Skip to main content

Uber enlists MV Transportation drivers to pick up disabled passengers

Uber is adding drivers from a specialist company to its app in a bid to provide more wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAV) to disabled passengers in the US. MV Transportation specialises in providing on-demand transportation to people with disabilities and older passengers. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says there are not enough drivers on its platform who use WAVs. He believes the collaboration will allow riders in wheelchairs to be picked up within 15 minutes on average for trips in New York City, Bosto
November 23, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

8336 Uber is adding drivers from a specialist company to its app in a bid to provide more wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAV) to disabled passengers in the US.

MV Transportation specialises in providing on-demand transportation to people with disabilities and older passengers.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says there are not enough drivers on its platform who use WAVs.

He believes the collaboration will allow riders in wheelchairs to be picked up within 15 minutes on average for trips in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, DC as well as Toronto in Canada.

“We’re aiming to see similar wait times for trips in San Francisco and Los Angeles over the next year, and together those eight cities account for half of Uber trips in North America,” Khosrowshahi adds.

MV CEO Kevin Jones says: “As the nature of transportation changes, we will work with Uber to ensure people with disabilities aren’t left behind.”

MV owns the WAVs, and its drivers are trained to secure wheelchairs inside the vehicles.

Uber intends to price WAV journeys the same as an UberX trip, which the company insists is its cheapest ride-share option outside of Uber Pool. The cost is determined by location, sometimes with surge pricing applied during peak times such as holidays or when there is bad weather.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bolt launches dockless e-scooters in Madrid
    August 16, 2019
    Bolt, the ride-share company which was formerly called Taxify, has launched electric kick scooters in central Madrid. The firm piloted the vehicles in Paris last year – making it the first to combine scooter-sharing and ride-hailing together in one mobile app, Bolt claims. “Beating the traffic is a big issue in cities like Madrid and a lot of trips are much more efficiently covered with an electric scooter rather than a car with a driver,” says Markus Villig, CEO and co-founder of Bolt. He says t
  • Xerox takes youthful view of future transport
    August 23, 2016
    Xerox’s David Cummins talks to Colin Sowman about the lessons for city authorities from its survey of younger peoples’ attitude to transport. There can be no better way to get a handle on the future of transport demand than to ask the younger generation about how they view and consume today’s transport. Sociologists have called this group Generation Z – those born between 1995 and 2007 – which will make up 40% of all US consumers by 2020.
  • Drivers ‘could make £500 a month’ via peer-to-peer car rental, says Turo
    November 12, 2018
    UK drivers could earn £500 a month by making their idle vehicle available to renters on Turo’s peer-to-peer car-sharing service, the company says. Turo carried out a poll of 2,000 UK motorists which revealed the average Brit spends under nine hours a week behind the wheel. UK drivers also leave their car unused for three days each week, the company adds. Xavier Collins, Turo’s UK director, says many drivers spend a small fortune on cars but never realise their full potential. “For the vast majority of
  • Uber Technologies joins ITS America Leadership Circle
    April 10, 2015
    San Francisco-based Uber Technologies has joined the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) Leadership Circle and will join 39 established members of the Circle. Thomas E. Kern, ITS America interim president and chief executive officer, said. “Uber is a perfect fit for this prestigious group of innovative transportation organisations,” Kern said. “The company created a new mobile platform that empowers individuals to make on-demand mobility decisions, and we are excited to bring th