Improvements in passenger carrying vehicles

Claim 2

A passenger carrying vehicle for accommodating an invalid wheel chair and its occupant and having a rear door incorporates a pair of spaced longitudinal chassis members (1, 2), characterised in that a local floor region (13) positioned below the chassis members (1, 2) extends rearwardly substantially from the backs of the seats in front of the rear most seats to define a support for the wheel chair and its occupant, and a transverse beam (5) positioned below the local floor region (13) interconnects the chassis members, the beam (5) defining a mounting for parts of the rear suspension assemblies (4) of the vehicle.

Claim 3

A vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the local floor region (13) is so positioned that when accommodated in the vehicle the occupant of the wheel chair is sitting substantially of the same height as a passenger normally seated in a rearmost seat.

Claim 4

A vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the local floor region (13) comprises the base (13) of a floor panel (10) of generally channel shaped outline of which the side walls (11, 12) of the panel are secured at their upper ends to the chassis members (1, 2), and the beam (5) is of generally U-shaped outline having a transverse centre section (8) which traverses the panel and a pair of upwardly directed limbs (6, 7) which straddle the side walls (11, 12) of the panel and are secured at their upper ends to the chassis members.

Claim 5

A vehicle according to claim 3, characterised in that the floor panel (10) extends forwardly from the back of the seat in front of the rearmost seat to define a transverse recess (14) which opens downwardly to accommodate the fuel tank (3) of the vehicle.

Claim 6

A vehicle according to claim 3 or claim 4, in which the vehicle has a pair of front seats, and a single row of rear seats, characterised in that the floor panel (10) extends forwardly from the backs of the front seats.

Claim 7

A vehicle according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the roof of the vehicle is replaced with a roof panel (17) which slopes upwardly from the front of the vehicle towards the rear in order to increase the head room in the region of the rear passenger section.

Claim 8

A vehicle according to any of claim 3-6, in which the vehicle is of the kind having a wrap-round bumper, characterised in that at least a centre section of the bumper is removed for at least the width of the floor panel (10), and the rear door (30) is provided with an extension (31) which depends downwardly and conforms to the configuration of the remainder of the bumper.

Claim 9

A vehicle according to claim 7, characterised in that the conventional bumper is replaced by a three-part plastics moulding, of which the centre moulding (32) is secured to the downwardly depending extension (31), and the two other mouldings (33) are secured to the body of the vehicle on opposite sides of the aperture for the rear door (30).

Claim 10

A passenger motor vehicle of the kind having a rear door is adapted to receive an invalid wheel chair and its occupant by the steps of: (a) removing the rear seat, the fuel tank, the mountings between a pair of spaced longitudinally extending chassis members (1, 2) and the rear suspension assemblies (4), and a section of the floor between the chassis members from a point substantially coincident with the back of the seat in front of the rear most seat to the rear of the vehicle; (b) replacing the floor with a panel (10) of generally channel-shaped outline which comprises a well between the chassis members (1, 2) and of which the base (13) which lies below the remainder of the floor of the vehicle defines a support for the wheel chair and its occupant (20); (c) taking a beam (5) of generally U-shaped section and securing the free upper ends of the limbs (6, 7) of the beam to the chassis members (1, 2) to act as a brace therebetween and with a centre section (8) interconnecting the limbs traversing the base of the panel; (d) adapting the limbs (6, 7) of the beam (5) to form mountings for the rear suspension assemblies (4); and (e) repositioning the fuel tank (3) on the vehicle at a location disposed forwardly of the well.

Claim 11

A passenger motor vehicle of the kind having a rear door is adapted to receive an invalid wheel chair and its occupant by the steps of: (a) removing the rear seat, the fuel tank, the mountings between a pair of spaced longitudinally extending chassis members (1, 2) and the rear suspension assemblies (4), and a section of the floor between the chassis members from a point substantially coincident with the back of the seat in front of the rear most seat to the rear of the vehicle; (b) replacing the floor with a panel (10) of generally channel-shaped outline which comprises a well between the chassis members (1, 2) and of which the base (13) which lies below the remainder of the floor of the vehicle defines a support for the wheel chair and its occupant (20); (c) taking a beam (5) of generally U-shaped section and securing the free upper ends of the limbs (6, 7) of the beam to the chassis members (1, 2) to act as a brace therebetween and with a centre section (8) interconnecting the limbs traversing the base of the panel; (d) adapting the limbs (6, 7) of the beam (5) to form mountings for the rear suspension assemblies (4); and (e) repositioning the fuel tank (3) on the vehicle at a location disposed forwardly of the well.