Trevor Turner’s commentary hits right on the problem of transportation for people with disabilities (“Uber and Lyft mislead with talk of serving people with disabilities,” Opinion Exchange, April 12). Transportation for people with disabilities has not changed in more than 40 years! Minnesotans with disabilities, in particular those with physical disabilities who use scooters and wheelchairs, need a transportation mode that is reliable and accessible. Uber and Lyft need to invest in vehicles that can accommodate scooters and wheelchairs. Only then will this service be fully accessible to all people with disabilities. This is an equity issue, as people with disabilities are the largest minority in the state and should have accessible transportation that is easy to use, reliable and can accommodate scooters and wheelchairs.

In January 2023 I was in a car accident when my car was disabled. I was fine, but I needed a way home. I use a mobility device like a scooter and, thank goodness, I was only 10 blocks away from my home. I had to scoot home because there were no reliable and accessible transportation modes for me to use at 6 p.m. on a Friday night!

We need to move forward and create a transportation mode that is fully accessible to everybody. It can be done, but we need everyone, including legislators, to direct the funding toward creating a fully inclusive equitable model of transportation for all.

-Joan Willshire

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