Disabled access lifts: platforms and passenger lifts

For people with disabilities and others with reduced mobility, we supply, install and maintain vertical and inclined platform lifts, stairlifts and accessible lifts. They suit private houses, hospitals, schools, churches and institutions, and we travel to sites all over Ukraine. The platform lifts and stairlifts are supplied under the LIFTPORTAL brand, while the Mobi platform with car doors is made by the Spanish manufacturer MP.

Access lifts and passenger lifts for disabled people: what to choose for the task

More about the platform: MP Mobi questions and answers and the brochure (PDF).

Lifts for people with disabilities: required dimensions

DBN V.2.2-40:2018 (Ukrainian building code), clause 6.3.3.2, in short: the car must be at least 1.1 m wide and 1.4 m deep, and in new construction the door opening must be at least 0.9 m. The recommended car is 2.1 m wide and 1.1 m deep, with a 1.2 m opening. The clause says nothing about kilograms, so we match the rated load to the car and the actual wheelchair.

Such a lift sometimes fits into an old building too. In Lviv, at 164 Liubinska St., we replaced a 320 kg lift that had 650 mm doors with a 630 kg lift with a 900 mm opening in the same shaft.

We look at the person's whole route

A platform lift by the front steps solves nothing if there are still three steps inside on the way to the office. DBN V.2.2-40 considers the whole route of travel, so during the site survey the engineer walks it with a tape measure, from the parking space or gate to the room the person needs to reach. We record:

• the height of every change in level;
• space for the pit and the landing area in front of the unit;
• the flight width and whether the escape route will be preserved;
• where to run a separate power line from.

Sometimes our equipment is not needed here at all: then we will suggest a different solution.

What an access lift or a passenger lift costs

We do not publish "from" prices: the total depends on the dimensions, the number of stops, an outdoor or indoor version and the readiness of the building work. You can gauge the order of magnitude from our contracts in the Prozorro register:

Each contract covers the full scope of work, so its total cannot be taken as the price of the platform or lift alone. For a private house there is a separate breakdown: what a home lift costs.

Our projects

Donbas-Prykarpattia rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities, Ivano-Frankivsk, 2024. We handled the design, the expert review, the shaft and a machine-room-less Izamet lift. The shaft has a steel frame clad with sandwich panels, and the buttons are in Braille. Learn more: lift and shaft for the rehabilitation centre.

Enclosed platform lift, Lviv, 2024. An Izamet platform lift with a car: design, shaft construction and turnkey installation. Project page: Izamet platform lift in Lviv.

Private client, Dolyna, 2022. A panoramic platform lift with a car and automatic doors: tinted glass and stainless steel, and the shaft frame is stainless steel too. More photos: platform lift with automatic doors in Dolyna.

Ivano-Frankivsk, 2023. A vertical platform lift in an existing monastery building needed no deep pit. Another one stands at the entrance to a facility that was reached by steep stone steps: it lifts a person from courtyard level to the porch, with step-free access over a fold-down ramp.

Lviv, 38 Kubiiovycha St. Two platform lifts for the Lviv Academy of Arts; the contract is in the table above. Our other projects in the city are collected on the lifts in Lviv page.

Drohobych, city outpatient clinic. During the reconstruction of the passageways we installed both vertical and inclined platform lifts. Photos: passageway reconstruction at the Drohobych clinic.

Chortkiv, 2014. An Izamet lift for people with disabilities: project photos.

Design options

These shots show types of equipment: a low platform lift by the steps, an inclined platform lift on an outdoor flight of stairs, a stairlift on a staircase and a glass shaft at a private house. These photos come from the manufacturer's materials, and our own projects are shown above. The site survey decides what will suit you.

Documents and maintenance

A platform lift is lifting equipment too. It needs a technical passport, conformity documents, an order appointing a responsible person and a maintenance contract with a specialist company. We show you the list for your model before signing.

A platform lift that nobody uses or inspects is the first to fail: the emergency lowering battery goes flat and the limit switches corrode. That is why we state in the contract from the outset who holds the key and who is responsible for inspections. We take on the maintenance, and the warranty terms are set out in the contract.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an access lift for a person with a disability cost?

We calculate the total after the site survey, because besides the platform itself the cost estimate includes the pit or ramp, the landing area, barriers and a separate power line. You can see the order of magnitude in the Prozorro register, for example in the contract for two platform lifts for the Lviv Academy of Arts: UA-2025-02-28-008184-a. The site survey and quote are free.

Which to choose: a platform or a lift?

A platform deals with a specific height difference: an entrance, a lower ground floor, several levels without a shaft. It travels slowly, usually about 0.15 m/s, so for a constant flow of people and many floors we go for a lift. The cut-off point depends on the height, the number of stops and how many people use it every day.

What rated load do you need?

LIFTPORTAL platforms carry from 225 to 400 kg, which is enough for a wheelchair with its user, and on the larger models for a companion as well. For a lift, the standard sets the car and opening dimensions, and we calculate the kilograms from those.

Can the person use the access lift on their own?

Yes, if they can reach the button and keep it pressed: most platforms move only while the button is held. If holding it is difficult, we choose a model with car doors, such as the MP Mobi, where one press is enough. In unattended communal entrances, a lock with a personal key is fitted.

Can a platform be installed in an existing building or communal entrance?

In most cases, yes. Most models need only a 100-250 mm pit or a drive-on ramp. During the site survey we check the free floor area, the power supply and whether the required passage width will remain.

What happens in a power cut?

The KT-62 stairlift runs on batteries and keeps working. The MP Mobi uses its own batteries to reach the nearest stop and open the doors. For the other models, we go through the technical passport together with you before you order.

How long does installation take?

It depends on the model and how the site is prepared: the pit, the landing area and the electrics add time, so we give the full timescale after the site survey.