Uber Responds to GoLocalWorcester’s Story on Wheelchair-Accessibility

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Saturday, June 06, 2015

Patrick Sargent, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

On Friday, GoLocalWorcester reported that there are only two wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) in the city of Worcester. The report pointed out that Worcester Red Cab was the only company in the city that owned a WAV and that other local taxi companies and ride-sharing service Uber was doing disabled people in Worcester a disservice by not providing the appropriate vehicles in their fleets.

On Friday morning, following the release of GoLocalWorcester's report "Taxis and Uber are Punishing Worcester's Disabled with Lack of Wheelchair Accessibility," a spokesperson contacted GoLocal to respond to the companies lack of WAVs and what Uber intends to do in the future regarding these vehicles in Worcester.

"It's important to note that Uber is a technology company. So what we are doing is adding a layer of technology that locals can use to find and access transportation," said Uber Spokesperson Craig Ewer. "For us to provide a sensible option, it's not as simple as us going out and purchasing a bunch of vehicles and go hire a bunch of drivers because that's not what we do. What we would do, and what we've done in other cities, is partner with existing providers of wheelchair-accessible vehicles. That is something we would absolutely love to do in Worcester and are certainly exploring that in Worcester and elsewhere."

In September 2014, Uber announced its WAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle) service in Philadelphia. At its announcement, Uber wrote on its website "Historically, transportation options throughout Philadelphia have been severely limited for people with disabilities. There are 1,600 taxi medallions that support a city of 1.5 million people. Of these, only seven are wheelchair-accessible."

Ewer added, "The other aspect of it is, every driver that is in the system as an UberX driver, they're required to be able to fit a foldable wheelchair in their car. As far as I know, it's not a requirement for other transportation companies."

Related Articles

• Taxis and Uber Punish Worcester’s Disabled with Lack of Wheelchair-Accessibility
• Uber Looks to Worcester for Potential Expansion
• Nguyen: Uber As We Know It May Be Gone Forever
• Special Report: Uber vs Taxi Experiences in Worcester
• Worcester Red Cab Demands Uber Be Shut Down for Illegal Activity
• Better Business Bureau Gives Uber Failing Grade
• Worcester Cab Companies Outraged Over Uber Coming to Town
• Boston PD Arrest Uber Driver For Indecently Assaulting Female Passenger
• Worcester Taxi Company Criticizes Uber For Price Gouging, Undercutting Competition
• MA Approves Regulations for Uber and Other Ride-Sharing Companies

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