Uber starts 2 new services in Bengaluru for differently-abled passengers

Global ride-hailing company Uber has announced the launch of two new products uberACCESS and uberASSIST in Bengaluru. The services were launched in partnership with IT solutions provider Mphasis’ arm, Mphasis F1 Foundation, as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.

To provide transport assistance to the differently abled and elderly riders, uberACCESS offers 50 retrofitted vehicles, with heightened roof and hydraulic wheelchair lift on-demand and uberASSIST is an option for those who require additional assistance and has a fleet of 500 vehicles accommodate to foldable wheelchairs.

“At Uber, we believe in creating transportation options that fit every rider’s need. The launch of uberASSIST and uberACCESS furthers our efforts in this direction….We aim to make these services available in more cities across the country,” said Amit Jain, President, Uber India and South Asia, reported Financial Express.

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Riders can request uberASSIST rides starting today and will soon be able to book uberACCESS rides, the forward-facing wheelchair accessible product, on-demand, Uber said in a statement.

Trained and certified by Diversity and Equal Opportunity Centre (DEOC), all driver-partners are equipped with required skills to assist passengers with accessibility needs as well as those who need additional assistance during their ride, it added.

Last week, A four-member panel, appointed by the Maharashtra government to determine optimal fare structures for taxis, autos and cab aggregators such as Ola and Uber, called for the introduction of ”Happy hours” between 12 pm to 4 pm every day during which they can offer rides at discounted rates.

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In August, the San Francisco-based cab major introduced a facial recognition ID approval system for drivers and also announced its partnership with ICICI Lombard General Insurance to provide free insurance to its 4,50,000 drivers.

Earlier, it had partnered with Delhi Police to allow quick access to Himmat – a women safety mobile app and joined hands with the top bars in town to fight against drunk driving.