Pushchair for 4 1/2 year old?

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My son is recently diagnosed ASD. He's fairly low additional needs (high functioning). He'll be five at the end of November and starting school in September.
We got rid of his pushchair at the start of this year. I don't drive and now we don't have the pushchair I rarely take him out on my own.
He is perfectly able-bodied, but refuses to walk for longer than a few minutes. He then asks to be carried and I'm just not strong enough to do this. If I don't carry him he will have a meltdown and we end up trapped somewhere until my husband can drive to collect us.
I'm filled with anxiety every time we go out and my mum suggested allowing him to go back in a pushchair. My husband is very against this - but he drives and is big and strong so has no problems carrying our son.

We have this one for my dc with ASD, it's good for older children: MobiQuip XL Pushchair, Special Needs Buggy, Disability Pushchair for Older Child, Larger Size Pushchair, Easy Folding System for Transportation, Lightweight Aluminium Frame, Black amzn.eu/d/00GvwUiW

My son is 5.5 and has the mobi special needs one. It looks very comfortable for him.

My son who is also high functioning asd (although we didn’t know this then) also refused to walk anywhere and used a pram up until the day before he started school. He then had a switch in mindset and was worried about being seen by schoolfriends in it and this prompted him to walk a lot more (although did still ask to be carried …. ). He’s now nearly 11 and still won’t walk that far without moaning …..

But agree with other posters about getting a second hand pram. Don’t be trapped in all summer !

What about a trike with a handle?

https://www.kidly.co.uk/products/globber-explorer-trike-4-in-1-mint

I would try a bike, trike, wiggle car or something first. I work at an sen school and we have a child who is in a pushchair at home all the time but not school (capable of walking but stubborn and doesn't want to, also quite overweight). He takes up lots of staff time as he refuses to move in and outside for playtime so we have to persuade him. Could cause bad habits.

Same age DC awaiting assessment but clearly level 1 ASD to me. Also asks to be carried, on scooter wants to be pulled unless the surface is perfectly smooth - think sensory issues are a part of it for us too
we try to make it a game - go backwards, chase mummy, get there first etc. It has been about increasing his tolerance level while offering the support we can to help him feel safe. This does more often than not
mean he will end up in a piggy back (at least). I suppose we have strong legs. I do echo the thing upthread about “stubbornness” - or PDA? This could also be a part of it- this is why we make it as fun as we can rather than a command/demand/refusal

good luck OP - it is not easy. With lower needs ASD it is often so masked that others (even in the family) can’t always see what is going on and you end up gaslighting yourself a bit.
you know what to do for him xxx