Eleanor Yap
Lumens has launched its fleet of private medical transport vehicles. Five Toyota Noah MPVs are retrofitted with a ramp and winch system to support the private transfer of wheelchair-bound passengers to and from their destination. They are the first of their kind to be approved by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Lumens will also work with National Private Hire Vehicle Association (NPHVA) to train 15 medical escort-drivers to operate the vehicles and provide the necessary assistance to passengers.
Compared with traditional medical transporter vans and ambulances, Lumens’ fleet of wheelchair-accessible medical transport vehicles offers persons with disabilities, seniors and intellectually-challenged passengers a more comfortable, private, and direct way to travel. Each vehicle is equipped to support one wheelchair user with up to four accompanying passengers at a time. Bookings can be made with the drivers for direct transfers, catering to passengers who prefer more privacy or would like to avoid sensory disturbance from shared medical transportation services. They also save time by not having to wait their turn to be picked up and dropped off.
According to the company, the private medical transport vehicles are available as a business-to-business service through service providers such as TOUCH Community Services. It added that it has plans to launch it to consumers at the end of the year where caregivers and patients can make direct bookings for the vehicles.
This project is being supported by the Enabling Lives Initiative (ELI) Grant, which is funded by Tote Board and managed by SG Enable. Lumens started working on medical transportation in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, partnering with TOUCH Community Services, telemedicine platforms, international specialist schools and hospices to ferry their clients. It has also donated a second multi-passenger medical transporter to TOUCH Community Services.
