Looking for innovative, accessible technology? Check out Mobilituk, the world’s first wheelchair accessible tuk-tuk. It is an access project that provides immediate utility and its existence has opened Phnom Penh, Cambodia to wheelchair travelers and tourists like me.
By breaking down the accessible transportation barrier in Cambodia, Mobilituk has the potential to change the lives of many members of the local disability community. Affordable, wheelchair accessible transportation means that disability in a developing country no longer has to be a sentence of house arrest.
A Simple Solution
Mobilituk is a project of the Agile Development Group, a social enterprise directed and staffed by a group of international visionaries. When a power wheelchair user working in Phnom Penh complained about a lack of accessible transportation last year, Agile set to work modifying a standard tuk-tuk with a ramp and wheelchair securement system.
With a small financial investment, the Mobilituk was born – it today creates access in a city that previously offered no barrier-free accessible transportation to locals or foreign visitors.
Agile has continued to invest in improvements to the Mobilituk platform, and recently created a design that will make this multi-purpose tuk-tuk lighter and more affordable. In addition to transportation for the wheelchair-reliant public, the Mobilituk is also capable of carrying motorbikes and other heavy equipment. The ramp creates a versatile vehicle capable of responding to all manner of transportation needs – a simple innovation that takes the tuk-tuk into the 21st century.
Mobilituk opened my world.
In areas that lack accessible transportation, a 200-pound power wheelchair can only be transported by truck and with the assistance of 4 strong men. That’s not easy to organize, and few of my readers would be willing to take on such a challenge while traveling on vacation. Given my desire to inspire accessible travel, I do not visit areas of the world where barrier-free transportation does not exist.
Phnom Penh was one of those inaccessible places, until I read a news article highlighting the Mobilituk innovation. I reached out to Ian at Agile, and immediately began planning a trip to Cambodia with his organization’s support.
Mobilituk made it possible for me to explore this magnificent Cambodian city which had previously been off-limits to wheelchair users. Thanks to the motorcycle-drawn carriage and its skilled driver Vanny, I was able to immerse myself in Cambodian culture, touring many of the popular sights in and around the nation’s capital city.
I asked myself – What if the Mobilituk made its way to other cities, countries and continents? More areas of the world would become accessible and, most importantly, more lives could be opened to the world!
Help me spread the word about Mobilituk.
To say that I was excited riding around Phnom Penh in the Mobilituk would be an understatement. I was downright giddy. Tuk-tuks are fun. And this tuk-tuk has the power to change the world.
I started WheelchairTravel.org with the goal of opening your world – and mine. Mobilituk can help us achieve a more accessible world, and I ask for your help in raising awareness for it.
Share this article and the video above with your friends on social media – through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus, LinkedIn – or whatever platform you use. If you know of a business that might be interested in their own Mobilituk, let them know about it. If you are considering a trip to Southeast Asia, add Phnom Penh to your list. You can book the Mobilituk by calling +855 (0) 87 78 2200, or by reaching out to the House Boutique Eco Hotel.
I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Ian and the rest of the Agile Development Group team – for bringing the Mobilituk to life, and also for hosting me on my trip to Phnom Penh.
