A citizen has initiated an on-call "disabled friendly" cab service in the city of Mumbai. This is a much needed service that should ideally have been provided in various transportation services by the Maharashtra State Government. It is highly commendable that Mr.Arun Sabnis, who runs Mumbai's Gold Cab service, has conceived the idea of a public para-transit service for the city.
His initial fleet will consist of 20 modified Versas. Ferdinand J. Rodricks of Ferro Equip is working on the modification design supported by the Swedish Gothenberg Services. Indian Express has provided some details about the adaptations: "it has the middle seating removed to make way for a wheelchair lock-in arrangement and there’s a side ramp to enable it to enter. Other adjustments include internal space to seat three and work on the rear seat to accommodate luggage."
It took Mr.Sabnis two whole years to convince the "Maharashtra Government (RTO) about the need for such a service in Mumbai." Unfortunately this comes neither as a surprise nor a shock.
Mr.Sabnis aims to provide a 24 hour call center for bookings, which can also be made via sms and email. He plans to approach the Ministry for Aviation to start airport services and I wish him all possible luck in this endeavor. People with disabilities face an absolute lack of options when it comes to accessible transit services to and from the airport.
The Indian Express article covering this can be read at:
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=197244
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