People with disabilities in India comprise approximately 2.21% of its total population, suggests the population census of 2011. People with disabilities often feel marginalized and neglected. Transportation is a vital component of living independently. Like others, people with disabilities rely on public or private transport to move from one place to another. Inaccessible means of transport hinder their full participation in society. Therefore, it makes sense to include their views/suggestions and work alongside decision-makers in creating accessible transportation systems.
Those days of waiting on the streets, and hailing taxis are long gone. Ride-hailing platforms like Ola and Uber have long since replaced them. With doorstep pick up and drop-offs, along with reasonable pricing, they are now the go-to app when people want to travel from point A to B. However, people with disabilities often face multiple barriers when using their services. Even though there exist ride-hailing services like KickStart Cabs and Mobicab, which cater to wheelchair users, they are yet to gain mainstream popularity.
The Problem
When we think of traveling, we try and ensure it is comfortable and hassle-free. People with disabilities need to think twice before they leave home, as current transportation systems are inaccessible. Buses, cabs, rickshaws, and trains are a headache for people with disabilities to use regularly. People with speech and hearing impairments may find it tough to communicate with cab/auto-rickshaw drivers on their own.
For instance, if we take a look at popular ride-sharing apps like Ola and Uber, it’s clear to see the limited options for a rider to contact the driver. At the time of this project, the only way for a rider to communicate with the driver was only by calling him/her. Except for the pickup location, time of arrival, and the vehicle number, there is very little information shared between the driver and the rider. There is no way for the rider/customer to inform the driver if he/she requires any assistance during the journey. From the driver’s perspective, he/she has no idea what to expect from the rider. Even with the latest GPS technology, it is sometimes difficult for the driver to locate their customers. Just try standing below a flyover, and booking a cab. The easiest thing to do would be to call the driver and guide them to your location. Now imagine the same situation where you have a hearing or speech impairment. Frustrating, to say the least. Back in the day, wheelchair users didn’t even have the option of using ride-sharing apps.
Of course, with time, we can expect things to improve. The Uber app now offers rides for wheelchair users and people who require assistance. However, the option for riders to specify what kind of assistance they are looking for is missing. The availability of these rides is also an issue at times. Both, riders and drivers now have the option of communicating through chat as well.
Approach
We began by going through various journals, news articles, blogs, and videos to understand the magnitude of the problem. These sources revealed to us the different barriers people with disabilities face, existing government initiatives towards countering these barriers, and the proposed interventions planned for the future. We managed to establish contact with a few people having hearing or speech impairments, who were kind enough to help us by sharing their experiences and suggestions through interviews.
We also conducted several semi-structured interviews with various drivers from Ola and Uber. This included making several round trips across the city. These interviews helped us understand their point of view when interacting with customers who require assistance. It was clear to see there was a communication gap between drivers and customers. No doubt, these apps help people move from point A to B, but they do very little to build empathy between them.
Empathy Mapping
Based on our understanding of the various interviews, videos, and literature, we created an empathy map. We tried identifying the problems faced by our target users and then listed out their pain points. This helped us identify the type of intervention we could implement to make the ride-sharing experience better for them.
Role-playing different scenarios helped us identify potential gaps in our approach to the problem. The whole exercise made us reconsider certain aspects of our design intervention.
Persona & Journey Mapping
We came up with two user personas that highlights their experience through the entire process of using a ride-sharing service. It helped us identify at which stages of the journey they faced difficulties, and also what aspects frustrated them.
There were some common, as well as unique problems that both of our users faced. For example, both the users had difficulty communicating with the driver about the pickup location after booking a ride.
Task Flow & Conversation Mapping
Next, we tried to understand the logical flow of tasks from the perspective of both- rider and driver. This helped us in identifying the possible points of interactions between the two. The role-play scenarios which we did earlier fit into this. These scenarios include the generic conversations which could potentially take place between the rider and driver throughout a journey.
Intervention
- The option to request for assistance is not something explicit to people with disabilities. It can also extend to people who may be nursing an injury, the elderly, or pregnant women.
- This option should be available during the process of booking a vehicle. The rider/customer can choose from a range of assistance options before selecting a ride of their choice.
- By doing so, it ensures the driver is informed about the rider’s needs. Also, the rider is assured a hassle-free experience since they know the driver coming to pick them up is aware of their requirements.
- This feature ensures ride-sharing services are accessible to a broader audience who would otherwise feel compelled to opt for more expensive options. The rider’s confidence in ride-sharing platforms also increases, prompting them to return as customers in the future.
- The rider/customer need not feel dependent on their kin to facilitate their movement. Now, they can move independently and participate in society freely.
- Incentives to drivers who complete such trips could be an option.
- The addition of the chat feature, which at the time of this project was not available on the app, has made communication between rider and driver easier. Further improvement on this feature should include the ability to translate texts/voice inputs from one language to another. Useful in scenarios where the rider and driver cannot understand each other at all due to a language barrier.
Conclusion
Going forward, we would like to see this feature implemented across all ride-sharing apps. We hope the cars (or at least the cabs) in the future come equipped with foldable seats to accommodate wheelchairs. We also felt our proposed solution is applicable only for users who use ride-sharing apps and does very little for people using public transport.
Our research gave us insights into how people with disabilities and ride-sharing platforms don’t work hand in hand. We also felt the compelling need for greater coordination between governments, public transport operators, and people with disabilities for a more inclusive society.