Uber is getting flack in DC for its lack of wheelchair-accessible vans

D.C.’s options for on-demand ride services whittle down considerably when you have a physical disability.
Only about 100 vans in the city can take on motorized wheelchairs — and none of those are part of Uber’s fleet, according to a report by WAMU.
Uber has tried to form partnerships with cab companies that operate some of these wheelchair-accessible vans.
That didn’t work out.
“I don’t know exactly what the problem is,” Uber’s D.C. general manager, Zuhairah Washington, told WAMU. “I think our technology is a way to provide better accessibility through partnership.”
In the meantime, lawmakers are thinking about passing legislation that could compel Uber to increase its accessible fleet, but without disrupting its footing here in D.C.
In October, the D.C. Council passed one of the friendliest ridesharing bills in the country, hailed by Uber chief strategist David Plouffe as a “model for the rest of the country and maybe the world.”
Councilwoman Mary Cheh is considering whether to expand grants for drivers who want to purchase wheelchair-accessible vans to those who work with ridesharing companies.
Uber, Lyft and Sidecar are due to submit accessibility plans by January.
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