Accessible fleet · supplier opportunity
Wheelchair-accessible operators wanted
We turn away about one wheelchair-accessible enquiry a week because we have no vehicle to send. If you run WAVs, we would like to send them to you.
BA Transfer is looking for licensed private hire operators with wheelchair-accessible vehicles, to cover London airport and cruise-port transfers we currently have to refuse. Pre-booked, fixed price, paid by us. About one enquiry a week today.
- Work originates from
- Heathrow & Gatwick & Stansted & Luton & London City
BA Transfer has moved passengers through London's airports for over twenty years. There is one job we consistently cannot do: a passenger who travels seated in their wheelchair.
We are not short of the demand. Between the end of July and the end of August 2026 our office sent five separate emails saying some version of "we do not have wheelchair-accessible vehicles" — about one a week, and that counts email only, not the phone or WhatsApp. Every one of those was a booked airport transfer we handed back.
We would rather send them to you.
What the work is
Pre-booked airport and cruise-port transfers, mostly Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City, plus Southampton and Dover. Fixed price agreed before the job, flight-tracked, and paid by us rather than collected from the passenger. It is planned work with lead time, not a rank or an app queue.
Accessible transfer passengers also book differently from the rest of our customers. They plan further ahead, they almost always book the return at the same time, and once they find an operator who gets it right they stop shopping around. It is repeat work.
Being straight about volume
Today the visible demand is roughly one enquiry a week. We expect that to rise once the website can say yes instead of no — we currently have no accessible pages at all, because we did not want to advertise something we could not deliver. But we are not going to promise you a full diary from day one, and you should be sceptical of anyone who does.
If you already run WAVs and have gaps in your week, this fills some of them. If you are considering buying a vehicle on the strength of our volumes alone, please talk to us first so we can be honest about what we can currently offer.
What we look for
- A licensed private hire operator — TfL, or your own local authority if you are outside London. We work with operator companies rather than individual drivers.
- At least one wheelchair-accessible vehicle with a ramp or a tail lift, and proper securement: a four-point tie-down for the chair plus a separate occupant restraint for the passenger.
- Drivers trained in securement and passenger assistance — loading, restraint, and helping a passenger who may need more time than the schedule allows.
- Hire and reward insurance and public liability cover, current and evidenced.
- DBS-checked drivers. Many of these passengers are vulnerable adults and this is not negotiable.
- Reachable when a flight moves. We track flights and pass changes on; we need someone who acts on them.
Tell us what you run — number of vehicles, ramp or lift, maximum chair dimensions and weight, and whether you can carry additional passengers alongside the chair. Chair size is the detail that most often decides whether a job can go ahead, so the more specific you are, the more work we can send.
Operator questions
How much accessible work do you actually have?
About one enquiry a week that we can currently see, based on five explicit refusals sent from our office between 31 July and 25 August 2026 — and that is email only, excluding phone and WhatsApp. We expect it to grow once our website stops saying we cannot help, but we are not going to quote you a bigger number than we can evidence.
Do you want drivers or operator companies?
Operator companies. We work with licensed private hire operators who hold their own licence, insurance and drivers, rather than contracting individual drivers directly. If you are a driver with your own WAV and an operator licence, that counts.
Who handles the booking and the passenger?
We do. We take the booking, agree the fixed price, track the flight and handle the customer before and after. You get the job details with lead time and supply the vehicle and driver. Payment comes from us, not collected from the passenger.
What kind of wheelchair-accessible vehicle do you need?
Ramp or tail lift, with a four-point tie-down for the chair and a separate occupant restraint. Both manual and powered chairs come up. Tell us your maximum chair dimensions and weight limit, because that is usually what decides whether we can accept a particular booking.
Is this airport work only?
Mostly. Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City, plus cruise ports including Southampton and Dover. Occasionally longer distance or a hospital or event journey, but airports and ports are the bulk of it.
How does payment work?
A fixed price agreed before the job, paid by us on our standard supplier terms. There is no fare to collect and no card machine at the kerb — the passenger has already paid us when they booked.
What happens next if I get in touch?
We will ask what you run, where you are based, and your coverage. If it fits we will check your licence and insurance, agree rates, and start sending you the accessible enquiries we currently have to refuse. There is no exclusivity and no joining fee.
Operating elsewhere? See all areas we're recruiting in.