What is the Best Airport Passenger Transport Solution: The Golf Buggy vs. PRM Vehicle

Comparing Golf Buggies and PRM Vehicles for Airport Passenger Transport

Airport travel is a bustling experience, with millions of passengers moving through terminals daily.  For individuals with reduced mobility, navigating this type of environment can be challenging.  Providing the proper support to these passengers is crucial, and the choice of vehicle plays a significant role in ensuring safety, efficiency, and comfort. 

At Bradshaw, we have a long-standing appreciation for golf buggies and their derivatives, like the Tempo 2+2, Onward, and Villager models.  We sell and hire hundreds of these vehicles each year, and in the right environments, they are among the best passenger vehicles available.  From golf courses to hotels, historic estates, and campuses, their capabilities shine.  

Although many airports use standard golf buggies for transporting passengers, particularly for special assistance needs, they are not necessarily the best vehicles for transporting passengers in an airport setting. There are several factors which make them unacceptable for airports, these being:

1. Passenger Volume  

In 2023, over 264 million passengers travelled through UK airports. Heathrow alone handled 76 million passengers across its five terminals - an average of 210,295 daily passengers. On its busiest day ever, August 4th, 2024, Heathrow saw a record-breaking 262,000 passengers in a single day. Throughout August, 7.7 million passengers passed through the UK’s busiest airport.

Gatwick welcomed nearly 40 million passengers in the same year, and the UK’s top seven airports each saw over 10 million travellers annually.

Globally, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the U.S. ranks as the busiest, serving over 104 million passengers annually. The world’s top 30 busiest airports each handle over 50 million passengers annually.

With such a large concentration of people streaming through airports daily, special assistant airport vehicles need to be of the highest safety standards, protecting passengers, pedestrians and drivers; it’s a very different environment that golf buggies were designed for.  

2. Airport Design Challenges  

Airports are complex spaces filled with security checkpoints, shops, restaurants, escalators, lifts, furniture, and, as we’ve just established, high foot traffic. Unlike the wide, open areas of golf courses, airports are tightly packed, making manoeuvrability a challenge. Golf buggies, especially the six- or eight-seat variants, struggle in narrow corridors and crowded terminals.  

Furthermore, airports are multi-level, and since 6 or 8-seat golf buggies don’t fit in lifts, passengers have to disembark, making journies more difficult and risky.

3. Safety Concerns  

As we previously mentioned, golf buggies are excellent in the proper environments. Still, as much as the buggy is there to help and aid passengers through lengthy terminals, they have been the cause of accidents and injury and lacks essential safety features necessary for airport use. Some key issues include:  

• Lack of doors: Passengers have been injured by extending their arms or legs outside the vehicle, sometimes falling out altogether.  
• Height and accessibility challenges: Golf buggies are elevated, making it difficult for passengers with reduced mobility to enter or exit the vehicle.  
• Limited safety technology: Standard buggies lack proximity sensors, warning systems, or cameras, increasing the risk of accidents.  
• Infrastructural impact: The weight distribution of golf buggies can damage airport flooring, creating additional hazards.  
• Space constraints: Their size prevents them from fitting into lifts, disrupting seamless transport.  

By the early 2000s, airports were grappling with an alarming number of buggy-related accidents and injuries. The introduction of EC Regulation (No. 1107/2006) in 2007, which protects the rights of disabled travellers and those with reduced mobility, underscored the need for safer, more accessible transport options.  

The Birth of the AV6: A Dedicated PRM Vehicle  

The safety issues surrounding golf buggies prompted Heathrow to seek an alternative solution for its newly developed Terminal 5. Collaborating with Bradshaw and the terminal’s architects, we developed the AV6—the world’s first special assistance vehicle designed specifically for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM).  

The AV6 addressed the shortcomings of standard buggies with innovative features, including:  

• Double-hinged, full-height doors with interlock cut-out systems for enhanced safety.  
• Lexan side panels and discreetly positioned door handles for added passenger protection.  
• A low step height for easier access.  
• A compact design for better manoeuvrability in tight spaces
• Compact to fit into lifts.
• Safety enhancements such as fisheye mirrors, optional proximity alert systems, and rear cameras.  
• Ability to stow a wheelchair.

Following successful trials, Heathrow adopted the AV6 for Terminal 5, ordering 50 vehicles for its launch. Other terminals and airports quickly followed suit, embracing this purpose-built solution.  

The Future of Airport Mobility: Dedicated PRM Vehicles

The AV6 has revolutionised airport mobility, setting the standard for safe, accessible, and efficient passenger transport. Already in use at major airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, and Birmingham, as well as various other airports and train terminals, the AV6 is purpose-built to handle airport-specific needs. While golf buggies excel in their intended settings, airports demand a more specialised solution, and the AV6 delivers.

By adopting purpose-built PRM vehicles, airports demonstrate their commitment to accessibility, safety, and operational efficiency. If your airport or passenger terminal is considering upgrading its passenger transport, don’t settle for generic solutions; choose a vehicle designed for the challenges of airport mobility.

For expert advice and tailored solutions, contact Bradshaw to learn how PRM vehicles can enhance your operations and meet the needs of all travellers.