Uber Champions Hong Kong’s Para-athletes and Upgrades Uber Assist for Hassle-free Transport
Written byUber is partnering with the Sports Association for the Physically Disabled of Hong Kong, China (HKSAPD) to provide airport taxi trips for Hong Kong’s 15 para-athletes to go to Paris and offer year-round Uber Taxi trips, ensuring hassle-free Hong Kong airport commutes for para-athletes to participate in international competitions. Additionally, Uber is enhancing its Uber Assist product with 4 upgraded features, together with a 10% discount for 10 Uber Assist hospital trips with 1 year validity, aiming to provide comprehensive transport support to individuals with diverse needs in Hong Kong, including the elderly, pregnant people, and people with disabilities.
Partnering with HKSAPD to support para-athletes
“We are thrilled to partner with HKSAPD to support para-athletes to chase after their dreams in Paris and at all their competitions internationally. With the vision to make Hong Kong’s transportation system more accessible, We’re honoured to sponsor these athletes. We hope Uber Taxi can help them travel hassle-free, allowing them to reserve all their energy and sweat on the field (or pool) and get a medal home.” said Estyn Chung, General Manager of Uber HK.
The sponsorship includes taxi trips to and from the Hong Kong airport for 15 para-athletes to go to Paris ; and year-round Uber Taxi trips for over 130 para-athletes commute to and from Hong Kong airport to participate in international competitions.
Enhancing/promoting 4 features to meet the city’s diverse transportation needs
As we step up to support our city’s journey to glory in international competitions, Uber will strengthen the support provided to the wider community to promote 4 features of Uber Assist – a special type of ride option that offers assistance to senior citizens, pregnant women, people who have physical disabilities and individuals with accessibility needs. Those riding with Uber Assist will have access to 10 trips with 10% discounted fares to or from the public hospitals with 1 year validity.
Uber is increasing effort to enable up to 300 trained drivers to be available to take Uber Assist trips, and is expected to reduce the waiting time for riders and improve trip experience. Uber app users can also pre-book Uber Assist rides up to 90 days in advance with Uber’s Reserve feature, so that they can arrange their commute to anywhere ahead of time quickly and comfortably.
Uber is also updating in-app pick-up information at the majority of the city’s public hospitals. To assist riders travelling to and from these hospitals, Uber app is providing comprehensive wayfinding and walking guides that show the way to in-app pickup locations. This helps to avoid confusion and allows riders to focus on their health and well-being. Riders can also share their real-time locations with their Uber Assist drivers, so they can easily locate riders in crowded areas, or in a scenario where there are difficulties in communicating their exact location.
Safety is Uber’s top priority, all trips booked through the Uber app are insured and equipped with multiple safety features, such as emergency assistance button which allows riders to call and get help whenever necessary; 24/7 incident support, GPS tracking and trip sharing allows riders to share their trip status with family members or caregivers, providing peace of mind for all involved.
Tony Ng, General Secretary of HKSAPD, said “We’re excited to have Uber Taxi’s support as we embark on our journey to Paris! Reliable and accessible transport is invaluable to our athletes and makes certain they can travel to and from the airport to participate in international competitions easily and comfortably. This partnership is just the start, paving the way for a more inclusive and accessible transportation landscape in Hong Kong.”
Expected Major Uber Assist Enhancements | |
Shorter waiting time | Increasing number of trained drivers to take Uber Assist trips, riders can expect shorter waiting time for their rides to arrive at the pick-up points. |
Wayfinding at public hospitals | Updating in-app pick-up information, wayfinding and walking guides at the majority of public hospitals, riders can find the pick-up points more easily. |
Location Sharing | Feature enabling riders to share their real-time locations with Uber Assist drivers to ensure smooth pick-ups. |
Uber Reserve | Riders can pre-book an Uber Assist ride for up to 90 days in advance. |