Uber, Mphasis launch services to help senior citizens, disabled passengers

Global ride-hailing company Uber on Tuesday announced the launch of two new products uberACCESS and uberASSIST in Bengaluru, supported by Mphasis, a leading cloud and cognitive services provider, as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.

With an aim to address day-to-day transportation requirements of senior citizens and those with accessibility needs, riders can request uberASSIST rides starting today and will soon be able to book uberACCESS rides, the forward-facing wheelchair accessible product, on-demand, Uber said in a statement.

To access uberASSIST/uberACCESS in Bengaluru:

1. Open the Uber app

2. Enter destination

3. Slide to the right and select uberASSIST/uberACCESS

4. Confirm pick-up location and request ride

Trained and certified by Diversity and Equal Opportunity Centre (DEOC), all driver-partners are equipped with required skills to assist passengers with accessibility needs as well as those who need additional assistance during their ride, it added.

"At Uber, we believe in creating transportation options that fit every rider's need. The launch of uberASSIST and uberACCESS furthers our efforts in this direction....We aim to make these services available in more cities across the country," Amit Jain, President, Uber India and South Asia said.

uberACCESS offers 50 retrofitted vehicles, with heightened roof and hydraulic wheelchair lift on-demand.

uberASSIST is an option for those who require additional assistance and has a fleet of 500 vehicles accommodate to foldable wheelchairs.