I attended Uber’s Reimagining Mobility summit and the Uber Assist Relaunch in Fourways, Johannesburg, expecting a standard corporate relaunch.
Tech events usually follow a predictable rhythm. Keynote, a demo, some jargon. Often delivered by men using 1,000 smart-sounding words to say absolutely nothing, especially when the topic is AI.
But this was different.
This event mattered, folks
Instead, we were presented with a series of raw, unfiltered conversations that reshaped how I think about transport, mobility, accessibility, and who gets to move.
And when AI did come up, it wasn’t just a buzzword thrown around to sound futuristic or pseudo-intellectual.
It was about real tools driven by people outside the default settings of tech (I’m going to say it… overwhelmingly white, male, and able-bodied, shaping systems in their own image, often without even realising it.).
The room wasn’t filled with investors or growth metrics. It was filled with people. Advocates, wheelchair users, Deaf professionals, caregivers, parents, and NGO leaders.
All demanding something that should’ve been obvious long ago: transport that works for everyone.
Uber Assist: Reimagining Mobility summit
Uber South Africa, in partnership with Shonaquip, is relaunching Uber Assist with a bold promise: train 1,200+ drivers in disability awareness by October 2025.
That includes hands-on training, service animal protocols, new in-app features, and (more crucially) a cultural shift!
Here’s what went down.
Centring lived experiences
Uber South Africa used the event to announce a major partnership with Shonaquip Social Enterprise, aimed at redesigning disability transport from the ground up.
The centrepiece? A national driver training programme that goes beyond ticking boxes. A training programme built with communities, not just about them.
Training includes accredited modules, in-person and online learning, and annual refreshers. Uber Assist, once a nice-to-have toggle, is now being rebuilt as a core feature of the platform.
Deepesh Thomas, Uber’s General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, said at the launch that true inclusion can’t be achieved through scale alone. “It takes design, intention, and trusted partnerships.”
And those partnerships were front and centre.
Government’s call to action
Deputy Minister Mmapaseka Letsike, from the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, delivered the keynote address virtually.
“Inclusive mobility is not a nice-to-have. It is a constitutional right and a national imperative.”
Moreover, the minister says this relaunch is aligned with social justice and how technology can make a difference. But importantly, it has to be done with “dignity, affordability, safety.”
Minister Letsike applauded Uber’s effort: “When platforms like Uber step up with structured action, we move closer to real equity.”
Now, it’s up to other mobility platforms to follow suit. Policy needs to evolve. Data collection needs to be inclusive. Infrastructure must be universal.
Community-led. Because it has to be
There was a panel. Yes. But it wasn’t a token panel. Uber ceded the floor to experts who live the experience.
One of those powerful voices was Dr Ashley Subbiah, from the South African National Council for the Blind. He unpacked the difference between designing for versus with disabled communities. He said one cannot claim to build inclusive systems if you don’t involve those most affected from the start.
Also on the panel was Tarryn Tomlinson, founder of Able2Travel. She challenged corporates to stop treating accessibility like an afterthought.
Tomlinson recalled a trip to the Radisson in Cape Town, booked by friends flying in from Johannesburg. They had chosen the venue with her in mind, knowing her access needs.
As the group settled in and began ordering, their waiter pointed to a sign indicating that he was Deaf. He could lipread and confidently took down their full order without issue.
Tomlinson described the silence that followed after he left: how every able-bodied person at the table was gobsmacked. The moment felt beautiful and powerful, not just because the waiter had done his job, but because of the joy and pride on his face.
It stayed with them. The same group went on to book that hotel three more times, simply because, as she explained, it was a brand that genuinely cared.
Rebuilding Uber Assist
The upgraded Uber Assist product now includes:
- A dedicated fleet to reduce reliability issues
- New app features, like service animal ID
- Driver training via Shonaquip
- In-app rider support prompts
- Ongoing engagement with disability advocates
The presentation slides made one thing clear: this is a structural shift. The Uber team also acknowledged past failures.
Riders reported being declined for having service animals. Drivers were confused about folding wheelchairs. The new rollout aims to fix that and to keep making changes to bring mobility and accessibility for everyone.
Access before assumptions
Progress is uneven, and it’s okay to admit that. Briana Gilmore, Head of Global Accessibility Policy, says sometimes they get it wrong. But that’s the thing. This version of Uber Assist is being built to evolve, not just get it launched and then forget about it.
