At this point in the game, CORE Centers, in Northridge, California has stated that Uber will be expanding into the disabled-access market. I am not sure as to details yet, but I imagine that the company change will involve buying more accessible vans.
But who knows if Uber, as a dial-a-ride, will be able to cater to the physically-challenged community; there have already been rumors afloat, regarding Uber's structural integrity. I don't feel like it's the most sound system possible, and it even scares me that Uber only has an online location, and not a physical one.
Let's face it: the web is a great invention, but businesses like Uber, that hope to capitalize off of the e-verse, need to follow the model that CORE does: combine the two sides of the coin. The point behind having access to the Internet was never to make our world completely virtual; the web itself is merely a networking tool.
So with SmartVan Paratransit, this will basically be like Uber, but exclusively for the higher-functioning, physically disabled community. In this instance, "higher-functioning" refers to guys like Aaron Baker, who suffer disabilities, but are able to travel to better-paying jobs, along with nicer recreational venues, like fine dining and live concerts.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out: disability is something that exists across a spectrum. Some people can do certain things that others can not; CORE Centers and life, in general, have taught me these values.
So what would SmartVan's selling point be? Two things: first, the business layout, second...the choice of vehicle. This fall, Tesla Motors has begun to leak-out their very first, Model X crossovers. What makes SmartVan different from every other paratransit, however, is that as Tesla builds, SmartVan builds, meaning that our company will build a paratransit service around the Model X platform, and literally as the company is leaking them out.
I know that everybody is scared of Uber right now, and other disabled community members have even created that rumor, that Uber is seeking to take over Access Paratransit, which I can tell you right now is just not going to happen, because Access is a subsidized service, where Uber is private.
Not only this, but Access and Uber use conventional cars, and they don't have a showroom or central office that works as a classroom. Tesla does, and when SmartVan does start to take off as a business, it hopes to build a central office in Northridge, that will likewise function as a "classroom," using informational aesthetics to tell people the story behind the idea.
Tesla crossovers, electric charging stations, web connectivity all the way around...all combined with an office that would expand into a chain, and every time you visit a SmartVan location to reserve your ride, you have fun while you're doing it.
TV personality, Fred Rogers once said that children need to be at play, because non-serious play is an integral part of some very serious learning. That's Mr. Rogers in a nutshell, and as silly as that may sound, maybe that spirit of play-and-adventure need be incorporated into a paratransit company.
Call me a visionary, or simply refer to me as unrealistic; either way, I'll take that criticism! I consider myself to be the kind of person, who just knows when his idea is a stupid one. In this case, however, the challenged community needs something a little different.
So we do have a fundraiser set-up, and while money is not the goal here, we're going to need a lot of it if we are to make this into a real business, and as far as me and my guys are concerned, we already have our first location in mind.
Drink in the vision behind SmartVan, understand what it is...and maybe there really will prove to be angel investors out there who see what I see.
Google's looking to take over the Internet eventually, and Uber is expanding into an adaptive market; why not invest in a company that spares no expense, and for the physically-disabled?!
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