In this video, I mention what it is like to be in a big city and have access to a lot of resources—but still be let down by public transit due to a lack of wheelchair-accessible rides. In times when transit has let me down or when I’m in a rush–I like to hail a wheelchair accessible vehicle on Uber, which is a subsidized ride providing ramp-equipped accessible vehicles for those who need it.
Using the Uber App to hail a WAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle) is really easy! all you have to do is:
- download the app
- set up your account/payment method & login
- insert your location & destination
- select “WAV”
- enjoy your ride!
Getting around the city as a wheelchair user is often difficult and riddled with obstacles and barriers. It is empowering to have options and to make your own decision as to how to get where you want to go. It isn’t necessarily cost-effective to use the uber WAV service all the time, but it is extremely convenient and efficient for when it is needed. To be able to hail a ride with accessibility features and get one fairly quickly is a luxury for those with mobility issues
Since Uber launched in Canada 10 years ago, it has completed over 500 million trips. It is imperitive that these trips are serving a diverse population and need and so it is great that Uber, albeit only in bigger cities, subsidizes the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle service and provides it at a rate equivalent to the regular uber rides known as “uber x”
These rides are easy to order as you do not need to speak to anyone or wait on hold; you simply use the app to insert your location and your destination.
Furthermore, there is now a feature to “Favourite” a driver. So if you find a driver who you get along with, with whom you have a good report, and with whom you’d like to develop a regular working relationship — you can select them as favourites so as to get that same driver when they are available or to be able to schedule them for future rides.
In Toronto, the population is growing at a steady rate and we are expanding public transportation and attempting to make it accessible for all — although that is taking a long time. As such, these supplemental services, such as those provided by ride-sharing/ride-hailing apps like Uber, are ever-needed and absolutely a necessity.
