Rear entry: the commercial workhorse
The wheelchair loads from the back on a fold-out ramp, into a lowered channel running up the center. Both front doors and the sliding doors stay stock. You can park anywhere — parallel, tight lots, garages — because you don't need eight feet of clearance beside the van. Conversions cost less, and there's less modification to maintain. The tradeoff: the wheelchair rider sits mid-or-rear cabin, and you can't load from a curb cut sideways. This is why NEMT fleets and taxi operations run rear-entry almost exclusively. FR's long-cut rear entry maximizes interior length (two wheelchairs on the Pacifica); the taxi cut is a shorter, lighter conversion for single-chair work.
Side entry: position flexibility
An in-floor ramp deploys from the passenger-side sliding door. The wheelchair rider can sit front-passenger position — or transfer to drive. Loading works at curbs. The tradeoffs: you need clear space beside the van, the conversion costs more, and the front-passenger seat becomes removable rather than fixed. Side entry is the owner-operator's choice and the right answer when the rider wants to sit up front with family.
Quick chooser
| You are… | Get |
|---|---|
| NEMT / taxi / fleet operator | Rear entry (long cut for 2 chairs, taxi cut for 1) |
| Family, rider sits mid-cabin | Rear entry |
| Rider wants front position or drives | Side entry |
| Tight urban parking every day | Rear entry |
| Curb-side loading matters | Side entry |
Chassis notes
FR converts the Chrysler Pacifica and Voyager and the Toyota Sienna (including hybrid — same conversion, hybrid fuel economy). Need more than a minivan carries? Full-size Transit and ProMaster conversions swap the ramp for a Braun lift and carry more chairs plus equipment.
On stock packages
FR's R1/R2 (retail) and F1/F2 (fleet) Pacifica packages are pre-configured builds that deliver in as little as a week — against months for a custom order.