Uber gives deaf drivers a chance to earn income

App-based transportation service Uber has launched an initiative to help hearing-impaired drivers to earn.

Uber Philippines General Manager Laurence Cua told reporters in a media briefing on Thursday that the Beethoven initiative aims to give employment to individuals who are hard of hearing.

"Six in every 1,000 households have a member who is deaf," Cua said, citing a data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

"Unemployment among deaf may be as high as 90 to 95 percent," he added, citing a research from the Philippine Federation of Deaf.

With the new feature, the hearing-impaired Uber partner-driver are alerted of a new ride request with flashing light in addition to the existing audio notification.

The feature also tells the rider that the driver they have booked is deaf.

The option to call a deaf driver is turned off and riders are instead given only the ability to text if they need to provide special instructions for pickup.

Cua noted that the Beethoven started in the Philippines in September.

Asked how many hearing-impaired drivers are now working with Uber, he said that "it's not a lot yet because people don't know yet the feature."

"As for projections on how many deaf individuals we are expecting to apply, we don't have a lot of data yet especially in the Philippines," Cua said.

The Beethoven program was first launched in 2015 in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, USA. To date, the program is being conducted in over 400 cities around the world, according Amy Kunrojpanya, Uber director of policy and communications for Asia Pacific.

"This program reinforces Uber's global commitment to provide every member of society a viable way to a earn a living by driving," Cua said. —NB, GMA News