SINGAPORE — Dozens of drivers from private-car sharing app Uber are now ready to help passengers with mobility problems, having completed a one-day course on disability equality.
Under uberASSIST, which was launched yesterday (Oct 29), drivers who are part of this specially-designed service will be able to provide additional assistance not just to physically-disabled passengers, but also to other groups such as senior citizens and the visually-impaired. uberASSIST vehicles can also accommodate most folding wheelchairs, walkers and scooters.
A 26-year-old Uber driver, who wants to be known only as Sham, is among those who have been handpicked to join uberASSIST due to the good ratings given to them by their passengers.
With a rating of 4.8 out of 5 and six months’ experience as an Uber driver under his belt, Sham said about two out of 10 of his passengers had mobility issues.
Sham said in the past, he would often go with the flow when dealing with such passengers. But after attending the course, developed and conducted by disabled trainers from consultancy firm LevelField, he learnt the dos and don’ts in handling such people.
“I learnt that being overzealous is not good, and I’ve learnt to understand their needs better,” said Sham.
“One (part) of the training included blindfolding us and letting us experience how it felt if (the driver) took away my walking stick… it was an eye-opener for me,” he added.
According to a National Council of Social Service estimate, more than 110,000 Singaporeans have some form of disability.
Disabled People’s Association’s executive director Dr Marissa Lee said a service such as uberASSIST is “an important step towards an inclusive society” as it allows persons with disabilities and senior citizens with mobility issues to be “given as many choices as possible”.
She said: “Back in the days, disability is quite a taboo subject. It’s very much about learning how to engage persons with disabilities on an individual basis, so it’s about being okay with asking and understanding their needs. If they say that they don’t need help, then they don’t need help – at least you asked.”
National para-athlete Theresa Goh, said uberASSIST will help persons with disabilities to feel more at ease.
Although she hoped that all drivers can eventually be trained to handle persons with disabilities, the 28-year-old added: “I understand that there are some drivers who have a little bit of physical impairments (themselves) too, like bad backs or something, so they cannot carry something heavy like a wheelchair”.
Uber hopes to fully add wheelchair accessible vehicles to its platform early next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment