TAXI ACCESSIBILITY

Where have we been and where might we go

"Persons with disabilities have a significant positive impact on society, and their contributions can be even greater if we remove barriers to their participation. With more than one billion persons with disabilities in our world today, this is more important than ever." —United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December 2012

In the beginning there was accessibility…

AND AS TIMES CHANGED, SO DID ACCESSIBLE TAXIS.

Some of Today’s Accessible Taxis

What drives the design of these vehicles?

• Anti-Discrimination Acts around the world set basic standards for mobility device vehicle access based on standards that in some cases no longer match the needs of the population

So what will the next accessible taxi look like?

What will power this vehicle?

A 1920s coal-gas powered taxicab operated by John Lee Automobile Engineers in Keighley, England. The bag atop the vehicle stored sufficient fuel for 15 miles of driving. Fast forward to 2007.. more than 1000 taxicabs in the Chinese city of Fuxin have switched from gasoline to compressed coal-based methane (CBM) fuel.

Could the future bring robot taxis!?