How do I safely secure a wheelchair in a vehicle?

Securing a wheelchair correctly means anchoring the chair, then securing the occupant. Position the wheelchair facing forward where possible, engage the tie-down system — clipping four straps to the wheelchair’s anchor points, or locking it into the docking point — then tension each point so the wheelchair can’t move. Fit the occupant’s belt directly to the person, not just to the wheelchair, adjusting it the same way you would any passenger’s seatbelt. One thing to get right: a docking (monodisc) system has no wheelchair-mounted restraint of its own, so it always needs a lap-and-diagonal belt rather than a lap belt alone. Getting this right takes training: our operator training programme covers correct tie-down use and carries two-year certification, so every driver and attendant knows the process, not just the equipment.

What safety standards/regulations apply to wheelchair transport restraints?

Wheelchair tie-down and occupant restraint systems in New Zealand are installed to AS/NZS 3856 and certified as part of your vehicle’s LVV or MVC compliance file, so they’re checked at every Certificate of Fitness (CoF) or Warrant of Fitness (WoF) inspection. Where the vehicle is used for passenger service, restraints also need to meet the New Zealand Passenger Service Vehicle (PSV) structural standard. As the operator, you also carry obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act to keep restraints in working order and staff trained to use them — which is why restraint inspection is built into our 12-monthly service plan and three-year operator training certification. Talk to our Mobility team about compliance for your fleet.

What's the difference between a wheelchair tie-down and an occupant restraint?

A wheelchair tie-down and an occupant restraint do two different jobs, even though the terms are often used interchangeably. The tie-down anchors the wheelchair itself to the vehicle floor — usually a four-point track-mounted retractor or a docking (monodisc) point — so the chair can’t slide or tip in transit. The occupant restraint is separate: a lap belt or lap-and-diagonal belt, fitted to the person and secured to the wheelchair’s restraint points, doing the same job a seatbelt does for any other passenger. Both have to be fitted and used correctly — a secured wheelchair with an unrestrained occupant is still unsafe. Every wheelchair position we fit out includes both as one certified system, known as a WTORS. Talk to our Mobility team about restraint options for your fleet.

Mobility wheelchair restraints - vehicle Fit Out solutions

Every wheelchair-accessible vehicle we fit out includes a wheelchair tie-down and occupant restraint system is engineered, installed to New Zealand standards, and tested against real-world use in the vehicles we build. Restraints secure both the wheelchair and its occupant during transit: a tie-down system anchors the wheelchair to the floor, and an occupant restraint holds the person in place, the same way a seatbelt does. Both parts have to be fitted correctly for the system to work.

We fit two main types of tie-down system:

Track-mounted retractor systems — four retractor straps that clip to the wheelchair frame, with anchor points that slide anywhere along a floor-mounted track. That flexibility makes it easy to adjust for different wheelchair sizes and load positions, and it’s straightforward for trained staff to fit.

Docking (monodisc) systems — four retractor straps, each fixed to its own mono point disc set into the floor at a defined position. Loading a wheelchair means pulling the retractor’s release pin, sliding it onto the disc, and releasing the pin to lock it in place — a quick, repeatable action rather than free positioning along a track. Because the anchor points are fixed, staff can load a wheelchair faster once they know the set positions, which suits high-frequency routes such as retirement village transport.

We help you choose the system that suits your fleet, passengers, and operators.