About Our Company
Have you ever noticed that a properly secured wheelchair forms a perfect ‘Q’ ?
There’s a good reason for that. Because the ‘Q’ is wheelchair securement.
And Q’STRAINT is the company that started it all.
The first time a Q’STRAINT system was used to secure a wheelchair user in a vehicle was the very first time that user met the same standards as other passengers.
Until that point, no one thought beyond simply strapping down the chair, treating riders like cargo. No one thought about the safety of wheelchair passengers. No one thought about saving lives. That is, not until groundbreaking wheelchair safety technology was developed by Q’STRAINT. Today that technology is used every day the world over and has become the gold standard in wheelchair securement.
But technology alone is never enough. Our mission of Making Safety Accessible drives us to continually improve. And our promise of Thinking Beyond Safety is how we make that happen.
Q’STRAINT continues to be at the forefront of defining and establishing securement regulations worldwide; and to work with global standards groups to ensure that safety becomes accessible for wheelchair passengers in every country — guaranteeing the highest levels of safety for all.
Making Safety Accessible®
We believe all mobility passengers deserve access to the same level of safety as those around them. Through research and development, engineering and support, to providing innovative solutions, we are Making Safety Accessible.
Thinking Beyond Safety
This promise is how we live our mission and extends into our areas of operation and influence. As the most trusted provider of mobility passenger safety solutions worldwide, Thinking Beyond Safety also means we are:
Thinking Beyond Quality:
Thinking Beyond Testing:
Thinking Beyond Standards:
Thinking Beyond Training:
Thinking Beyond Products:
Our Core Values
CHARACTER
Do the right thing.
CUSTOMER FOCUS
Always act & make decisions in the Customers’ best interests.
UNITY
Work as ONE Team, with ONE Purpose, in ONE Direction.
EXCELLENCE
Always give your best: your words, actions & work reflect your personal level of quality.
Our Core Values
CHARACTER
Do the right thing.
CUSTOMER FOCUS
Always act & make decisions in the Customers’ best interests.
UNITY
Work as ONE Team, with ONE Purpose, in ONE Direction.
EXCELLENCE
Always give your best: your words, actions & work reflect your personal level of quality.
Our history
Q’STRAINT BEGAN WITH A SIMPLE QUESTION:
How can wheelchair passengers be safely secured in vehicles?
In the 1970s, a team of students and specialists at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada set out to find the answer.
Their research demonstrated that wheelchair passengers have unique safety needs requiring unique safety solutions, which, at the time, did not exist. So the research team developed the world’s first fully integrated 4-point wheelchair passenger securement system. Q’STRAINT was the first to introduce this innovative system to the global transportation industry.
Today, Q’STRAINT continues to build on this tradition of innovation, advancing its mission of providing safe accessibility to everyone by developing the world’s highest quality, wheelchair passenger safety solutions.
Company milestones
1984
Q’STRAINT is established when Queen’s University licenses its integrated 4-point wheelchair passenger securement system and Q’Straint introduces the system to the marketplace. Q’STRAINT’s first office opens in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
1985
Q’STRAINT is the first securement company to apply the “sled test” for testing automotive safety belts used in wheelchair passenger securement systems.
1987
Q’STRAINT’s global reach expands with the establishment of a local distributor in Queensland, Australia.
1991
Q’STRAINT is asked by the NHTSA to contribute its expertise to the development of wheelchair transportation regulations in the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).
1993
Q’STRAINT opens an office in Whitstable, United Kingdom to meet growing international demand throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
1996
Q’STRAINT becomes the first and only wheelchair securement company to earn ISO 9000 registration.
1997
Q’STRAINT relocates its North American headquarters to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, serving North and South America. A sales and distribution center remains in Cambridge, Ontario, providing local service to the Canadian market.
1999
Q’STRAINT develops and introduces the world’s first self-tensioning, self-locking wheelchair passenger securement system.
2004
Q’STRAINT products are used in para-transit vehicles at the Athens Paralympic Games.
2005
Q’STRAINT UK earns the “Investor in People” designation in recognition of its commitment to training and personnel development.
2007
Q’STRAINT UK earns the prestigious Queen’s Award for International Trade, recognized for its significant growth in exports to over 40 countries.
2008
Q’STRAINT products are used in para-transit vehicles at the Beijing Paralympic Games.
2009
Q’STRAINT celebrates 25 years in business.
