Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Yandex Go online service for ordering trips spoke about projects designed to help people with disabilities move comfortably around the city. The company shared its plans and current initiatives at a round table dedicated to the development of an accessible environment in Uzbekistan, with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan and the public association of the disabled "SHAROIT PLUS".

In the near future, the service plans to adapt the application for users with disabilities. Yandex Go will develop an accessibility screen and practical recommendations for drivers and service partners together with experts from the Ministry of Employment and the SHAROIT PLUS Association of Disabled People. This will allow users to warn the driver in advance, even before booking a ride, that they will be in a wheelchair or that they will need help to find the car and get into it. Also, drivers will be able to immediately find out how best to communicate with the passenger: voice or chat. All this will help reduce the risk of misunderstandings when ordering, as well as improve the quality and comfort of the trip for users with disabilities.

“We believe that free and comfortable movement around the city should be available to everyone. We regularly cooperate with charitable foundations and help their wards get free access to hospitals, shops and on business. The new app adaptation initiative is a vivid example of how cooperation between business, government and non-profit organizations can improve the quality of life and accessibility of the urban environment for people with disabilities,” said Kirill Svintsov, Yandex Taxi Development Director in the CIS.

“The Yandex Go initiative, which we supported together with the SHAROIT PLUS association, is another important joint step towards creating an inclusive society in Uzbekistan that provides equal opportunities for people with disabilities. We welcome the participation of business in the social life of our society and appreciate the contribution that the company makes,” said Alisher Inakov, head of the department for organizing medical and social services at the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The Development Director of Yandex Taxi in the CIS also shared that since October 2022, the company has provided more than 1,000 free trips for employees, volunteers and job seekers with disabilities as part of a project for inclusive employment of people with disabilities through a special recruiting web portal ishplus.uz. The project is being implemented by SHAROIT PLUS together with the Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment. As a result, it was possible to reduce the travel costs of project coordinators, as well as solve the issue of transportation for applicants with various forms of disability when they go to interviews. At the event, Yandex Go presented SHAROIT PLUS with a certificate of continued long-term cooperation.

“Currently, people with various forms of disabilities living in Tashkent face a number of difficulties when moving around the city. For this reason, many people with disabilities use Yandex Go services. But due to their financial situation, they cannot use taxi services every day. Since October 2022, Yandex Go has been working closely with our organization and providing us with promotional codes for trips. This contributed to the effective organization of the work of our employees of the ishplus.uz project to promote decent employment for people with disabilities. On behalf of our organization, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Yandex Go for the provided opportunities and reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities,” said Mukhabbat Rakhimova, Chairman of the NGO SHAROIT PLUS.

Earlier in 2021, the Yandex Go app began to support screen readers. Thanks to this, blind users can order a taxi without assistance not only by phone, but also from a computer or mobile device. Blind users have access to all the main features of the service. They can set a route, choose a fare, find out the cost of a trip, choose a payment method, order a car and leave a comment to the driver - and all this by ear.