Digital Platform Launches in Metro Detroit for People with Travel-limiting Disabilities

Entrepreneurs have launched an online marketplace that helps customers in metro Detroit find high-assistance transportation such as wheelchair and medical transportation. The plan is to expand the service across the country.
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Uncurb platform
Uncurb offers a platform that helps customers find transportation for wheelchair users or passengers with medical needs. // Image courtesy of Uncurb

Entrepreneurs have launched an online marketplace that helps customers in metro Detroit find high-assistance transportation such as wheelchair and medical transportation. The plan is to expand the service across the country.

Novi’s Uncurb is designed to provide customers with choice and transparency in their mobility options by curating a network of high-quality providers and partners to support mobility beyond curb-to-curb needs.

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, an estimated 25.5 million adults in the U.S. have travel-limiting disabilities. Uncurb maintains standards in sanitation and cleanliness, and Uncurb providers must meet and exceed marketplace standards before becoming part of the network.

“Uncurb gives riders, families, medical, and nonprofit institutions the choice and information in their mobility options,” says Minyang Jiang, co-founder and CEO. “We are putting in one place the information they need to be empowered to make the best decisions, preserving riders’ independence as consumers rather than as patients.

“The coronavirus has added another level of stress on caregivers, many of whom are working mothers like myself. Our goal is to empower customers to make the best decisions for themselves and for those they care for by giving them a powerful resource to go to in selecting transportation services for their loved ones.”

The service offers pre-scheduled rides with added assistance, specialized vehicles such as wheelchair vans, medical transportation, and more. The team worked with Detroit’s Neon Software to develop the platform and user experience. Customers can find and compare transportation based on their needs, get quotes, see vehicle photos, review provider credentials, and send their request for a ride.

“When individuals or their loved ones face a sudden change in mobility, they often don’t know where to turn or who they can trust,” says Brad Jaeger, co-founder and COO. “Uncurb helps them navigate that uncertainty through transparency, ultimately helping them find a provider they can feel confident riding with.

“Our team did a fantastic job working throughout the quarantine to create this marketplace and build partnerships. We designed it with our own aging parents and family members in mind; it’s personally important to us that we have a tool like Uncurb to assist our family and ourselves one day.”

Uncurb is building partnerships with providers, consumers, and businesses affected by the pandemic. It is currently available to customers in southeast Michigan and can be accessed here.