Promises Unfulfilled: My Struggles with Wheelers Accessible Van Rental

When planning a trip as a wheelchair user, one of the most critical things to figure out ahead of time is reliable accessible transportation. So when I flew to Orlando to visit my brother, who’s part of the Disney College Program, finding an accessible van rental was high on my priority list. That’s when we came across Wheelers Accessible Van Rental—a company that seemed to offer exactly what we needed.

At first, things looked promising. The booking process online was straightforward and easy. I was hopeful. Unfortunately, that was the only smooth part of this entire experience.

Where’s the Van? Confusion at MCO

Once we landed at Orlando International Airport (MCO), we were told to call Wheelers so they could direct us to the van. After about 15 minutes of calling and waiting, we were finally told the van was in a specific parking lot. That was it—no address, no location pin, no picture, just the name of the lot.

Keep in mind, we aren’t locals and MCO is massive. After a quick Google search, we realized the parking lot was five miles away from our terminal—not exactly convenient. This was a big issue because we had paid extra to have the van delivered to the terminal we were arriving at.

While my mom was on the phone trying to get some answers, my dad went on a hunt to find the van. He had been given a license plate number via text from Wheelers. But after searching for quite some time and not seeing that plate anywhere, he called again. Turns out—they gave him the wrong plate number.

A Messy Pickup and a Surprise Charge

Once the van was finally located, my dad was told the keys were left in the glasses compartment. That’s not just strange—it’s incredibly unsafe. When he tried to leave the lot, the parking lot attendant stopped him and said he needed to pay.

Despite my dad being on the phone with a Wheelers rep, and the rep insisting that he shouldn’t have to pay, the lot employee was firm. In fact, the employee even said that they’ve never done such a thing where vehicles parked long-term are exempt from payment just because they’re accessible.

My dad, clearly frustrated, just paid to avoid further issues. What we thought would be a couple of bucks turned into a bill for over $80, because the van had been sitting in that lot for six days.

Communication Breakdown + No Refund

All the while, my mom and I were still at the airport, stuck in limbo. She spent over an hour and a half on the phone, being passed from rep to rep trying to understand why the van wasn’t parked as promised. Eventually, someone told us they couldn’t park closer to the terminal because it was spring break and all lots were full.

We would’ve been understanding—if they had just told us this ahead of time. But they waited until after we arrived to inform us, leaving us scrambling with no backup plan.

To make matters worse, they refused to refund the extra fee we paid for terminal delivery. Even though they didn’t deliver the van where promised, they insisted we had agreed to the drop-off location—despite no such location ever being shared with us clearly before our arrival.

A Beat-Up Van and a Sigh of Relief

Once we finally had the van, we were shocked at its condition. It was scratched, dented, and visibly dirty both inside and out. The gas tank was just a little over half full, the automatic sliding doors barely worked, and all of the dashboard sensors were lit up like a Christmas tree.

The only silver lining? The van technically worked and managed to get us through the weekend. But it was definitely not the kind of experience anyone should have—especially when accessibility and reliability are so critical.

Final Thoughts

From broken communication and hidden fees to a poorly maintained van, unsafe practices, and a refusal to refund money for a service not delivered, this rental experience was riddled with problems. What started as a promising solution quickly turned into one of the most frustrating parts of our trip.

If you need an accessible van rental service in Orlando (or anywhere else), DO NOT use Wheelers Accessible Van Rental. They overpromise, underdeliver, and ultimately leave you to deal with the fallout.

🔴 1 out of 5 rating.

 The only thing accessible about this experience was the disappointment.