Uber has transformed the way millions of people with disabilities around the world move with more independence and safety. We deeply value our partners within the disability community, and our work together is critical as we continue building products that help make our platform more accessible for all.
Today, we’re excited to announce a suite of new features, built with the guidance of disability advocates and experts, that will help create a more dependable experience for riders. It is our hope that these changes will drive enhanced communication and reliability even further on Uber.
Rider self-identification
Riders who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and/or blind or low vision often worry about potential misunderstandings with drivers who are unaware of their disability. Nobody should have to stress about locating their driver’s vehicle or missing their ride.
This fall, we are giving riders around the world the choice to self-identify on the app and customize the following accessibility preferences all in one place:
- Hearing: riders can choose to disclose to drivers that they are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Vision: riders can choose to disclose to drivers that they are blind or low vision.
- Communication: communication preferences will be moved to the new Accessibility page where riders can continue to choose their preferred contact methods with drivers. For example, if you prefer to communicate via in-app chat, drivers will be notified of this preference and won’t have the ability to call you.
- 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. 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.
Self-identification pilot for riders with service animals
In a few weeks, we will begin piloting a new voluntary self-identification option with a small group of volunteers with service animals in the U.S. and Canada.
When requesting a trip, riders often message drivers ahead of time to let them know they’re traveling with a service animal. With this new pilot, riders will be able to self-identify as a service animal owner and can choose to automatically notify drivers ahead of time that they are traveling with their service animal.
We look forward to receiving feedback from the volunteers in this test group to help inform our ongoing work to improve the Uber experience and support processes for service animal handlers.
New service animal education for drivers
We know education is an important part of fostering inclusion and awareness on the Uber platform. Starting this month, we’re sending all drivers across the US a new service animal education video that was designed in partnership with leading 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. Every driver in the US will have access to the service animal education video in the driver learning center in their driver app.
We are grateful to our partners in the disability and service animal communities for their continued advocacy and contributions. Uber remains committed to building technology and policies that support accessibility for all.