Hyundai and Kia are partnering with ButterFli, a Los Angeles-based app that provides rides for people with accessibility issues. The two automakers have built wheelchair-accessible Tellurides and Palisades for the service.
The project is being called EnableLA, a new universal mobility service announced today. The service will offer rides weekdays between 7 AM and 7 PM that can be booked via the ButterFli app, on the web, or by phone.
The Palisades and Tellurides have been modified to allow wheelchair access and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The vehicles are also equipped with UV-free antimicrobial lights for better sanitation and are operated by drivers trained to aid users.
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“The pandemic has worsened the mobility situations for the disabled and elderly, especially wheelchair users,” said Youngcho Chi, President and Chief Innovation Officer of Hyundai Motor Group. “Under our vision toward Human-Centered Mobility, we want to make our services more accessible and inclusive to better ensure universal access for everyone and ultimately help achieve freedom of mobility for all.”
EnableLA focuses on helping give people with wheelchairs greater access to transportation and will be the first LA-based wheelchair-accessible service to utilize SUVs. The new service is part of a larger project called the Hyundai Motor Group’s Univeral Mobility Project that seeks to better serve those with physical, social, and economic barriers through a variety of solutions.
The Universal Mobility Project aims to expand access to mobility to the elderly, the pregnant, children, and low-income families. The project works with the World Economic Forum’s Inclusivity Quotient and its guidelines to examine and set the core principles required for universal mobility.
