Project Investigator: Mahtot Gebresselassie

Funding: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

Term: 2025-2027

The project proposes to investigate disability access and inclusion in ride-hailing services in Toronto and Mississauga with a view to expanding inclusive transportation systems and improving disabled individuals’ access to work, education, and other life opportunities. The central question that drives the work is: what characterizes the experience of wheelchair users with ride-hailing services and how do other socio-economic and demographic factors compound their challenges? The project leverages on the PI’s experience gained from leading a nationwide study in the US about wheelchair users of Uber and Lyft services to a) to establish a baseline understanding of the Canadian context and situate the work and b) explore additional avenues of inquiry into how other identities of riders may intersect with wheelchair use to exacerbate impediments with ride-hailing services. The research work aligns with the Shifting Dynamics of Privilege and Marginalization Pillar of SSHRC’s 2022-25 Action Plan.