Heraklion is adding two new electric minibuses designed specifically to make transportation easier and safer for people with disabilities, with €241,600 in European and regional funding behind the project.
The Municipality of Heraklion is receiving €241,600 to purchase two fully electric minibuses for the city’s KDAΠ-AMEA, a municipal center that provides activities and support for people with disabilities.
The project has been approved under the Crete 2021-2027 regional program and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. It forms part of the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy of the Municipality of Heraklion.
Built for wheelchair access
The new minibuses will be specially configured to safely transport people using the KDAΠ-AMEA facilities.
Each vehicle will have at least six seats, including the driver, together with a dedicated space for a passenger traveling in a wheelchair.
They will also include:
- A mechanism for safe wheelchair boarding and disembarking
- Wheelchair restraint and securing systems
- Active and passive safety equipment
- Charging equipment for the electric vehicles
- The necessary certifications
- Training for municipal staff responsible for operating the vehicles
The project aims to provide safer, more reliable transportation for center beneficiaries and their families while introducing electric vehicles into the municipality’s transport fleet.
A practical investment in accessibility
Crete’s accessibility conversation often focuses on beaches, hotels and archaeological sites. Those things matter to visitors, but accessibility begins much closer to home.
For people with disabilities and their families, being able to get into a vehicle safely can be just as important as being able to get into a museum or onto a beach.
The two new minibuses are therefore a relatively modest piece of infrastructure with a very practical purpose. They will give the Municipality of Heraklion dedicated vehicles for passengers whose transportation needs cannot be met by putting a wheelchair into an ordinary car or minibus.
The project was formally approved by Crete Regional Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis, who said the investment combines social support, equal access and cleaner transportation.
Heraklion is trying to modernize its urban infrastructure while also making everyday services more accessible to the people who actually use them. Two minibuses will not solve Heraklion’s wider accessibility challenges. But for the people who will use them, two properly equipped vehicles can make a very real difference.
