Checking Fragile Items

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D

DooBdoo

Train Attendant
Joined
May 25, 2014
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41
Just bought a Travelscooot mobility scooter for wifey.

Spectacular item.

35 lbs, aircraft grade aluminum, folds into a 34"x16"x16" Samsonite wheeled

duffle.

What are the odds of the motor arriving in one piece if I check it?

Can I/they mark it in any way for special handling?

Or should I bring it aboard myself?

. . . I keep getting flashbacks of the old luggage commercial with laughing gorillas

loading your luggage in arcs and dunks . . .
 
zephyr17 said:
Sounds like it is a medical device to me.
Click to expand...
Possibly. However the exception only kicks in if a "passenger with disability" fare is booked. I'm also unclear on how this is being done. Does she need the scooter during the trip? Perhaps the scooter getting stowed and then getting around the train with a cane? The options that Amtrak give don't seem to include a scooter being stowed, but rather being used on the train.

I suppose it's possible to get assistance with an Amtrak wheelchair around the station, but then get the power wheelchair checked in. I've seen Amtrak personnel handle luggage, and they're not throwing it around like it's airline luggage. It might be an issue at a carousel unless it's specifically marked as a medical device.

I suspect it should be possible to bring it onboard and stowed. But I'd get to the station early and try to make sure this is all squared away.
 
Amtrak's baggage policy generally prohibits checking "fragile" items, though I doubt the scooter would be considered fragile.

Amtrak also prohibits "batteries with acid that might leak", though "motorized devices for the mobility impaired" are allowed.

There is also the prohibition against "hoverboards" with due to failures of large capacity lithium ion batteries, If this scooter uses the Li batteries there might be a valid safety concern of Amtrak's.
 
BCL said:
zephyr17 said:
Sounds like it is a medical device to me.
Click to expand...
Possibly. However the exception only kicks in if a "passenger with disability" fare is booked. I'm also unclear on how this is being done. Does she need the scooter during the trip? Perhaps the scooter getting stowed and then getting around the train with a cane? The options that Amtrak give don't seem to include a scooter being stowed, but rather being used on the train.

I suppose it's possible to get assistance with an Amtrak wheelchair around the station, but then get the power wheelchair checked in. I've seen Amtrak personnel handle luggage, and they're not throwing it around like it's airline luggage. It might be an issue at a carousel unless it's specifically marked as a medical device.

I suspect it should be possible to bring it onboard and stowed. But I'd get to the station early and try to make sure this is all squared away.
Click to expand...
I am not sure about that. I have a CPAP and it is exempt from all carry-on allowances on the airlines and Amtrak because it is a medical device. I never book a "passenger with a disability" fare because I do not qualify, not being mobility-impaired. But I need it. Even if someone doesn't book a fare and might not appear mobility impaired to a casual observer doesn't mean they aren't, and as far as I know the ADA still applies to them. Just the possession of such a thing implies some degree of disability.
 
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Karl1459 said:
There is also the prohibition against "hoverboards" with due to failures of large capacity lithium ion batteries, If this scooter uses the Li batteries there might be a valid safety concern of Amtrak's.
Click to expand...
The clumsy hoverboard rule only refers to a single very specific device while saying absolutely nothing about lithium ion batteries used in other devices or carried freely.
 
If a medical device or assistive device is for use of a passenger nobody should bother you, and it is highly unlikely to happen. On the other hand, Amtrak or any other carrier is not obliged under any law to carry devices that do not meet their rules if it is not for use by the passenger. That would be package shipment or freight, not an accommodation. The post does not make it clear whether or not his wife is going to be on the train or not.
 
I don't like to see anyone who is trying to do something good for someone put through undue stress or difficulty, but it is probably outside of the rules, although there is a good chance of checking it, just explaining it's a mobility scooter, and not saying it's for someone else. A good tip to the baggage guy might not be a bad idea.
 
zephyr17 said:
BCL said:
zephyr17 said:
Sounds like it is a medical device to me.
Click to expand...
Possibly. However the exception only kicks in if a "passenger with disability" fare is booked. I'm also unclear on how this is being done. Does she need the scooter during the trip? Perhaps the scooter getting stowed and then getting around the train with a cane? The options that Amtrak give don't seem to include a scooter being stowed, but rather being used on the train.

