When it comes to handicap accessibility, it’s no secret that public transportation in a number of cities is given a failing grade—taxis and rental cars are also ill equipped to accommodate wheelchairs.
So it was not surprising, but still frustrating, when a woman from Paris, France visited Florida and found she couldn’t find a wheelchair-accessible ride around town.
Once Charlotte de Vilmorin arrived back home, she decided to create her own solution in the form of a company called Wheeliz.
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An “Uber” for people with disabilities, Wheeliz pairs the owners of handicap accessible vehicles equipped with lifts and other amenities to people who need them.
While there are 100,000 adapted cars in existence throughout the city of Paris, very few of them are in use all the time. Her business, therefore, earns drivers some extra cash while creating more transportation options for people who need them.
“I really believe there is an opportunity there for the collaborative economy and sharing economy to make mobility more accessible for wheelchair users,” she told Mashable.
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Currently, there are 900 registered Wheeliz users—including tourists who intend to visit the city—taking advantage of 120 available cars.
If her vision pans out, Wheeliz will, one day, go global.
Photo: Wheeliz, Youtube
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