Taxi Driver Online

Uber Launches Wheelchair Friendly Vehicles in London


In the state our economy has been in over the past decade, it’s been rare for even the best of ideas to take off and actually last enough to go international. Understandably, starting a company that competes directly against a great number of already well-established companies might sound like a suicide move.

But somehow, Uber managed to do it. And after launching in 2009, the company has been providing its car hailing services to people in 400 cities and a huge number of countries. The whole situation wasn’t without its ups and downs, particularly regarding regular taxis, the company drivers, and competing car hailing services, but the business most definitely succeeded.

Attempting to get ahead in the market in modern day UK, Uber launches wheelchair friendly vehicles in London. This move comes at the best possible time, since the company had been facing criticism from different sources, as well as competition from the oldest car hailing service – plain, old, regular, run-of-the-mill taxis.

Called UberWav, the service will initially have in store some 55 vehicles which will be expanded to one hundred in the following months. It will cost as much as UberX fares, and the expected waiting times will be around 25 minutes in Zones 1-2 and around 40 minutes in zones 3-4., at least during the first few weeks.

According to Tom Elvidge, the general manager of Uber in London, the company is really happy about this investment:

We’re proud to be making one of the biggest ever investments in accessible private hire in London and will be working hard to keep waiting times as low as possible as the service expands. This new initiative will give disabled people in London a much-needed additional option for planning their travel across the capital.

The move came in direct conflict with the regular London black cabs. Most of these already are wheelchair accessible, having very big doors, being very spacious, and having a few more accommodations. The service has been dealing Uber some pretty serious hits lately.

The main criticism addressed to Uber was about how the car hailing service wasn’t accessible to anyone. Drivers reserve their right to turn away customers, and people in wheelchairs or in need of service dogs were often turned away. But now, with the new cars which feature a rear-entry ramp, a winch and even restraints, as well as room for at least one more passenger, things are looking up.

source: http://www.themonitordaily.com/uber-whe ... on/211610/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

by 'investment' I trust he means they're either renting or selling them on to the drivers?

because heaven forbid they don't, because that would mean they'd have to employ people.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Charging higher fares for disabled people is illegal, discriminatory.

Isn't UBER X their cheap fare? However if they charge able bodied people the same as a disabled person in the same vehicle it is not discriminatory.

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Grandad,

I assume these wavs are being put on by the partners if so then they are at a disadvantage to other uber drivers with higher start up costs

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

this is correct, a firm around here started another branch of the firm with a different name, only ph wav cars, ( they were on already as ph cars anyway but just recovered any wav jobs as they were on normal rates ) they had no set fares to airports/ the town etc unlike the other part of the firm, & the lads who had "wavs" & were working for the ph company in the first place had another tariff added to there meter ( higher), the only thing they had to do was change there door mag stickers to the name of the new firm on a higher tariff when picking up a wav fare, once dropped off, put the old ones back on, & carry on as normal, on a side note , as i have said before , me personally , i think they should be on higher rates for a wav job, all the messing about , also able bodied people don't get mobility allowance which is supposed to be used for transport costs, so why not cut there mobility allowance now then? everyone is equal? ( obviously not for the severely disabled who cant work, but some of them still hold a job down after all), surely they don't need it if they are working , they are equal with all workers & they get extra cash for transport? why? (i work & don't get mobility & if i got a cab i would have to pay full fare)

Yes.

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IDFIMH

They've got taxis on Uber in London anyway so they've been able to offer WAV service before now.

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!