Case study: Team GB Paralympian, Karen Darke MBE, shares her experience renting with Enterprise
What is it like renting a vehicle with Enterprise when you have a disability? Karen Darke MBE, Paralympian for Team GB, talks about how Enterprise helps her to get on the road.
Being a handcyclist with the British Paralympic Team and all-round adventure seeker, Karen needs the freedom to get around. Living in the north of Scotland often means very long journeys – anywhere from eight to 12 hours or more – and the car is sometimes the best solution.
She says, “There are lots of times when public transport either isn’t available or is just too logistically difficult to negotiate by wheelchair. Lugging a giant handbike bag, wheels and training kit around just makes things go from challenging to ridiculous at times.”
Being paralysed from the chest down means Karen can’t walk or drive without hand controls. She expected renting a vehicle with adjustments to be very difficult, involving challenging communication and weeks to months of advanced notice. That was until she found out about Enterprise.
“I was so happy when I learned about Enterprise’s arrangement with Lynx portable hand controls. By simply renting a vehicle on their website and forwarding my booking details to Lynx, I was guaranteed – at no extra cost – that the car would be ready for me with hand controls fitted within 48 hours.”
This means that Karen can rent from any airport or branch in the UK and have an automatic car ready to drive, with hand controls and sufficient space to fit her handbike in the back.
She says, “My ability to travel around southern England between races, handbike development projects, training and other commitments was suddenly made possible.
“The sense of freedom and independence that I have missed, along with the headaches of trying to solve complicated travel logistics, were removed.
“It’s an incredible service that Enterprise and Lynx have worked to provide, but I think there are many people who still don’t realise this service exists. So here I am, sharing the information in case anyone out there can benefit positively from the freedom of hiring a car.”
Read more about the vehicle adjustments Enterprise provides for customers with disabilities.