Yes. Family members, carers and support workers can drive an ORA hired accessible vehicle, including wheelchair accessible vehicles and adapted cars, provided they are approved as named drivers.
The wheelchair user does not need to be the person driving.
That can be useful where a partner, parent, adult child, carer or support worker is responsible for driving, or where several people share driving responsibilities.
At ORA, each driver needs to be individually approved for insurance purposes. This can be completed online through the ORA customer portal.
ORA also offers more than wheelchair accessible vehicles. Depending on your needs, we can look at adapted cars, standard cars with wheelchair hoists, internal-transfer vehicles and other accessible vehicle options.
Can a family member drive a hired accessible vehicle?
Yes.
A family member can be named as the driver of an ORA rental or subscription, subject to the usual driver approval process.
This could include:
- a spouse or partner
- a parent
- an adult child
- a sibling
- another family member who regularly provides transport
The person using the wheelchair does not need to hold a driving licence or drive the vehicle themselves.
This is common where the wheelchair user travels as a passenger while somebody else drives.
Can a carer drive a hired WAV or adapted car?
Yes.
A carer can be approved as a named driver on an ORA vehicle.
This applies to both unpaid carers and paid carers supporting somebody with their day-to-day travel.
For example, a carer might drive the vehicle to:
- healthcare or rehabilitation appointments
- work, school or college
- social activities
- shopping and everyday errands
- family visits
- days out or holidays
As with any other driver, the carer needs to be approved before driving the vehicle.
Can a paid carer or agency support worker drive?
Yes.
Paid carers and agency support workers can also be added as named drivers, subject to individual approval.
This can be useful where somebody receives support from professional carers rather than relying solely on family members for transport.
Each person who may drive the vehicle needs to be approved individually.
That means a care agency cannot simply nominate an unrestricted group of staff to use the vehicle. Each driver who will use the vehicle needs to complete the approval process.
Can more than one person drive the vehicle?
Yes.
For short-term ORA rentals, one driver is included as standard.
Additional drivers can be added for £5 per day.
This can be helpful on longer journeys, family holidays or where more than one person shares caring responsibilities.
For longer-term ORA subscriptions, two drivers are included as standard, and additional drivers can also be added.
Each driver must be individually approved before driving.
How are additional drivers approved?
ORA’s driver approval process can be completed online through the customer portal.
Each driver submits their own details so they can be individually checked and approved.
This makes it easier to arrange several drivers without relying on paper forms being passed between family members, carers or support workers.
It is important to complete the approval process before somebody drives the vehicle. Being a family member, carer or support worker does not automatically mean they are insured to drive it.
Can drivers under 25 or over 75 drive?
Potentially, yes.
ORA can accommodate drivers under 25 and over 75, although age-related supplements apply.
These supplements apply to both short-term rental and longer-term subscriptions.
If one of the people who needs to drive falls into either age group, mention this when arranging the vehicle so the ORA team can explain the relevant requirements and cost.
Can someone with an overseas driving licence drive an ORA vehicle?
Yes. ORA can accept overseas driving licences, subject to the usual driver approval process.
This can be particularly useful where a family member or carer is visiting the UK and may need to share driving responsibilities.
As with UK licence holders, the driver must be approved before using the vehicle.
If you are planning to use an overseas licence, it is worth providing the licence details early so the team can check everything before the hire begins.
Does the wheelchair user need to be the driver?
No.
A common misconception is that the person hiring an accessible vehicle must also be the person driving it.
That is not the case.
Many wheelchair users travel as passengers while a family member, friend, carer or support worker drives.
Depending on the customer’s needs, the right vehicle may be:
- a WAV where the wheelchair user remains in their wheelchair
- an adapted car
- a standard car with a wheelchair hoist where the wheelchair user transfers into a passenger seat
- an internal-transfer vehicle
- another accessible vehicle setup
What matters is that the vehicle works for the way the person actually travels, and that anyone driving it has been approved.
What if several carers need to share the driving?
That can also be possible.
Where somebody is supported by several carers, each person who may need to drive should be added individually and complete the ORA driver approval process.
This can be particularly useful for longer-term hires or subscriptions where caring arrangements involve several members of a family or care team.
It is worth discussing the likely number of drivers at the beginning so the vehicle and insurance arrangements can be set up appropriately.
What information should I have ready?
When arranging accessible vehicle hire, it helps to tell the ORA team:
- who is likely to drive the vehicle
- whether you need one driver or several
- whether any drivers are under 25 or over 75
- whether anyone will be using an overseas licence
You do not need to know exactly which vehicle you need before getting in touch.
The ORA team can talk through how you travel, what support you need and who will be driving, then help identify suitable vehicle options.
Need an accessible vehicle that more than one person can drive?
Accessible transport often involves more than one driver.
You may need a partner to drive during the week, a family member to take over on longer journeys, or carers and support workers to share driving responsibilities.
ORA can accommodate family members, carers, support workers and additional named drivers across both short-term rental and longer-term subscriptions, provided each driver is individually approved.
Talk to the ORA team about your vehicle and driver requirements.
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