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Free Now, Ireland’s leading taxi application, has agreed to a long-term partnership with the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA), an association committed to provide equal rights and opportunities for people with physical disabilities, in an attempt to improve transport accessibility in Ireland. This partnership forms part of Free Now’s latest “Make a Move” initiative which aspires to create a more sustainable and inclusive society where everyone can enjoy equal opportunities to travel, work and socialise.

 

As part of the partnership, Free Now will work closely with the IWA charity to raise funds and create awareness of the transport and mobility challenges facing wheelchair users. Free Now has already contributed an initial donation of €40,000 to the IWA to kick-off their fundraising effort. At present, Free Now is providing commission free jobs on all wheelchair accessible trips for their drivers to encourage them to provide wheelchair accessible vehicle services and to improve in-app services by increasing the number of WAV drivers that are available. Other initiatives include:

 

1. Training and education: Free Now drivers will be provided with disability awareness training to improve passenger experience.

 

2. In-app improvements: It is planned that in-app improvements will be made to the Free Now app to make it easier for persons with disabilities to access and use.

 

3. Free Now and IWA’s National Mobility Conference: A virtual ‘National Mobility Conference’ will be hosted by the IWA in autumn of 2021 to bring the transport industry and mobility sector together to discuss mobility accessibility in Ireland.

 

Rosemary Keogh, CEO of the Irish Wheelchair Association, said that the IWA is delighted to have this new partnership with Free Now and noted that Free Now has really taken the time to understand the transport and mobility challenges faced by their members. Transport is key to people with physical disabilities in realising their independence, and they look forward to being able to shape an environment where all can access safe and convenient public transportation options.

 

For the link to the IWA’s full statement, please click on the link

 

For more information on Free Now’s “Make a Move” initiative, follow the link

 

Alternatively, if you need further information on how to make facilities or services more accessible and inclusive, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on (01) 415 12 85 or e-mail [email protected]