You don’t have to travel with everything. If bringing your own equipment to Los Angeles isn’t practical — it won’t survive the flight, you only need it for part of the trip, or you need something you don’t own day-to-day — you can rent almost anything once you’re here and have it waiting at your hotel.
The catch is that “mobility rental” covers four pretty different things, run by different kinds of companies, with different lead times. Here’s how each one actually works for a visitor.
In this Guide: Scooters & Chairs · WAV Rentals · Medical Gear · Delivery · How to Choose
Wheelchairs, Scooters & Knee Walkers
This is the most common rental and the easiest to arrange. National delivery services and local medical-supply shops both rent manual wheelchairs, power chairs, mobility scooters, and knee walkers by the day or week, and most will drop the equipment at your hotel before you arrive.
Who does it:
- Cloud of Goods — wide range (standard and lightweight scooters, wheelchairs, knee scooters), delivers to hotels, vacation rentals, and even specific attractions across LA
- Scootaround — national operator; can have your scooter or wheelchair waiting at hotel check-in
- Special Needs Group / Special Needs at Sea — strong on cruise terminals and hotels, often used by travelers
- Peoples Care Medical Supply and One Stop Mobility — LA-based, free local hotel/residence delivery, same-day options in some areas
What to plan around:
- Book a few days ahead for the model you actually want — lightweight and heavy-duty scooters sell out faster than standard wheelchairs
- Confirm your hotel will accept the delivery and hold it at the bell desk; many drop off the evening before
- Check the scooter’s weight capacity and whether it disassembles, if you’ll also be loading it into a car
Wheelchair-Accessible Van Rentals
This is the one most visitors don’t realize they need to plan for: you cannot rent a wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) from a standard rental-car counter at LAX. Hertz, Avis, and the rest don’t keep ramp- or lift-equipped vans in their fleets. You rent those from specialist companies, and supply is limited — so this is the rental to arrange first, not last.
Who does it:
- Wheelers Accessible Van Rentals — LA location near LAX, delivers to the airport and surrounding areas; rents by day, weekend, week, or month
- MobilityWorks — lowered-floor minivans with fold-out ramps; some locations carry full-size lift-equipped vans
- Wheelchair Getaways — LA-area accessible van rentals
- Cloud of Goods — side-entry accessible minivans with delivery
What to plan around:
- You’re the driver. These are self-drive rentals — you’ll need a valid license, your own auto insurance or a credit card that covers rentals, and comfort driving a modified van. (If you’d rather not drive, that’s what WAV rideshare and Access Services paratransit are for — see Getting Around LA.)
- Reserve early. Fleets are small; a last-minute accessible van often simply isn’t available.
- Expect a daily rate well above a standard rental car, with discounts for weekly and monthly bookings.
- Confirm the ramp type (side-entry vs. rear-entry) and that the door height and tie-downs fit your chair.
Medical Equipment for Longer Stays
If you’re in LA for more than a few days, or staying in a vacation rental rather than a hotel, you can rent home medical equipment the same way — delivered and picked up.
What’s available: hospital beds, oxygen concentrators, patient lifts, lift chairs, shower and commode chairs, transfer benches, rollators, and bedside tables.
Who does it:
- Cloud of Goods — medical equipment alongside its mobility line, hotel/rental/attraction delivery
- Peoples Care Medical Supply — hotel, residence, and cruise-port delivery in LA and Long Beach, with same-day and rush options
- Wishing Well Medical Supply, Sherman Oaks Medical Supplies, Pico Medical — LA-area shops with same- or next-day delivery on beds, lift chairs, and mobility aids
What to plan around:
- Ask about pickup logistics at the end of your stay so you’re not suck arranging it on departure day.
- Oxygen often requires a prescription – ask the supplier what documentation they need, and note that portable oxygen for the flight itself is arranged separately through your airline.
- Vacation rentals don’t have a bell desk; you’ll need to coordinate a delivery window when someone can receive the equipment.
Delivery to Hotels, LAX & Cruise Terminals
The delivery model is what makes renting in LA work for visitors. The strongest providers don’t make you go anywhere — they bring the equipment to you and collect it when you leave.
How it works in practice:
- Hotels: Equipment is typically dropped at the bell desk the evening before or the morning of your rental; you collect it at check-in. Always confirm your specific hotel accepts and stores deliveries.
- LAX: Several companies deliver to airport terminals or to a hotel near the airport for your arrival. Build in buffer time — airport delivery coordination is the step most likely to slip.
- Cruise terminals (San Pedro / Long Beach): Special Needs Group and Scootaround specialize in getting equipment to the pier on sailing day; book well ahead, since terminal timing is tight.
Theme Parks: A Special Case
Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood both rent wheelchairs and scooters on-site — but with two real limitations: the equipment can’t leave the park, and it’s first-come, first-served with no reservations, so it can run out on busy days.
If you want a scooter you can keep for your whole trip — to use at your hotel, around CityWalk, or getting between attractions — rent from a third-party vendor instead:
- ScooterBug is the approved provider for the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort and offers length-of-stay rentals
- Vendors like Peoples Care Medical Supply deliver scooters to Universal-area hotels (or the park) for use both inside and outside
A third-party rental usually costs less per day than the in-park rate and isn’t capped to park hours — the tradeoff is you arrange delivery yourself instead of grabbing one at the gate.
How to Choose — The Short Version
| You need… | Rent from | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelchair, scooter, or knee walker | Delivery service (Cloud of Goods, Scootaround) or local supply shop | A few days; sooner for specialty models |
| A van you’ll drive yourself | Accessible van specialist (Wheelers, MobilityWorks) | As early as possible — limited fleet |
| Beds, oxygen, shower chairs for a longer stay | Medical-supply rental with delivery | A few days; ask about prescriptions |
| A scooter for a full theme-park trip | Third-party vendor (ScooterBug, etc.), not the park | Before you travel |
A few rules that apply across the board:
- Reserve early — accessible vans and specialty scooters are the first to run out.
- Confirm your hotel or rental will accept the delivery and hold it.
- For self-drive vans, sort out insurance before you book.
- Match the equipment to you: weight capacity, ramp type, whether it folds for a car trunk.
Renting fills the gaps your own equipment can’t — but it rewards planning. The visitors who have the smoothest trips are the ones who booked the van and the scooter before they booked the restaurant.
Prices, delivery areas, and availability change, and Only Everywhere isn’t affiliated with any company listed here — always confirm details directly with the provider before you book.