9-year-old asks Hersheypark to reduce pricing for guests with disabilities

If the boys father can afford to take him to the park, he can probably afford the $45 more for a scooter. I think the news story said that he owns a scooter but has no way to transport it to the park. I wish we knew more about that. I'd love to find a way to get him a way to transport his scooter so he wouldn't have to rent one.

They said a few times that the dad couldn't do anything at the park, which I find not to be true. There are at least a few rides that he can do, and he can see every show. He can eat anywhere he wants. He can still enjoy the atmosphere. He could probably ride a few of the coasters, if not all of them.

I do admire this boy's passion for helping his dad and others with disabilities to get a better price. He kind of has a good point in some ways.

I have often wondered why parks charge so much for a scooter rental. My mom needs one any time she goes to a park with me, which isn't often. Is it a supply and demand issue? is it because they'd rather not deal with any more scooters than they need to in the attractions?

I'm with you Travis. I'd like to see this kid and his father get help funding for a way to transport their scooter. I also agree that he should be able to do rides, shows, etc., unless some of the rides he doesn't have the body strength for.

LostKause said:
I have often wondered why parks charge so much for a scooter rental. My mom needs one any time she goes to a park with me, which isn't often. Is it a supply and demand issue? is it because they'd rather not deal with any more scooters than they need to in the attractions?

Partially supply and demand. They take up a lot of space for storage and charging, so you can only have so many. They are also expensive to purchase and expensive to maintain, especially in a high impact use environment like a theme park. Most parks don't own their own equipment and they bring them in through a revenue sharing arrangement.

It's also worth noting that most parks offer manual wheelchairs for significantly less than scooters and some offer them for free. (I realize that may have not been the best option for a kid with a parent.) Many parks also offer free parking to people with handicap placards or plates.

Transportation is often a problem once someone needs more than a folding wheelchair. We've had students with parents who had no way to transport their power wheelchairs.