Traveling More Independently
Using iPhone Apps
Mike May
President and founder of Sendero Group, accessible GPS
Advisor to Uber
CTEBVI Conference
Friday, April 8, 2016
What is Rideshare and who is Uber?
Mission: “Provide transportation as reliable as
running water”
Available in over 400 cites and 69 countries
Options may vary in other cities
What are the benefits of
rideshare for everyone?
Low cost
Quick availability
Nice cars
Pleasant drivers
GPS trackable trip
No cash payments: automatically charged to
one’s online account
• Expense label if desired
• Easy driver rating system
• Easy to report issues
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Far better in all these respects than using taxis
The best independence tool so far
this century for blind people
I have used Uber in many places and situations
Additional services like:
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Uber Eats
Uber Rush
Child car-seats and
More coming, potentially for ambulatory paratransit
Preparing your Uber Account
• Set up your account before you are ready for your first ride
• Get a free ride code from a friend
• Include more than one credit card if you wish to separate
work and personal trips
• Add emergency contacts to easily share your trip progress
• Add your home and work addresses for easy pick-up
selection
• Although you may submit a personal photo, the driver will
not see it
Request a ride
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Rate your last driver if you haven’t already
Choose your vehicle type
Enter “pick-up location” by address or POI
Check the ETA of the nearest driver
Select the field called, “Set pick-up location”
Optionally, enter the destination to view the estimated fare
Confirm all trip details
Request a ride
VoiceOver nuances of the Uber app
• Before you request a ride, the ETA shows the
approximate minutes to get a ride
• After your ride is on the way, the ETA is the
approximate time to pick you up
• Press the map pin button to reset the map to your
current location if you are not near an obvious
address
Meeting up with the driver
• Text the driver from the Contact driver button 3
minutes before arrival
• Choose a visible location for the driver to see you
• Hold your dog harness or cane visibly
• Note the first few digits of the vehicle license
number to share with a nearby sighted person
• Carry an Uber sign so the driver can spot you
Notes for guide dog users
Note you have a guide dog in your text message
Be extra clear that you are blind and this is a working dog
Quickly get the dog on the floor
Make sure the dog doesn’t sniff the driver
Carry a sticky roller or small towel to minimize dog hair
Rate the driver and use the comment field for noteworthy
service
• Two strikes and you are out policy
• Consider carefully if using Uber Pool with a guide dog
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Safety Considerations
• All drivers have background checks
• Enter your destination and choose the Share button so
someone can track your progress
• When you connect with the driver, ask them who they
are looking for so you can confirm they are there for you.
• Use your own accessible GPS to follow the route if you
have one
• Confirm you are at your correct destination before
getting out
Reporting a Problem
• Rate a ride 1 star and choose the issue to report
• Choose Help from the Menu and follow the
prompts to report a problem
• Reply to your email receipt
• Use the History button to review recent rides
Room for improvement
• Better ways to connect the driver and the blind rider
• Have the color of the vehicle available to VoiceOver
users
• Make the visual map features accessible through
voice prompts
• Adding more cities and more drivers in small cities
• Increasing driver awareness about guide dogs and
nuances of accessibility
In Summary
• Uber has totally changed how I work and play
as a blind person
• As with any technology or service, there is
potential for improvements
• Perhaps a private driver is better than a selfdriving car
For more Information
http://www.CrashingThrough.com
http://www.AccessibleGPS.com
http://www.uber.com