KU Graduation Mobility Rental Guide — Lawrence, KS

The University of Kansas commencement happens every May at Memorial Stadium and surrounding venues. It's a great weekend — families travel in, photos get taken, students graduate.

It's also a long walk. Especially if you brought grandma.

This is a practical guide for families who realized 48 hours out that the relative they brought along is not going to make it across campus on foot.

What you're walking

Commencement at KU is split across the main ceremony at Memorial Stadium and individual school ceremonies at venues like the Lied Center, Spencer Museum, and Allen Fieldhouse. Distances:

• Accessible parking to Memorial Stadium: roughly 0.4 to 0.6 miles depending on which lot you got.
• Memorial Stadium concourse: another 200-400 feet of walking to your assigned seating area.
• Stadium to nearby venues (if your student's department ceremony is somewhere else): variable, often a half-mile.
• Round trip if you have to walk back to the car between ceremonies: easily 2-3 miles total over the day.

Most healthy adults handle this fine. Anyone with reduced mobility — even mild — does not.

What works for which person

Match the rental to the relative.

Walks fine but tires fast → rollator with a built-in seat

If grandma can walk a few hundred feet at a time but needs to sit and rest, a rollator with a built-in padded seat is the right pick. She walks when she has energy, sits when she doesn't, and you push the empty rollator forward when she gets up.

Lightweight Euro-style rollators fold down small enough to fit between seats at the stadium. Cost: around $25 for the day with delivery factored in across a multi-day rental.

Can stand for short periods, can't walk distances → transport chair

If walking is the bottleneck but standing is fine, a transport chair is the cheapest option. You push, she rides. The chair folds flat and weighs about 20 pounds — fits in your car trunk so you can move it between hotel and stadium.

Transport chairs are caregiver-pushed only. The rider can't self-propel. If grandma wants to be able to move on her own when you step away, get a manual wheelchair instead.

Still mobile but doesn't want to be a burden → mobility scooter

Some elderly relatives can technically walk the distance but it'll burn all their energy on the walk and they'll have nothing left for the ceremony itself. Or they don't want to be pushed in a chair — feels too dependent.

A travel mobility scooter lets them drive themselves. Faster than walking, more energy for photos and the dinner afterward, and they keep their independence. The 3-wheel travel scooters disassemble for car loading too.

Long-term recovery, broader mobility need → power wheelchair

For relatives in active mobility decline (advanced arthritis, neurological conditions, recent stroke recovery), an electric wheelchair is the right pick. We deliver and set up — you don't have to load it.

Reserve early

KU commencement weekend is one of our busiest Lawrence deliveries of the year. Fleet capacity is finite. Two to three weeks ahead is the sweet spot — you'll get your first-choice equipment and we'll lock in delivery for the day before your guests arrive.

Last-minute calls (Thursday before commencement weekend) sometimes work, but we've turned down several over the years because every unit was already booked. Don't risk it.

Hotel delivery

We routinely deliver to:

• The Eldridge Hotel — downtown, walking distance to Massachusetts Street.
• The Oread — closest to KU campus, top of the hill.
• Holiday Inn Lawrence — west of campus.
• Hampton Inn Lawrence — South Iowa Street.

Tell us the hotel name and arrival date. We coordinate with the front desk to stage the equipment for your check-in. Bell stand or front desk takes possession; you grab it when you check in.

What to expect for cost

Approximate Lawrence weekend rentals (3 days, equipment + $75 delivery):

• Transport chair: ~$150
• Standard rollator: ~$132
• Manual wheelchair: ~$180
• 3-wheel travel scooter: ~$222
• 4-wheel standard scooter: ~$252
• Electric wheelchair: ~$342

These cover Friday-Sunday. We can extend for the day-after pickup if your travel plans push back.

What we won't do

We won't claim same-day delivery to Lawrence the morning of commencement. That's a scenario where every single equipment unit in our fleet is already on a delivery slot. If you call us at 7 AM Saturday hoping for an 11 AM drop, the honest answer is "no." Reserve ahead.

Reserve

Call 913-775-1098 with the dates and the hotel or address. Or reserve online.

See also: Lawrence rental hub | transport chair rental Lawrence | mobility scooter rental Lawrence.