Wheelchair-Accessible SUV Service By Kia and Hyundai Now In Los Angeles

ButterFli, a Los Angeles-based app that provides transportation for individuals with disabilities, is collaborating with Hyundai and Kia. For the service, the two manufacturers developed wheelchair-accessible Tellurides and Palisades.

EnableLA is the name of the new universal mobility service launched today.  Rides will be available weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and may be booked through the ButterFli app, the site, or by calling. Palisades and Tellurides have been renovated to conform with the Americans with Disabilities Act to allow wheelchair access. The trucks also include UV-free antimicrobial lighting for enhanced sanitation and are driven by employees who have been educated to assist users.

The pandemic has exacerbated mobility issues for the handicapped and aged, particularly wheelchair users, according to Youngcho Chi, President and Chief Innovation Officer of Hyundai Motor Group. “As part of our Human-Centered Mobility goal, we aim to make our care more affordable and inclusive so that we can better provide universal access for everyone and, in the end, assist everyone attain freedom of mobility.”

EnableLA aims to improve accessibility for persons who use wheelchairs and will be the first wheelchair-accessible company in Los Angeles to employ SUVs. The new program is part of a broader effort dubbed the Hyundai Motor Group's Universal Mobility Project, which aims to better assist those with physical, social, and economic obstacles by offering a range of services.

The Universal Mobility Project intends to give the elderly, pregnant women, children, and low-income households easier access to transportation. To investigate and define the key principles necessary for universal mobility, the initiative works using the World Economic Forum's Inclusivity Quotient and its standards.