Why choose us

Seven reasons people move their transport to us

Every accessible transport operator claims to be caring and reliable. These are the specific, checkable things we do differently - and the things we will not claim.

Book transport Compare with a taxi

A Ufirst coordinator measuring vehicle ramp width against a powered wheelchair specification

We match the vehicle to your actual chair, not to a category

Most failed accessible journeys fail at the kerb, when a chair turns out to be too tall, too heavy or too wide for the vehicle that arrived. We ask for the make and model, or four measurements, and confirm the match before the day. It is a longer booking call and a much shorter list of problems.

How you can check it

Chair width, length, seated height and combined weight recorded at booking
Vehicle named against the booking, not just a class
Bariatric and tilt-recline chairs planned for in advance

A Ufirst driver demonstrating correct wheelchair restraint fitting during a training session

Our crews are trained in care, not just in driving

A licence gets someone behind the wheel. It does not teach them how to fit a four-point restraint, how to talk to a passenger with dementia, or when to stop and call the office. Our drivers and passenger assistants are trained on all of that before they carry anyone.

How you can check it

Enhanced DBS clearance before a first passenger journey
Wheelchair securing, ramp and lift operation, assisted transfers
Safeguarding awareness with a clear escalation route

A regular Ufirst driver greeting a familiar passenger at their front door

The same crew on regular routes

For a child with autism or an adult with dementia, an unfamiliar driver is not a minor variation in service - it can undo the whole journey. We roster named crews to routes and identify a regular cover crew who has met those passengers before.

How you can check it

Named driver held to each contracted route
Identified regular cover crew, familiar with the route
Advance notice to families and schools of any planned change

A driver taking time to help a passenger settle and fasten their belt before departure

Assistance time is in the schedule, not stolen from it

If a journey is timed as though boarding takes thirty seconds, someone pays for that - usually the passenger, sometimes with a fall. We build realistic boarding and assistance time into every booking, which is why our vehicles are not doing eleven jobs a day.

How you can check it

Realistic dwell time at each address
Routes timed by driving them, not by satnav estimate
Door-through-door assistance as standard, not a favour

A Ufirst booking coordinator on the phone checking vehicle availability against a schedule

We tell you when we cannot do it

The most damaging thing a transport operator can do is accept a booking it cannot deliver. A patient waits on a ward, a pupil misses a morning, a family cancels a plan. If we do not have the vehicle or the crew, we say so at the point of booking so you can look elsewhere while there is still time.

How you can check it

Availability confirmed before a booking is accepted
Same-day answers on urgent requests, including no
Non-delivery credited in the same invoice cycle

A written Ufirst booking confirmation showing a fixed quoted fare

Fixed fares and clean invoices

No meter running while a ramp is deployed. No surcharge for the lift. Private fares are quoted and confirmed in writing before travel. Account invoices carry your purchase order reference on every line, with journey detail attached so a query is answered from the invoice itself.

How you can check it

Fixed fare confirmed in writing before travel
No charge for ramps, lifts, escorts or assistance
PO references and journey detail on account invoices

A Ufirst operations desk showing route schedules and vehicle allocation

Small enough to answer the phone, organised enough to evidence it

Ten vehicles means nothing disappears into a call centre - the person who takes your booking is the person who chases it. It also means we cannot hide behind scale, so we keep the records a commissioner would want: journey logs, punctuality, incidents, training, maintenance.

How you can check it

Named contact for delivery and for billing
Monthly or termly reporting from the first cycle
Documentation pack available for tenders and audits

Honest comparison

Ufirst against a standard taxi booking

Not because taxis are bad - for a short local trip with a folding chair, a black cab may well be the right answer. But the two services are not equivalent, and it is worth knowing where the differences fall.

