A recent incident in Pune city shows how disabled people still face problems while using Uber. Disability rights activist Diksha Dinde was refused rides by multiple drivers on May 14 just because she uses a wheelchair. The first driver simply said no to her ride, saying her wheelchair might damage his car’s seats. This shows how some drivers don’t understand the basic rights of disabled passengers.
Things got worse when two more drivers cancelled her ride, and then a fourth driver also said no. What’s more unfair is that Dinde had to pay a cancellation fee even though it wasn’t her fault. This kind of behavior shows how wheelchair users in India often face unfair treatment when trying to use taxi services like Uber.
After facing this bad experience, Dinde shared her story on social media. She asked Uber and other taxi companies to add special cars that can easily carry wheelchairs. Her story has made many people think about how taxi services should be made better for disabled people, including proper training for drivers.
This problem shows that India still needs to do more to help disabled people travel easily, even though there are laws to protect their rights. Many disabled people who live in cities need taxis for daily travel, but most taxi services don’t have cars that can carry wheelchairs properly.
People are now talking about making it compulsory for taxi companies to have some cars with wheelchair ramps and proper seat belts for wheelchairs. Experts say this won’t only help disabled people but also make our cities better for everyone. They suggest that companies like Uber should have a special option to book wheelchair-friendly cars.
The incident has led to demands for strict rules about how taxi services should help disabled passengers. People want the government to make sure drivers are taught how to help disabled passengers and stop treating them unfairly.
As more people use taxis in cities, it’s important that everyone, including disabled people, can use these services easily and without facing any problems.
The incident has sparked discussions in Pune’s education sector about including disability awareness training in transportation service curricula.
