- 360-degree approach also at the Heidelberg branch, support from the first consultation to vehicle customization
- PARAVAN driving school with practical training and technical assessment
Innovative mobility solutions from the PARAVAN brand are not only available in Pfronstetten Aichelau in Swabia, but have also been available in Heidelberg for 17 years. The branch was established in 2006, first as a driving school and later as a contact point with a driving school, mobility advice, wheelchair and vehicle service as well as an affiliated production facility. Only the basic vehicle conversions come directly from the Aichelau mobility park and are individually equipped and adapted in Heidelberg.
Driving instructor Carsten Seidler has been active with training for persons with disabilities for PARAVAN since 2005. The PARAVAN branch and driving school in Heidelberg was founded in 2006. The small team initially worked in a hall in Bonhoeffer Straße, but the workshop quickly outgrew its space requirements. In 2013, the location then moved to the Aktiv-Reha-Center Am Taubenfeld, next door to a medical supply store. 14 employees look after customers here, from the initial consultation to the driving school, wheelchair service and sales, through to complete car conversions.
The basic vehicle conversions come from the head office in Aichelau. Otherwise, customers receive comprehensive support in Heidelberg - from the initial contact to delivery. Whether new adaptations, maintenance or inspections, everything is offered directly at the site. "Our branch in Heidelberg is the little sister of the mobility park in Pfronstetten-Aichelau," says Roland Arnold, Managing Director of PARAVAN GmbH. "The much more central location, the proximity to Heidelberg University Hospital, but also to competitors and the good transport links motivated us to take this step back then."
It all started with a small team in a hall in Bonhoefferstraße, which quickly grew - including the workshop, wheelchair construction and sales.
"We actually do everything here, apart from bodywork for basic conversions," says Dietmar Bendinger, head of the branch and one of the first employees in Heidelberg. The consulting options are similar, and strength measurements can also be carried out at the branch in order to find the optimum mobility solution for the customer. The head of the Heidelberg driving school, Carsten Seidler, who ran the PARAVAN driving school before the branch was founded in Heidelberg, is responsible for this. Once the order has been placed, components and systems are configured and sent to the Heidelberg team. Between 80 and 90 vehicles, ranging from simple retrofits to highly complex Space Drive conversions, leave the hall in Heidelberg every year.
In addition, there are around 25 learner drivers and 70 TÜV inspections. The spectrum ranges from practical driving training to the technical assessment of those returning to driving after an illness or accident and driving tests. As in the Aichelau mobility park, a flexibly adaptable vehicle with a space drive system, various input devices and other driving and steering aids is available. The learner driver can get into the car via a ramp.
"It's very special for my employees and me to work in a team here in Heidelberg and help people regain their independent mobility and simply participate in social life," says Bendinger. "The greatest motivation for everyone is to find individual solutions so that people can manage their everyday lives independently again, just like at the Aichelau Mobility Park."
