Uber is bringing its wheelchair-friendly fleet of vehicles to the UK, launching UberWAV in London.
UberWAV stands for Uber Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle, meaning that cars are equipped with rear-entry ramps, winches and restraints to service disabled people. Wheelchair users will be able to travel with an additional passenger.
"UberWAV is our wheelchair accessible vehicle option, connecting riders with paratransit drivers in vehicles that are equipped with hydraulic ramps or lifts," Uber explained earlier this year.
The wheelchair-friendly service has already been available in more than 10 cities across the U.S., as well as in Sydney, Australia and Toronto, Canada.
UberWAV is now rolling out in London as well, carrying the same prices as UberX. The company has yet to mention whether the service will reach other UK cities in the future.
According to the BBC, Uber received help from accessibility charities to develop this service. Transport for All and Whizz-Kidz are standing behind the lunch of UberWAV, while Uber itself pledges to invest more than £1 million (about $1,443,923) over the next year and a half to establish the service.
"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," says Tom Elvidge, General Manager at Uber in London.
The BBC further reports that Uber will initially provide 55 vehicles, according to a spokesman, but plans to expand the available fleet to more than 100 wheelchair-friendly vehicles in the next few months.
"The launch of uberWAV is an important step forward in making convenient, safe and affordable transport available to everyone at the push of a button," adds Elvidge. "This new option will give wheelchair users an additional way of getting from A to B with fares on average 30 per cent cheaper than black cabs."
Prices play a very important role here, as people with disabilities often have to pay considerably more to get rides.
Uber reportedly expects wait times in the first few weeks of UberWAV in London to be roughly 25 minutes in Zones 1-2 and about 40 minutes in Zones 3-4.
To get a better idea of how UberWAV works, check out the video below.
