Manual Wheelchair User Guide: Fold, Brake and Push Safely

This manual wheelchair user guide explains everything you need in the first minutes with your rental chair: how to open and fold it, how to use the brakes and footrests, and how to handle kerbs, slopes and cobblestones in Istanbul. Our team shows all of this at delivery, so keep this page as a reminder.

Unfolding the wheelchair

1. Stand at the side of the folded chair and tip it slightly towards you.
2. Press both seat rails down with your palms until the seat is completely flat and the frame locks open.
3. Fold the footplates down and check that both armrests sit firmly in place.

Keep your fingers on top of the seat rails, never between the frame tubes, while you press.

Brakes: always on before sitting down

The parking brakes are the two levers next to the rear wheels. Push them forward until they click against the tyres. Apply both brakes every time the user sits down, stands up or transfers, and whenever you stop on a slope. Attendant brakes on the push handles slow the chair when a companion is pushing it down a hill.

Footrests and legrests

Swing the footrests to the side or lift them off when the user stands up or transfers, so feet do not catch on the footplates. Models with elevating legrests can be raised to keep an injured leg straight; loosen the knob, set the angle and tighten it again.

Folding the wheelchair for a taxi

1. Apply both brakes and fold the footplates up.
2. Lift the seat fabric from the middle, front and back, until the frame closes.
3. Many of our chairs have quick-release rear wheels: press the button in the wheel hub and pull the wheel off to make the chair smaller and lighter.

Kerbs, slopes and cobblestones

• Going up a kerb: tip the chair back on the rear wheels with the tipping lever, place the front wheels on the kerb, then lift the rear wheels up.
• Going down a kerb or steep slope: go backwards, slowly, with the companion below the chair.
• Cobblestones (Sultanahmet, Galata): tip the chair slightly back so the small front wheels do not catch between the stones.
• Ferries and trams: board straight on, apply the brakes once inside.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the wheelchair weigh?

Most of our standard manual wheelchairs weigh 14–18 kg and fold to fit in the boot of a taxi. The exact weight is shown on each product page.

Can the user push the wheelchair alone?

Yes. Self-propelled models have large rear wheels with push rims. Transit models with small rear wheels are pushed by a companion.

What is the maximum user weight?

Standard chairs carry up to 120 kg; our bariatric XL chair carries up to 135 kg.

Can I take it on public transport?

Yes. The folded chair fits in taxis, and the open chair can be used on the tram, metro, Marmaray and the city ferries.

What if a tyre goes flat?

Call or message us on WhatsApp. We repair or replace the chair, usually the same day.