Abstract: A carriage for descending stairs carrying a person under the control of an operator, i.e., an able-bodied person walking behind the carriage. The person in the carriage rests upon a seat with an upright back. The carriage is supported at its sides upon two support units each of which has an endless belt which extends along a rigid longitudinal frame with two pulleys mounted upon horizontal axes at the opposite ends of the frame, and with belts extending around those pulleys and forming two longitudinal runs between the pulleys. Each belt is formed by a continuous strip of heavy fabric with a continuous strip of flexible rubber bonded to the fabric. The belts of the support units act as brakes to retard the movement down the stairs.