What to do if…
your wheelchair tyre goes flat or a wheel locks up while you are away from home

What to do now

1. Get to the nearest safer pause.

   • Aim for a pavement, wide entrance, recessed doorway, bus stop area, station concourse, shop, library, cafe, or other staffed place.
   • If you are stuck in live traffic or a dangerous road position and cannot get clear, call 999 and say you are a wheelchair user stranded in traffic and need urgent assistance.
   • If someone is with you, ask them to stand where they can be seen and help direct people around you without stepping into danger.

2. Stabilise the chair without forcing anything.

   • Secure the chair if you can do so safely, but do not force a brake, wheel, lever, or joystick that feels jammed.
   • Keep hands, clothing, bags, blankets, and straps clear of spokes, caster forks, tyres, and pinch points.
   • If the chair is on a slope, ask someone to stand steadying the chair from a safe position while you arrange help.

3. Do a quick, no-tools check only.

   • Flat tyre: the tyre looks or feels soft, the chair pulls to one side, or the rim is closer to the ground.
   • Wheel jam or lock: a wheel will not rotate, scrapes, catches, or stops the chair even though the tyre looks firm.
   • Powered wheelchair issue: the chair will not drive, one side drags, it beeps, shows a fault, or moves unpredictably.

4. If a wheel seems jammed, check only what you can see safely.

   • Look for stones, mud, clothing, bag straps, leaves, or other debris caught around the caster, wheel fork, axle area, tyre, or frame.
   • Check whether a manual brake is partly on or rubbing, but do not force it.
   • For a powered wheelchair, do not switch drive or freewheel levers unless you are sure what they do, you are on level ground, and someone is steadying the chair.

5. Ask for practical help where you are.

   • Go into the nearest staffed place if you can, or ask someone nearby: “Can someone stay with me while I arrange assistance, and can we move me just inside or out of the flow?”
   • If you are at a rail station, tell station staff you are stranded because your wheelchair has failed. If staff are not visible, use a Help Point, intercom, assistance point, or ticket office where available.
   • Passenger Assist is usually arranged in advance, but National Rail also describes last-minute turn-up-and-go help where staff can assist if they can.
   • On TfL services in London, ask station staff for help or use a Help Point. TfL has turn-up-and-go assistance on the Tube, London Overground, and Elizabeth line, but help can depend on the service and location.

6. Arrange recovery or support rather than a risky repair.

   • If you lease a scooter or powered wheelchair through Motability, contact Motability Assist or use Motability’s recovery route for scooters and powered wheelchairs.
   • If you are not a Motability customer, call your wheelchair supplier, repairer, NHS wheelchair service contact, insurer, breakdown cover, or the number on your chair sticker or paperwork.
   • If the chair cannot roll safely, arrange an accessible taxi, community transport option, suitable lift, or trusted person to help you get home or to a safe indoor place.
   • When you call, say where you are, whether you are indoors or near traffic, whether the chair is manual or powered, what wheel is affected, and whether you can transfer safely.

7. Only do a low-risk temporary fix if you are safely off the route and already know how.

   • If you have air-filled tyres, have a pump, and know the correct tyre range, inflate only within the range shown on the tyre sidewall or in your chair documentation.
   • Do not exceed the stated maximum tyre pressure.
   • If you do not already remove wheels, tubes, or casters confidently in normal conditions, do not attempt it while stranded. Focus on recovery and a proper repair.