I suppose it's possible to get assistance with an Amtrak wheelchair around the station, but then get the power wheelchair checked in. I've seen Amtrak personnel handle luggage, and they're not throwing it around like it's airline luggage. It might be an issue at a carousel unless it's specifically marked as a medical device.

I suspect it should be possible to bring it onboard and stowed. But I'd get to the station early and try to make sure this is all squared away.
Click to expand...
I am not sure about that. I have a CPAP and it is exempt from all carry-on allowances on the airlines and Amtrak because it is a medical device. I never book a "passenger with a disability" fare because I do not qualify, not being mobility-impaired. But I need it. Even if someone doesn't book a fare and might not appear mobility impaired to a casual observer doesn't mean they aren't, and as far as I know the ADA still applies to them. Just the possession of such a thing implies some degree of disability.
Click to expand...
I looked it up, and they recommend booking that was for additional space.

https://www.amtrak.com/making-reservations-for-passengers-with-a-disability

Please make a reservation for any of the following:

  • Wheeled mobility device space
  • Transfer accessible seats (for when you travel in a seat and stow your wheelchair)
  • Accessible room accommodations
However, I'm reading it again and it sounds like the intent is that it's been purchased and that he's taking it on the train to deliver it to his wife.

I found a few photos.

travelscoot-mobility-scooter-1.png
travelscoot-mobility-scooter-folded-1.png


It also uses a lithium ion-battery, and I'm guessing it's reasonably high-quality one given that they retail for over $2000.

They do have a sealed lead-acid battery. I've used a few of those before. I had a cordless phone that used them, along with an emergency jump starter.
 
How about just checking it in and taking out the battery if you're that worried about it being damaged from excessive shock. From what I found about these things, they use a fairly small battery that's easy to disconnect and/or swap. List price is $755.

lithiumbattery-283wh.jpg
 
My actual question was not clear.

I'm bringing it on the Meteor... For wifeys use off the train.

. . . She takes the same meds Glenn Frey did . . .

It costs $2700 with the lithium battery.

The battery comes with a certification it is approved for air travel.

I keep the battery in my carry on.

It is an approved and certified medical device

I carry it in a soft sided and rigid bottomed Samsonite wheeled duffle. 27 lbs without the battery.

Amazing!

I don't want the motor to come out in pieces if I check it.

Are there labels, protocols, etc for checked baggage/medical device or do I just carry

It on myself?

On flights they have special labels and it does not go with baggage, they hand it to you as you exit the aircraft.

If I check it with Amtrak will the motor make it? The motor is the most fragile part.

By the way, this is the most outstanding invention for people whose mobility is

Impaired. It folds up to less than 33x11x15 in total is 35 lbs and snaps together/apart

In 30 seconds. A bit pricey, but worth it.
 
Well, it sounds like you could just bring it aboard yourself... having said that, the baggage rules / regulations may be more strictly enforced since my last trips, when no one took the slightest interest in the size or weight of my bags...

I do remember sitting on a bus at Amtrak Los Angeles, waiting to depart for Las Vegas, and watching the Amtrak staff competing to sling the baggage into an adjacent bus hold as hard as they could. My advice, never check anything you care about!

Cheers,

Ed :cool:
 
caravanman said:
Well, it sounds like you could just bring it aboard yourself... having said that, the baggage rules / regulations may be more strictly enforced since my last trips, when no one took the slightest interest in the size or weight of my bags...

I do remember sitting on a bus at Amtrak Los Angeles, waiting to depart for Las Vegas, and watching the Amtrak staff competing to sling the baggage into an adjacent bus hold as hard as they could. My advice, never check anything you care about!

Cheers,

Ed :cool:
Click to expand...
Just to be completely proper, that's Los Angeles Union Station. I say that because it's used by more than one rail operator.
 
Yep, could be confusing to folk trying to find the Los Angeles Amtrak station, the one with the onward through bus connections. :p

Ed. :cool:
 
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