by Shaun Heasley | October 15, 2024
Foot traffic streams past Uber offices in San Francisco. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/TNS)
Uber is rolling out new features to assist riders with disabilities and is adding training for drivers to help better accommodate them.
The ride-sharing company said this month that it will offer riders who are deaf or hard of hearing as well as those who are blind or who have low vision the option to self-identify on the app and set communication preferences.
Riders will be able to choose if they wish to be contacted by chat, phone or both. In cases where riders select chat, for example, drivers will not be given the ability to call them, Uber said.
"If a rider chooses to share this information, their driver will be notified of how the rider self-identifies and their communication preferences after they accept a trip request and at pickup," Chris Yoon, product manager for equity at Uber, said in announcing the updates. "With these new features, our hope is to create a more efficient way of communicating needs and preferences for both riders and drivers from pickup to drop off."
Meanwhile, Uber said that it will send all of its drivers an educational video this month about service animals that was created in partnership with blind and service animal advocacy organizations and training centers.
"The video includes information about the vital role of service animals, tips for transporting them and a reminder that it is against Uber's policy and illegal to deny someone a ride because of their service animal," Yoon said.
Uber also said that it is piloting a self-identification option for riders with service animals. During the pilot phase, a small group of volunteers in the U.S. and Canada will be able to choose to automatically let drivers know in advance that they are accompanied by a service animal.
Information gleaned from the test group will inform future work to improve the Uber experience for riders with service animals, the company said.
Foot traffic streams past Uber offices in San Francisco. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/TNS)
Uber is rolling out new features to assist riders with disabilities and is adding training for drivers to help better accommodate them.
The ride-sharing company said this month that it will offer riders who are deaf or hard of hearing as well as those who are blind or who have low vision the option to self-identify on the app and set communication preferences.
Riders will be able to choose if they wish to be contacted by chat, phone or both. In cases where riders select chat, for example, drivers will not be given the ability to call them, Uber said.
"If a rider chooses to share this information, their driver will be notified of how the rider self-identifies and their communication preferences after they accept a trip request and at pickup," Chris Yoon, product manager for equity at Uber, said in announcing the updates. "With these new features, our hope is to create a more efficient way of communicating needs and preferences for both riders and drivers from pickup to drop off."
Meanwhile, Uber said that it will send all of its drivers an educational video this month about service animals that was created in partnership with blind and service animal advocacy organizations and training centers.
"The video includes information about the vital role of service animals, tips for transporting them and a reminder that it is against Uber's policy and illegal to deny someone a ride because of their service animal," Yoon said.
Uber also said that it is piloting a self-identification option for riders with service animals. During the pilot phase, a small group of volunteers in the U.S. and Canada will be able to choose to automatically let drivers know in advance that they are accompanied by a service animal.
Information gleaned from the test group will inform future work to improve the Uber experience for riders with service animals, the company said.
