Gett hosts door-to-door transport user forum

Gett, the black cab app and leading on-demand mobility company in the UK, has held the first of several planned forums with the users of door-to-door accessible transport schemes.

The inaugural forum, hosted in East London and facilitated and moderated by leading accessible transport advocacy organisation Transport For All, saw a cross section of elderly and disabled transport users provide valuable insights into their experiences with all of the accessible door-to-door transport schemes available in their local boroughs.

The topics of the forum ranged from the types of door-to-door transport services used to the experiences of the users of those schemes, both good and bad, and what can be done to improve the accessibility and convenience of door-to-door transport for elderly travellers and those with sensory or physical impairments.

Gett also presented a range of innovative solutions to make the booking of ground transport, as well as managing the number of trips a user is entitled to under any of the various door-to-door schemes, easier and more accessible.

Gett demonstrated technical and supply-chain solutions to bring more accessible taxis to the immediate availability of users of door-to door transport schemes whilst ensuring a high degree of care and attention.

Matteo de Renzi, CEO for Gett UK attended the forum and commented: “Getting such a wide range of views on what works and what needs improving in door-to-door accessible transport has been invaluable as we strive to ensure Gett provides the most inclusive on-demand transport service in the UK. Meeting so many users of various schemes is always enlightening and reassures us that Gett is making the right moves in ensuring taxis are more accessible and providing those less able to use other modes of transport with a convenient and affordable way to travel.

“We have the largest fleet of accessible vehicles in the UK, so we want to make sure elderly and disabled transport users have the best possible access to that service, and we are committed to enabling every taxi in every major city in the UK to service this group of transport users, who have otherwise limited options. Our mix of convenient and accessible technology, accessible vehicles and ‘fixed fares’ confirmed before the ride has started means Gett is well placed to provide an inclusive and accountable service to all.”

To ensure a balanced mix of views, Gett commissioned Transport For All, the organisation dedicated to championing the rights of disabled and elderly people to travel with independence and freedom, to help co-ordinate the forum.

Alan Benson, Chair of Transport for All and well respected disability campaigner and activist said: “Whilst accessibility standards are rising in London, large parts of the transport network remain inaccessible, that’s why we are passionate about helping to make door-to-door transport more inclusive and convenient for elderly and disabled users.

“Transport for All is keen to see as many providers of transport services as possible gauge the needs and experiences of disabled and elderly transport users so services can be better tailored to their specific needs. We hope to do further work with Gett supporting them in their effort to better serve disabled and older customers”

Views raised in the forum ranged from a need to improve the means of requesting and tracking transport requests to clear pricing and good quality training for those delivering door-to-door transport services. Demonstrations of how technology can be made simpler, clearer and more accessible were well received, as were proposals to make it easier for taxis and local cab firms to service door-to-door schemes with better protection for the travellers.

Gett is Europe’s largest taxi service and caters for over 300 million passengers across 100 cities globally. In the United Kingdom Gett operates on-demand transport services in 24 cities and is committed to making ground transport more inclusive and accessible.

Gett is already the exclusive taxi provider to the assist-Mi app for disabled transport users and through its acquisition of London based transport services Radio Taxis and One Transport has the largest multi-modal supply of on-demand transport in London, servicing private corporate clients as well as public sector contracts for London Underground Limited.

Transport for London spends over £49 million on door-to-door services each year, with schemes such as Taxicard enabling over 100,000 members to take around 1.5 million trips per year, while services such as Dial-a-Ride carry around 1.3 million passengers free of charge on shared, accessible bus services across the London boroughs.