One meeting with Padma , and Manoj Santani,
a Mumbai-based chartered accountant, knew he had found his soulmate. A school
teacher in Rajasthan, Padma felt the same way. But there was one problem.
No, it was not the geographical distance and nor was it any negative vibes
from family members that some disabled people get when marriage talk comes
up. Padma was willing to move cities to be with Manoj, and both had the full
backing of their families. It was something else altogether.
Manoj and Padma, who are both wheelchair users, wanted to get married the
traditional way and there were many rituals and functions that required them
to travel together.
The problem was that there were quite a few ceremonies where we were needed
to travel together, and we realized that getting a vehicle that could
accommodate two wheelchairs was a big problem. We looked around a lot and
asked people but found no solution. Finally, I decided to post my
requirement in a few groups. – Manoj Santani, Chartered
Accountant
Santani’s post was shared widely and eventually caught the attention of
Ezy Mov, India’s first wheelchair tax service. Since 2015,
Ezy Mov has been dedicated to providing a range of accessible vehicles to
people with disabilities and the elderly. They recently launched their
services in Goa.
Ezy Mov read about Santani’s need and offered to one of their accessible
wheelchair taxis. “When we designed our accessible taxis, the aim was to
allow multiple wheelchair users to get in. We decided that every wheelchair
cab of ours should be designed such that it can take two wheelchairs, even
more if needed, at a time”, says Bennet D’Cunha, Co-founder, Ezy
Mov,.
In Santani’s case the taxi came in handy as it could accommodate both his
and Padma’s wheelchairs. “They were able to come together and go
together”, adds D’Cunha. “This was very useful as they had many
functions on the same day, and they used the full-day model”.
The vehicles are in major demand through the year as they can accommodate up
to five wheelchairs. They are especially hard to get in the wedding season
and need to be booked in advance.
“We also have a lot of wheelchair users who travel to work together use
it”, says D’Cunha. The rate for the entire day is Rs 3,500 at the moment.
“There are some mobility-restricted users as well as couples. It is a
great enabler for couples who want to go together”.
Santani, who has now modified his vehicle to move around Mumbai with Padma
has good things to say about the experience. “I liked the service very much
and would give it top rating!”
So, if you have a special day coming up and want to spend it traveling around
the city with your special someone, go ahead and make your plans without a
care!
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& it’s many expectations. Disabled singles share their views
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21251
