Uber reaches out to the elderly and those with disabilities

Uber has brought its specialised feature uberASSIST to Hong Kong for the elderly, those with disabilities and others with mobility or accessibility needs.UberASSIST is a scheme developed with training for Uber driver-partners and input from a host of local NGOs.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7mWCDeCScMDrivers for uberASSIST are all from Uber Hong Kong with only the top ones in terms of ratings and experience being selected. They are trained in a one-day course delivered by three NGOs, including the SAHK Institute of Rehabilitation Practice, Silence, and the Hong Kong Blind Union.Through both theory and practical training, the driver-partners will learn the necessary knowledge and safety requirements to help people with different accessibility needs, to communicate with the hard-of-hearing with basic sign language, to assist riders into vehicles, and to accommodate folding wheelchairs, walkers and scooters.So far, 45 drivers from Uber Hong Kong have volunteered to join the scheme. The number is developing slowly with the scheme being a “long-run solution”.Drivers in the scheme will have the same commission of 25% as all other Uber drivers.For passengers, the option can be activated within the Uber Hong Kong app. The new service is priced the same as UberX fares.For a large section of Hong Kong’s population, getting around isn’t always easy. According to the Census and Statistics Department, 8% of the population in Hong Kong – or one out of every 12 people – has a disability (excluding intellectual disabilities).Also, Hong Kong’s population is rapidly ageing, with the proportion of people 65 and over expected to rise from 15% in 2014 to 23% in 2024 and 30% in 2034, according to government projections.“At Uber, our mission is to make transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere and for everyone,” said Kenneth She, head of operations at Uber Hong Kong.“UberASSIST is a central part of this because it helps populations such as the elderly and those with disabilities who have traditionally had less reliable, more limited access to transportation.“That’s why we’re offering uberASSIST services around the world – in the US, UK, Australia, India, Singapore, Taiwan, and more – and why we’ve worked hard to bring this to Hong Kong.”Hong Kong is the third market uberASSIST has reached in Asia following Singapore and Taiwan, while Macau and Japan are in the pipeline.