the battery going down during the day but we had not trouble. It worked great. Charged it at night and didn't have to during the day. We left early in morning and returned late. Just make sure you turn it off if you are sitting still for a long time or eating.

The scooter was at the resort when we arrived and we just returned it to bell service when we left. didn't have to be there to receive or return it.

Hopefully · Dec 27, 2016

I've rented from both Buena Vista Scooters and Walker Mobility and I have had great customer service with both. I prefer Walker, as they advertise "water resistant" scooters and in Florida that eases my mind. Buena Vista's web site actually says not to use them in the rain

Pats Dragon · Dec 29, 2016

I like Apple because of free insurance. Always had a charge at the end of the day.

Simba's Mom · Dec 29, 2016

Apple scooters has a rating of F with the Better Business Bureau (I just double-checked what I thought I read). That would be enough for me to avoid them.

stitchlovestink · Dec 30, 2016

Bete said:
You can get a scooter with two batteries. One that you can rent is Pride Victory. This scooter will last a very long day even with a heavier person. It is a travel scooter and therefore portable, but it's heavier. It has more room and a better chair. Of course, they cost more.

The one battery models I have found to last 6 hours for a medium to heavier person. It can go 8 hours for a lighter person. Pride to go is the typical model. This is an average. If you get an old scooter with an older battery you may not get the typical results.

If you are diligent with turning the scooter off at parades, fireworks, park shows, and when using transportation like the buses the battery will last better.

Some people will charge the scooter in the parks during a meal. Topping the battery off is not really recommended. It ruins the battery.

The newer styled batteries are designed to allow for topping off. It doesn't ruin the newer batteries the way it used to ruin batteries previously.

Simba's Mom said:
Apple scooters has a rating of F with the Better Business Bureau (I just double-checked what I thought I read). That would be enough for me to avoid them.

Yep, exactly. Apple has a F rating with the BBB while Walker has an A+. Rarely do you ever hear of a complaint regarding Walker but research threads and you will see quite a few complaints regarding Apple.

CatNipRules · Jan 25, 2017

Poohlet said:
Recently had a TERRIBLE experience with Walker Mobility. When scooters died we were told there was no one available after 8pm to assist us and that if we left the scooter in the park we would be charged an additional $75 per scooter. The one scooter was not holding a charge at all (which we could not have known), and apparently the other died due to a common circuit breaker issue that should have been explained when it was dropped off to us. At least this was the response I got the next day when I did get to speak with someone in the office.

Once we returned home, I did send them an email (over a week ago) with all of the details of the initial call and the concerns with how their evening services had addressed the problem at hand. I was simply looking for reassurance that no other guest would have the same experience my husband and I had, and have not even had the consideration of a response.

I would never recommend them to anyone...I do recognize that any company can have issues with equipment, but their total lack of response to my concern is unacceptable in my opinion.

I totally agree. We have the same experience with them. They treated us like we were the ones to blame for the scooter not working correctly. Not holding a charge, dying after only a few hours, having to plug in everytime we stopped to eat. It was just awful. I vowed that we wouldn't rent from them again.

For our trip this September we are using Buena Vista scooters. I've heard good things about them and am going to give them a try.

The only thing that worries me is that they have a warning about them getting wet. I'm a little concerned about that, since, well this is Florida and it does rain. I'm just a little worried about it.

mamabunny · Jan 26, 2017

CatNipRules said:
I totally agree. We have the same experience with them. They treated us like we were the ones to blame for the scooter not working correctly. Not holding a charge, dying after only a few hours, having to plug in everytime we stopped to eat. It was just awful. I vowed that we wouldn't rent from them again.

For our trip this September we are using Buena Vista scooters. I've heard good things about them and am going to give them a try.

The only thing that worries me is that they have a warning about them getting wet. I'm a little concerned about that, since, well this is Florida and it does rain. I'm just a little worried about it.

They should give you a "tiller cover" (it's going to look like a clear shower cap LOL) to put on when it rains. Be sure to ask them exactly what rain precautions they expect you to take.

bcinohio · Jan 26, 2017

It didn't rain while we were on our trip there in Dec but before the trip I purchased a cheap shower curtain liner that I kept in the basket just in case it had to be covered.

MaryLovesPoohBear · Jan 26, 2017

CatNipRules said:
I totally agree. We have the same experience with them. They treated us like we were the ones to blame for the scooter not working correctly. Not holding a charge, dying after only a few hours, having to plug in everytime we stopped to eat. It was just awful. I vowed that we wouldn't rent from them again.

For our trip this September we are using Buena Vista scooters. I've heard good things about them and am going to give them a try.

The only thing that worries me is that they have a warning about them getting wet. I'm a little concerned about that, since, well this is Florida and it does rain. I'm just a little worried about it.

Buena Vista Scooters tells you that you should get under cover if it rains.

From their website:

If it begins to rain while in the parks it is HIGHLY recommended that the scooter is moved to a covered area. The electric components inside the scooters will malfunction if they are exposed to the rain and will cause it to seize up until ALL components are dried out.

CatNipRules · Jan 26, 2017

MaryLovesPoohBear said:
Buena Vista Scooters tells you that you should get under cover if it rains.

From their website:

If it begins to rain while in the parks it is HIGHLY recommended that the scooter is moved to a covered area. The electric components inside the scooters will malfunction if they are exposed to the rain and will cause it to seize up until ALL components are dried out.

Well, that's kind of disappointing.... Now I'm conflicted....

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