Abstract: A wheelchair lift operable to transport handicapped persons between a lower level and an upper level. The apparatus includes an elevator platform and a plurality of vertically movable stair members. When the platform is in its lower position, the stair members form a conventional stairway which extends between lower and upper surfaces; and when the platform is moved upwardly, a collecting member attached thereto sequentially collects the stair members and moves them upwardly until the platform and stair members are coplanar with the upper surface. A normally open safety gate on the platform is automatically moved to and retained in a closed position whenever the platform is raised above the lower surface.