Toyota Motor Corporation has designed a special Accessible People Mover, a mobility vehicle, which will be expressly used during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The APM is a low-speed, short-distance battery electric vehicle suitable for the transportation of people.
According to Toyota, the new APM will feature three-row seating and can accommodate wheelchairs in the second row by folding the seats. It can also accommodate a stretcher.
Through the Games, Toyota says it hopes to provide people the freedom to move through what it calls ‘mobility for all’.
The automaker says the APM takes the challenge to the maximum degree as it offers a ‘last-one-mile solution that helps transport as many people as possible to events and venues, including athletes and staff related to the Games.
It is also meant to move all types of visitors with accessibility needs such as the elderly, people with impairments, pregnant women, and families with small children.
It is anticipated that one part of the fleet of the APMs will be used for relief activities at events/venues during summer.
A statement obtained from the website of the TMC says during the Games, the automaker will employ approximately 200 of the APMs, which will support the transportation of the visitors and staff to and around various facilities, including places where events or competitions will be held and non-event official sites such as the Olympic Village.
The automaker says that the first row of the APM will have the driver’s seat; the second row will provide seating for three; and the third row will offer seating for two, allowing total seating for six people – five passengers and one driver.
“When used for passengers in wheelchairs, the configuration can be modified by folding the seats to allow the wheelchair rider in the second row,” the report states.
The position of the driver’s seat is elevated and centrally located in order to allow the driver to see passengers and support their individual needs as they enter/exit the vehicle. The automaker notes that this is for the safety of passengers and the driver.
It says, “Passenger seats are accessible from both sides of the vehicle, and the overall design considers varying customers’ needs, with safety bars on both sides to help passengers while entering and exiting the vehicle, and fitted with wheelchair anchor plates and ramps to enable the optimal access and transportation of wheelchair passengers.
While using the basic model as the foundation, it also says a half of the second and third row space has been reserved for a stretcher.
In addition, to help convey people seeking relief in a stable and safe way, a stretcher that can be attached in the vehicle will also be equipped.
It specifically notes that the vehicle has been designed with space to allow two relief staff workers to sit immediately adjacent to the stretcher.
