INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
While Uber, for example, has launched Uber Health to help patients get to their appointments, the drivers are not vetted with patient
This is where Onward comes in.Onward, with $1.5 million in seed funding from Royal Street Ventures, Matchstick Ventures and JPK Capital,
launched a few months ago in the San Francisco Bay Area to help seniors safely get from point A to point B
Unlike Uber and Lyft, Onward offers round-trip, door-to-door rides and aims to provide freedom for older adults who may feel isolated,
It got him and his co-founder, Nader Akhnoukh, thinking about the idea of aging in place and how older people may feel isolated as they
(surgeries, eye exams, etc.) and caregivers who are unable to provide transportation to their loved ones.Similar to Uber and Lyft, Onward
Currently, there are more than 25 drivers on board who are all trained in CPR, dementia, and have gone through a background check and car
inspection.Onward also ensures its drivers know how to fold wheelchairs, though, only some drivers have the ability to transport those in
This time next year, Onward expects to have hundreds of drivers
Lewis says he also expects the number of vehicles with the ability to transport people in powered wheelchairs to increase as the company
grows.For riders, they can expect to pay $35 per hour
The minimum charge for the trip is one hour, so this is definitely geared toward people who may need the driver to wait for them during a
After the first hour, Onward charges by the minute.That hourly fee gets riders round-trip rides with the driver waiting for you at the
destination, door-to-door assistance at each stop and the ability to request favorite drivers.Onward completed its first ride in March in
the San Francisco Bay Area
For the rest of the year, Onward plans to focus on San Francisco as well as one other launch market
To date, Onward has completed more than 500 trips.
