Shopmobility terms and centre facilities vary; book scooters ahead and confirm deposit and hours.
In brief
- Shopmobility lends chairs and scooters; bring photo ID and proof of address
- Book scooters ahead and confirm deposit, hours and return rules
- Find toilets, Changing Places and quiet hours before you arrive
How Shopmobility works
Shopmobility is a nationwide network of centres that hire mobility equipment to the public, mainly manual wheelchairs, powerchairs and mobility scooters, so people with restricted mobility can use shops and leisure facilities independently. On your first visit you will usually be asked for two forms of identification, one with a photo and one showing your name and address, for a simple membership or hire form, and staff will show you and any companions how the equipment works before you set off. Equipment must be returned to the centre at the end of your visit, and overnight hire is generally not available, so plan a single-day trip.
What big centres actually offer
Westfield London offers free wheelchair or motorised scooter hire from its Shopmobility desk on Level -2, Lift Lobby 2, on a first-come first-served basis, with a refundable ten-pound deposit and identification required; Blue Badge holders get four hours of free parking Monday to Friday, and over five percent of parking bays are dedicated disabled bays. Meadowhall in Sheffield has 350 disabled parking spaces, with the Orange car park nearest the Shopmobility desk, scooter hire at two pounds per hour and wheelchair hire at one pound per hour, plus a Changing Places facility near the Oasis Dining Quarter with a height-adjustable bench, hoist and room for two carers. Book scooters ahead wherever possible, because numbers are limited.
Plan around crowds, toilets and quiet hours
Ask the centre about its quiet hour: during Meadowhall's quiet hour, retailers turn off music and avoid tannoy announcements, and a quiet room is available in the Management Suite customer hub. Find the accessible toilets and the Changing Places location before you arrive, since in a large centre they can be a long walk from the entrance. Check lift locations and whether any are out of service, confirm Blue Badge parking validation rules, and ask whether accompanied shopping help is available if you would rather have staff support than a hired scooter.
