Mobility start-up ORA shares ambitions for new wheelchair accessible vehicle rental service
As Government and businesses consider the growing need to transform transport in the context of decarbonisation and economic pressures, a new start-up developing flexible, affordable and available wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) rentals, Open Road Access (ORA), has launched.
Based in the UK, ORA has a stated mission of supporting 15 million trips a year by 2030. ORA’s vision is to create a world where everyone can move freely and independently.
David Dew-Veal, CEO and Founder at ORA, commented: “At ORA, we know that accessibility is the cornerstone of a better tomorrow – and our aim is to build it today.”
The UK’s National Centre for Accessible Transport (NCAT) highlights that disabled people travel significantly less than the general population — not by choice, but due to systemic barriers. According to ORA, this gap not only limits freedom and opportunity but also holds back billions in untapped economic activity.
As a business, ORA wants to play its part in reducing the transport accessibility gap, providing trips to people underserved by current transport options.
David adds: “ORA’s starting point is that businesses need to wake up to the cost of inaccessibility. I have seen first-hand the difference that having an accessible car made to my own family.
“By responding to the real need for more inclusive mobility options, ORA’s plan is to innovate new solutions that work for our customers, their families, carers, and businesses – starting with WAV rentals.”
ORA previously spent a year incubating a rental service for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV)s, experiencing significant demand from disabled and older people, carers, families, and businesses.
Delivering 6,000 trips to over 1,000 customers, ORA’s proposition made headlines last year for offering WAV delivery and collection at major UK airports. With a 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating, ORA’s leaders are confident in the continued need for accessible transport options and the value the company can offer.
Now ORA, using cutting-edge technology, will become the first platform where consumers and businesses can directly book a WAV that meets their needs. ORA will also be creating and testing new product and service offerings in accessible mobility, and are seeking partners in their next phase of development.
Helen Dolphin, access and inclusion consultant, accessible transport expert, Chair of the National Rail Accessibility Advisory Group, Chair of the Motability Consumer Group, and Co-Chair of Heathrow’s Access Advisory Group, shared her own reflections: “It’s fantastic to see ORA has plans to work hand in hand with industry, government, charities, advocacy groups, and researchers – bringing lived experience and the evidence base together to create solutions with lasting impact.”
ORA is led by an expert team with backgrounds in management consulting, mobility and technology.
