Cabify now gives 100% accessibility to the blind in a new version of the app

New version of the Cabify app has 100% interface designed for the blind; implementation is already available in all markets

THE Cabify announced last Thursday (28) that it is expanding the accessibility of its application for blind people. The initiative led by the Accessible Software engineer at CabifyJonathan Chacn, who is also blind, and meets the celebration of World Disability Day, celebrated on December 3.

Implementation is already in effect in all Cabify marketsImplementation is already in effect in all Cabify markets (Image / Reproduction: Deposit Photos)

The new version of the app will allow the app to reproduce, through voice, the visual content of the smartphone, facilitating the understanding of the contents thanks to the semantic and programming changes. The accessibility projects, led by Chacn and his team, who also have visual impairments, plan to make the transport platform more accessible to other disabilities starting in 2020.

Natalia Gutierrez, Global Head of Sustainable Impact and Safety at Cabify, highlights the company's commitment, as responsible for the urban mobility sector, to have a positive impact on the design of the cities of the future and on current communities.

There is no doubt that mobility has a lot to grow and innovate, so that we have a positive impact on the design of the cities of the future and on the current communities. Today, we took it a step further with the launch of an application that is 100% accessible to blind people. As a mobility company, we want to be part of the solution and help overcome the barriers that exist for many users.

Natalia Gutierrez, Global Head of Sustainable Impact and Security at Cabify

Immediate implementation

The implementation of the new version of the app is already in effect in all markets that Cabify operates, including Brazil. When updating the application, available for Android and iOS, and to activate the screen reader function, blind users will already have full possibility of getting around the city.

Cabify plans to bring more accessibility to other types of disabled people in 2020.Cabify plans to bring more accessibility to other types of disabled people in 2020.

Not only was the platform updated, but also more than 300,000 drivers and taxi drivers collaborating with the transport service, who received guidance on how to deal with blind people. Chacn comments that awareness is very necessary, as the world of accessibility is still very unknown and many of us do not know how to treat a person with a disability.

I have been analyzing the opportunities for improvement in the Cabify application and, at the moment, I am working on the solutions. We classify these potential improvements in three steps, this being the first step for blind people. Gradually, we will be generating solutions adapted for people with partial or cognitive visual impairment.

Jonathan Chacn, Accessible Software Engineer at Cabify

Cabify and the future of urban mobility

The statement also says that the Cabify is investing in research, development and innovation with the aim of “Making cities better places to live”. Precisely for this reason, in 2018 the company invested in this segment almost 30% of the value of its gross margin.

Founded in 2011 in Madrid (Spain), Cabify expanded to Latin America after a few months of the start of the operation. The company is currently present in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Portugal and the Dominican Republic, with an adequate performance to meet the needs of each of the more than 130 cities.

With a predominantly Latin team, the Cabify stands out in the sector for betting on local professionals, generating high-value jobs in an industry that is being transformed by technology and innovation.

The company maintains a commitment to be a company with actions dedicated to social responsibility and aligned with Sustainable Development Goals, defined by the UN, being the first MaaS (Mobility as a service) in Latin America to offset 100% of the CO2 emissions generated in its operation.

Liked the new app from Cabify? Leave in the comments what you would like the company's next implementation to be for users.