Gilmore challenged the room to rethink how demand is measured.
“You can’t truly gauge demand until you supply something,” she said.
Uber had previously promoted a product designed specifically for senior riders, but uptake was low. For years, the assumption lingered that seniors simply weren’t interested.
But the truth is, it wasn’t made accessible to them.
Gilmore said this pattern isn’t unique to transport. It applies to broader social systems that often misread disinterest, when the real issue is exclusion.
Shonaquip x Uber Assist
Shonaquip, a leader in assistive technology and inclusion, is spearheading the driver training programme. The focus will be on understanding how disability shapes every decision, emotion and mobility.
Caren Pretorius, their occupational therapist and seating practitioner, says the training modules go deeper than just “how to help.”
They cover everything from drivers’ current perceptions of disability, the types of disability and disability etiquette, right down to hands-on skills for assisting wheelchair users or handling certain emergencies.
The goal of the training programme is to rebuild a system that listens, adapts, and improves.
“Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident,” Pretorius says. “It takes awareness, skills and the right training.
“When [a driver is] equipped with the right knowledge to serve every passenger with respect and understanding, they can help get this into reality. One passenger, one journey at a time, they can create a welcome and inclusive transport system.”
The NGOs in the room
The event also featured exhibit booths from key advocacy partners:
Deaf Empowerment Firm (DEF)
DEF was represented by Tebello Khatiti, who explained that Deaf riders often experience communication breakdowns. Technology can either widen the accessibility gap or close it entirely.
For Deaf users, Khatiti explained, communication with drivers is often nonexistent.
And when it does happen, it can be overwhelming. Just trying to tell a driver where you’re going can turn you into an object of attention, drawing stares from others.
Khatiti said features that reduce the need for spoken interaction – like being able to input a destination in an app – make transport services more accessible. But it’s not enough.
Government should invest in such technologies because many in the Deaf community depend on them to navigate the world. Simple tools like touchscreen ordering systems in fast food restaurants reduce stress and avoid miscommunication.
For Khatiti, tech “is life-changing”. Subtitles in media. Accessibility in apps. Interfaces that remove communication barriers. These are not luxuries. They’re essential.
SAB Foundation
SAB Foundation highlighted its role in funding inclusive startups and empowering entrepreneurs with disabilities. Their initiatives have helped launch dozens of businesses to address real-world barriers.
They emphasised the importance of sustained funding, mentorship, and visibility for innovators building accessible solutions.
That’s why they invest in innovation “that is designed to power people living with disabilities, to enable them to access economic opportunities, or to improve their living conditions.”
The SAB Foundation has, to date, funded 309 enterprises. Of those, 268 are steered by business owners with disabilities.
SA National Council for the Blind
The Council showcased some of the assistive tech solutions they help facilitate, from screen readers to tactile maps, and spoke about their ongoing advocacy for accessible environments.
Dr Ashley Subbiah, who manages the assistive technology side, highlighted that blind users don’t necessarily want hand-holding; they want to be treated like everyone else.
He also mentioned how many accessibility “fixes” are often developed without input from actual users, leading to well-intentioned but ineffective solutions.
“Inclusion in mobility should never be considered a check box or compliance. We need to look at it as a lived experience. As a blind South African, it means the freedom to travel without fear, to participate in society, and to move safely and independently with dignity”.
“Inclusion should be defined by people like me, who have been excluded by design. It needs to be shaped in conjunction with people with disabilities. We have the biggest voice to inform how inclusion should be shaped. We can’t measure by infrastructure alone.”
Uber Assist in the global picture
Uber Assist isn’t new.
It launched in South Africa in 2017. The feature has existed for years in multiple countries. But this is the first time it’s being redesigned in South Africa with local partners, and not just parachuted in.
This matters.
According to the World Health Organization, more than a billion people globally live with some form of disability. That’s roughly 16% of the world’s population, based on data from 2023.
And yet, accessible public transport remains a global blind spot.
The need is urgent.
And in South Africa, where infrastructure gaps already run deep, inclusive transport becomes a lifeline.
NOTE: If there’s anything I’ve missed or phrased insensitively, I’d truly appreciate your feedback. I’m committed to getting this right. editor@technation.news
