[AutonomousVehicles] Lyft Partners with Autonomous Company and NFB to Provide Rides to Blind and Partially Sighted Passengers

[Cornelius Butler]

Lyft Partners with Autonomous Company and NFB to Provide Rides to Blind and
Partially Sighted Passengers

July 11, 2019 9:42 am

Lyft announced it will partner with autonomous vehicle (AV) company Aptiv
and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to provide self-driven rides
to blind and low-vision passengers as part of its Las Vegas pilot program.

The partnership will include creating Braille guides for blind people who
ride in Lyft AVs, with a Braille route map and a diagram of an Aptiv AV.
There will also be sensors and other technology in the car to inform riders
about their surroundings as they travel.
Lyft said the partnership is part of an overall goal of providing
transportation and “better mobility solutions” to everyone, especially
those most in need of help getting around.

This is not Lyft’s first venture into the arena of providing
disabled-access rides. In 2016, Lyft partnered with the Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority’s paratransit service to offer on-demand rides to
people with mobility challenges, allowing users to order rides in real-time
instead of booking a day in advance. That model has been replicated in
several cities across the country, including Tallahassee, FL and Columbus,
Ohio.

Lyft said it has already given over 50,000 AV rides in Las Vegas since the
pilot program’s inception in just over a year. The company’s newest
offering should help make the product more accessible and foster greater
conversation around blind passengers’ rights, inclusive public policy and
expanding transportation options.

As AVs become more commonplace, both in Las Vegas and other cities, these
initiatives will be key to ensure that certain members of the community are
not left behind. Organizations like the Blind Institute of Technology (BIT)
have been strong advocates to ensure that the voices of people with
disabilities are not left out of the conversation, and Lyft’s latest
partnership shows that cities and technology companies are taking note.
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Source: Lyft

Article Link:
https://coolblindtech.com/lyft-partners-with-autonomous-company-and-nfb-to-provide-rides-to-blind-and-partially-sighted-passengers/


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