Metro Mobility adds new option to help people with disabilities get around easier
Getting around town can be tough for some, but a new transportation option is looking to ease the burden for people with disabilities in the Twin Cities metro.
The Premium on Demand program (POD) is designed to help people like Prince Cole maintain an active lifestyle.
"It's what I use to get around to my daily activities, appointments, to socialize and to do communtiy engagement," Cole said.
Polio confined Cole to a wheelchair since he was a young man in West Africa. Traditionally, he has relied on Metro Mobility.
"Metro Mobility don't come the same day. You have to book it for another day, so that's the reason I would miss some of my appointments," he said.
UZURV has been contracted by the Met Council to be a POD program provider.
"We've seen a lot of increased interest as people have gotten used to Uber and Lyft," Andy Streasick, the assistant director of Metropolitan Transportation Services, said.
But those services can't accommodate many from the disabled community. Cost is also a benefit for the added service.
"The customer is responsible for the first $5 and then Metro Mobility pays the next $20," Streasick said. "Anything over that, the customer is responsible."
It's an expanded freedom of choice for Cole's transportation needs.
"The company will allow me to be more independent," he said.
Metro Mobility riders can book rides with UZURV right now. For more information, click here.