Advocates demand Lyft provide similar ride share accessibility accommodations

Toronto disability advocates are pushing Lyft match wheelchair ride share accessibility services that Uber recently rolled out.

“Whether it’s Uber or a competitor, looking hard at accessibility is a vital component for any business. Regardless of who you are, you should not be restricted from a service” says Maayan Ziv, founder of accessibility-based technology firm AccessNow. In 2015 Ziv contributed to the conversation initially urging Uber to expand its services, leading to upgrades in their UberWAV service in early 2016. Called the UberWAV service, wheelchair users are able to request a vehicle from Uber that allows for ease of transit for wheelchair users at a comprable cost to their other services.

Lyft takes the commitment to ride share accessibility a step further with their Access Mode that allows users to order fully accessible vehicles with ramps in real time. Though only available in certain markets like New York and Boston, Lyft is slowly expanding their services to provide additional links to accessible third-party vehicle providers in U.S. cities.

You can find the Lyft wheelchair policy here. Lyft enters the Toronto market in December 2017.