Estimates by the American Foundation for the Blind (ACB) suggest that there are 10 million blind or visually impaired individuals in the United States (U.S.). Access to safe and reliable transportation can be a significant challenge with additional consequences for mobility, quality of life and access to housing and employment. Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) have emerged as a new mode of travel that has the potential to increase access to transportation for BVI individuals. However, the opportunities and challenges for TNC use by BVI individuals has not been widely studied.
The goal of this research was to use both qualitative and quantitative methods to identify how the BVI community perceives the safety of TNCs relative to other travel modes, and how the BVI community utilizes TNCs for safe mobility. TTI researchers designed and implement a web survey, which captured data from the BVI community. The research design was informed by a focused literature review, comments from a BVI expert panel, and a focus group with members of the BVI community.
The findings of the research can be found in the full report.