Comparison of a standard taxi or private hire booking against Ufirst accessible transport across eight factors
Factor	Standard taxi or private hire	Ufirst Services
Whether the vehicle can take your chair	Assessed by eye at the kerb, often wrongly	Confirmed against the chair's dimensions before the day
Travelling in your own wheelchair	Often requires folding the chair and transferring	Board via ramp or lift and stay in your chair
Securing the wheelchair	Variable - sometimes the chair's own brakes	Four-point tie-downs plus a vehicle-anchored occupant belt
Driver training in passenger handling	Not usually part of the licence	Trained and DBS checked before a first journey
Time allowed for boarding	Meter runs while you board	Assistance time built into the fare and the schedule
Assistance at the door	Kerbside drop-off is the norm	Door through door at both ends
Escort or carer travelling	Counts against the seat count	Included at no extra charge
Cost certainty	Metered - final cost unknown until arrival	Fixed fare confirmed in writing beforehand

Where we are not the answer

Things we will not claim to be

A supplier that says yes to everything is a supplier that will let you down eventually. These are the boundaries we state up front.

We are not an emergency ambulance service
No blue lights, no clinical equipment, no paramedics. Anyone needing care or monitoring in transit needs an ambulance, and we will say so.
We do not carry stretcher patients
Our fleet is configured for seated and wheelchair conveyance. If a patient must travel lying flat, we will tell you at booking so you can arrange the right provider.
We are not always the cheapest
Trained crews, chair-matched vehicles and realistic scheduling cost money. For some short local journeys another option will be cheaper, and we would rather you knew that.
We will not take a booking we cannot crew
If the vehicle or the driver is not available, the answer is no on the day of booking - not a maybe that becomes a failure on the morning.
We do not provide clinical or personal care
Our crews assist with mobility and boarding. They are not care workers and will not administer medication or provide personal care.

If your journey falls outside what we do, tell us anyway. We would rather spend two minutes pointing you in the right direction than have you spend a week finding out we were the wrong call.

We moved three SEND routes across to Ufirst mid-year, which is never straightforward. Because the same driver and passenger assistant cover the run every day, the children settled within a fortnight. Parents tell us the difference, and so do the schools.

Passenger Transport OfficerLocal Authority SEND Transport TeamLocal authorityLocal authority & SEND transport

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Factor

Standard taxi or private hire

Ufirst Services

Whether the vehicle can take your chair

Assessed by eye at the kerb, often wrongly

Confirmed against the chair's dimensions before the day

Travelling in your own wheelchair

Often requires folding the chair and transferring

Board via ramp or lift and stay in your chair

Securing the wheelchair

Variable - sometimes the chair's own brakes

Four-point tie-downs plus a vehicle-anchored occupant belt

Driver training in passenger handling

Not usually part of the licence

Trained and DBS checked before a first journey

Time allowed for boarding

Meter runs while you board

Assistance time built into the fare and the schedule

Assistance at the door

Kerbside drop-off is the norm

Door through door at both ends

Escort or carer travelling

Counts against the seat count

Included at no extra charge

Cost certainty

Metered - final cost unknown until arrival

Fixed fare confirmed in writing beforehand

Seven reasons people move their transport to us

Seven reasons to choose Ufirst Services

We match the vehicle to your actual chair, not to a category

How you can check it

Our crews are trained in care, not just in driving

How you can check it

The same crew on regular routes

How you can check it

Assistance time is in the schedule, not stolen from it

How you can check it

We tell you when we cannot do it

How you can check it

Fixed fares and clean invoices

How you can check it

Small enough to answer the phone, organised enough to evidence it

How you can check it

Ufirst against a standard taxi booking

Things we will not claim to be

We are not an emergency ambulance service

We do not carry stretcher patients

We are not always the cheapest

We will not take a booking we cannot crew

We do not provide clinical or personal care

Read more of what people say

Ufirst Services at a glance

Try us with one journey

Seven reasons people move their transport to us

Seven reasons to choose Ufirst Services

We match the vehicle to your actual chair, not to a category

How you can check it

Our crews are trained in care, not just in driving

How you can check it

The same crew on regular routes

How you can check it

Assistance time is in the schedule, not stolen from it

How you can check it

We tell you when we cannot do it

How you can check it

Fixed fares and clean invoices

How you can check it

Small enough to answer the phone, organised enough to evidence it

How you can check it

Ufirst against a standard taxi booking

Things we will not claim to be

We are not an emergency ambulance service

We do not carry stretcher patients

We are not always the cheapest

We will not take a booking we cannot crew

We do not provide clinical or personal care

Read more of what people say

Ufirst Services at a glance

Try us with one journey