Uber gets a bad reputation for its various missteps and PR gaffes. But I’ve always had a soft spot for them. Because for disabled passengers (particularly those in wheelchairs), Uber is a great way to stop being overcharged.
On a trip to London last year to watch the Rugby World Cup – I don’t know how we would have got to Twickenham without it.
Well turns out that Uber have turned there attention to helping disabled drivers as well. In a recent update, Uber rolled out a host of new features for those drivers who may be deaf or hard of hearing.
They have worked in partnership with National Association of the Deaf to develop meaningful changes for hearing impaired drivers. The feeling being that there is more to follow.
Here are the official updates
- The Uber Partner app signals a new trip request with a flashing light in addition to the existing audio notification.
- The option to call a deaf or hard-of-hearing driver is turned off; riders are instead given only the ability to text if they need to provide special instructions for pickup.
- The app will add an extra prompt for riders to enter their destination and lets them know their driver is deaf or hard-of-hearing
As we know disabled workers have significant labour market disadvantage compared to there non-impaired counterparts. Technology has long been seen as the balancer. The game changer. So it is really nice to see companies like Uber take the challenge seriously.
Read our Uber review here.
