HAI's Omni*buses are specially adapted transit vehicles that accommodate severely disabled and frail elderly people. Each Omni*bus can hold five people in HAI's special stretcher beds, or up to ten people in wheelchairs, or 37 frail ambulatory people, or flexible combinations of all three.

Nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and other human service facilities rent HAI's Omni*buses so that their patients -- people in stretcher beds, people who use wheelchairs, even people with life support systems, as well as frail ambulatory people -- can attend concerts, plays, museums, and other cultural opportunities.

For institutionalized individuals, HAI's Omni*buses, which make up to two trips a day, are nothing short of a miracle. Traveling in groups in safe, comfortable conditions, frail elderly and severely disabled people are able to participate in the dynamic cultural life of the community, while at the same time enjoying an exciting ride through vibrant cityscapes.

After relying for years on a single bus, HAI's Omni*bus Program expanded significantly with the arrival of a new, second Omni*bus, the most up-to-date and accessible vehicle ever to ride the city streets. The second Omni*bus was launched at the 1997 New York City Veterans Day Parade; on that occasion, Vietnam veterans in mobile stretchers were able to shake hands with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who climbed onboard.

For more information on the HAI Omni*Bus Program,
please contact jswaner@hospaud.org at (212) 575-7667.