Page 7 - June 2023 Newsletter

number and estimated time of arrival. A follow-up er Black matches riders with top-rated drivers in lux-
text message will be sent once the driver arrives at ury vehicles.
the pickup location. This means that the rides cannot
be requested using a landline. In 2020, Uber conducted a pilot program for 833-
USE-UBER in Arizona and Florida. In 2021 Lyft, Uber’s
About 1.3 percent of all adults live in households main competitor, introduced a similar service named
that have a landline phone only, according to Call a LyftRide, targeting older adults and those with-
a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sur- out access to the Lyft app in select cities in Florida.
vey spanning July to December 2022. About a quar-
ter have landlines but also access to a cellphone. Lyft did not immediately respond to an AARP inquiry
regarding its programs for older adults, caregivers
If a customer does not have an Uber account, an and people with disabilities. About 600,000 older
agent will create one for them. Payment is provided adults stop driving each year, according to USAging,
over the phone via credit card. The service comes the national association for Area Agencies on Ag-
with a $5 fee when requesting an UberX, the most ing. Providing accessible transportation methods al-
basic ride option Uber offers. Typically, cars are se- lows them to live independent lives longer.
dans or SUVs that can seat up to four passengers.

Reprint from AARP.org
The more expensive ride options don’t have a ser-
vice fee. This includes UberXL, which guarantees a
larger vehicle that can seat up to six passengers. Ub-