2012
Q’STRAINT launches the QLK-150 docking station, the first docking station to pass the crash test specifications per WC18/19 standards.
2014
Q’STRAINT celebrates 30 years of on-going commitment to the wheelchair securement industry by launching the iQ Research Centre of Excellence facility to further advance technological innovation in wheelchair passenger safety solutions.
2015
Q’STRAINT completely turns around the industry (literally), by introducing the QUANTUM: the first fully automatic rear-facing securement station.
2017
Q’STRAINT launches the Training AQademy, a first-of-it’s-kind online training & certification platform to help transportation providers improve passenger safety and reduce liability.
2023
Q’STRAINT debuts the Q’STRAINT ONE, a new all-in-one wheelchair securement platform that simplifies the securement process, eliminates confusion and standardizes the approach.
COMPANIES & TRANSIT AGENCIES
“The Q’Straint QRT System is one of the best additions that we have made to our buses. This revolutionary idea has given our drivers the ability to properly secure our passengers without exposure of personal injury to themselves.”
“Our bus was involved in a collision… our bus sustained damages in excess of $15,000; the three wheelchair passengers secured with Q’Straint did not move. Thank you for a superior product in a day when mediocrity is the norm.”
“I believe there is not a better system available on the market today.”
“The QRT Deluxe restraint system provides our drivers with more efficiency and dramatically reduces time securing our wheelchairs passengers.”
“The QRT Deluxe Retractor System that Q’Straint provided for our wheelchair lift equipped coaches has been well received by our drivers and passengers.”
“The passengers and operators like the system since it is so easy and fast to use. In fact operators have wondered why we haven’t installed them on the entire fleet yet.”
“By using the Q’Straint retractable securement system with floor pockets and L-track fitting sets… the system worked and was accepted by our drivers and passengers.”
“I’d like to thank you once more for your hospitality during our stay last week. We were really amazed with the level of professionalism, state of the art equipment and the deep knowledge which exists at Q’straint. Your IQ testing facility will substantially ease our test planning in the future and also reduce the cost of testing on our side.”
ATTENDANTS & OPERATORS
“I got the bus off the road. All I could think of were my kids. I ran to the back of the bus to check on them. They never budged an inch thanks to Q’Straint.”
“After researching every brand of wheelchair tie-down system available in the U.K., and some abroad, we are of the opinion that Q’Straint is the most user friendly of them all.”
“The drivers love the QRT and wish they could have had them installed sooner! Thanks again!”
“…As she and her technician ran back to check the children, they were very delighted to see that the Q’Straint system had held every child in place with NO injuries. We would just like you to know how much we appreciate your product.”
MOBILITY PASSENGERS
“The combined speed of the two vehicles, according to the California Highway Patrol, was 100 mph… I owe my life to this restraint system, and I just wanted to thank you. Keep up the good work. Needless to say, my new van will be equipped with Q’Straint.”
“Your company may have very well saved my life, and for that I sincerely thank you…”
“I would thoroughly recommend the QLK to any family who need a safe, reliable solution for securing a wheelchair using relative or child in a vehicle.”
“I had a Q’Straint QLK-150 installed in my 1995 Ford Van last year, which I’m proud to say it did its job on May 8, 2014 when I wrecked my van when I was headed home from work. The van went in the ditch, I hit three trees then flipped over on the driver side and landed up against the fourth tree. The Q’Staint QLK-150 held my power chair secured in the van. Thankfully, I was not injured and nobody else was involved in this crash.”
“I have often found myself nearly tipping over in my manual wheelchair when a bus has taken a corner a bit sharpish…This bus could have driven a slalom course and I would have remained exactly where I was. I felt completely safe and secure and I had no need to hang on.”
OPERATOR TRAINING
“I attended Q’Straint’s National Training Securement Seminar, and from the time I arrived to the time I left, I can say one thing: Q’Straint is 1st class all the way!”
“Wow, what a thorough and professional job by everyone at Q’Straint.”
“Once again I wanted to express my appreciation to everyone at Q’Straint for the wonderful seminar.”
“For someone new to this industry, I felt all of the information and staff were great. I really learned a lot and know the support will be available anytime I have a question.”
“It’s nice to know that Q’Straint really cares about our clients by making first class products and working with the manufacturers to develop standards that put the safety of our clients and drivers first.”
“This seminar was well worth the trip – awesome. Your hospitality was outstanding.”
“Both of the instructors that TransLink sent found the course extremely informative and were very happy to be a part of it.”